What Was John’s Baptism For?

As you read through the different Gospel accounts in the Bible, you will notice that some authors emphasize different things, some tell what seems to be the same story from a different perspective, and some leave out certain stories altogether. One of the stories that makes it into all four Gospels is the baptism of Jesus. Given the dramatic way in which the sky was “torn open,” the Holy Spirit descends, and the Father announces Jesus as his Son, we should not be surprised that all four authors included it. What should surprise us, however, is that Jesus was baptized at all. Consider at Mark’s account:

 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;^[d] with you I am well pleased. – Mark 1:4,9-11

Why Baptize Someone Without Sin?

Think about it; we have just read that John came “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). What did Jesus have to repent of? Did Jesus need his sins forgiven? The New Testament writers clearly answer this question when they say that Jesus was the one “who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), was “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), and had “committed no sin” (1 Peter 2:22). We know why all of the other people were coming—because they had sinned and needed to repent and be cleansed—but why does the only sinless person who has ever lived come to John, who was preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins? Even John raises this concern:

“John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’” (Matthew 3:14)

Fulfillment of Righteousness

Jesus’ answer gives us a hint into his reasons: “…it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). He used the language of fulfillment several times throughout the gospel accounts, though usually this was in reference to the Scriptures being fulfilled in his life and ministry. There are, however, a few times elsewhere that he identifies himself as fulfilling something. In Matthew, Jesus says that he has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). In Luke, he says, “Everything written about me…must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). The reason Jesus requested baptism was because he saw it as a fulfillment of the Scriptures in him.

Jesus & Israel’s Stories

John wasn’t baptizing in the Jordan river by accident – it was specifically meant to evoke images of Israel entering into the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. Israel had sinned in the wilderness, spent forty years there as a consequence, and eventually passed through the Jordan river into their inheritance in the promised land. Now Jesus offers them a second chance to repent and start over. The Scriptures repeatedly indicate that Israel was meant to be God’s people, bringing blessing and salvation to the nations, but they had failed. Now Jesus had come to live out Israel’s story the way it was always meant to be. Israel went to Egypt in a time of trouble; so did Jesus. Israel came out of Egypt and into the promised land; so did Jesus. Israel was appointed to be a blessing to all nations but failed; Jesus would succeed.

This is, of course, the whole point. Jesus was living out the story of Israel. The obvious difference here was that where they had failed, he would succeed. He would obey the Law perfectly, he would establish the kingdom of God on earth, and in doing so he would bring those who were alienated from God—both Israel and all of the other nations—back into life with God through his life and ministry, death, burial, and resurrection.

The Purpose of Baptism

His baptism was not about repenting of his own sins, but rather identifying himself with those he had come to redeem and save through what baptism ultimately symbolizes. As we get baptized, it is a sign that we are repenting of our own sins, and redeemed through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.