Matthew 3:1-6
1 – In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 – And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 – For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 – And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 – Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 – And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
Matthew 3:13-17
13 – Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14 – But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 – And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16 – And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 – And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
The baptism of Jesus Christ marked a turning point in His earthly life, for on that day He began the most blessed and effective ministry the world has ever known. In a mere three years of preaching and teaching the Gospel, He set in place the foundation of and wrote the guidebook for our Christian lives and faith. Oh, and He also created a roadmap to heaven for a world of unworthy sinners!
Jesus’ ministry began with His baptism by John the Baptist in the river Jordan, an amazing event witnessed by many, all of whom no doubt remembered it and excitedly told others about it for the rest of their lives. But as magnificent as the beginning of His ministry was, it was the end of it that truly changed the world and gave each and every one of us hope and redemption…
Our Saviour willingly took His place upon the cross at Calvary and shed His precious blood so that we could have our sins washed away, making us worthy through his grace and sacrifice of spending eternity with Him and His Father up in heaven instead of a fiery hell. Since He was God, it was easily within His power to simply walk away from His executioners. But He loved us so much that He allowed them to torture him for hours on end, then put him to death in one of the most excruciatingly painful ways ever devised.
When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan that day, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him “like a dove”, but a mere three years later he allowed Himself to be nailed to an old rugged cross where he took on the massive weight and shame of the sins of the world. He hung there between heaven and earth, bleeding and suffering for six excruciating hours before finally saying “It is finished”.
To make a way for us to be forgiven of our sins, our dear Saviour died an unjust and miserable death, but three days later He rose from the grave, triumphant and in all His amazing glory.
The start of His ministry was a sight to behold, His preaching and teachings formed the foundation and structure of our beloved Christian faith, and the end of His earthly life saved all who choose to believe from an eternity in hell. All in all, I would say it was a pretty successful “career”, wouldn’t you?
Good!