John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, and many came to him from Jerusalem, from Judea and from the country around about the Jordan. They confessed their sins and were baptized by him in the Jordan. We learn later that those who accepted John’s message also accepted the message of the Lord Himself; those who refused the testimony of John also refused the testimony of the Lord Jesus.
The Pharisees and Saduccees, who were the religious leaders of the day, also came to hear John, but he called them a generation of vipers and asked, “Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” He told them that they would have to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, for every tree not bringing forth good fruit would be cut down and burned up.
John spoke of the One coming after him who was mightier than he, who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit, which was connected with His first coming. He would also baptize with fire, when He would appear in judgment. He was to gather the wheat into His garner but He would burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. The Holy Spirit would be the source of the energy of those who received the Lord Jesus. They would be born again as we learn in other Bible passages. He was to redeem them from their sins by His death on the cross.
The Lord’s Baptism
“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.” He would take this place among the poor of His people, who came and confessed that they needed to repent. There wasn’t anything in His life which needed repentance, but He chose to be identified with those whose hearts were subject to the Word of God. If He did not accept John’s baptism, it would link Him with the mass of the people who did not repent at the preaching of John. So when John remonstrated with Him as to there being no need for Him to be baptized, the Lord replied, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” So He allowed John to baptize Him. He came to take the lowest place among those of God’s people, so that He might enter into their sorrows and sufferings and difficulties. He must be a true pattern and a perfect representative of everything which His children are expected to go through.
As the Lord Jesus came up out of the water, something happened which had never before taken place in the history of man upon earth. The heavens opened unto Him, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and lighted upon Him, while the Father’s voice from heaven was heard, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Never before had there been one who by His life could call forth such a wonderful testimony from God. There had been men of great faith on earth at various times and God had used them, but it was only through His grace that He could do so. There was always some failure in every one of them. But the Father’s eye could look down in love upon His beloved Son and see nothing but perfection. “And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1414And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)).
Further Meditation
1. What does it mean to “baptize with fire”?
2. Why did Jesus ask John to baptize Him?
3. An excellent introduction to the subject of repentance can be found in the pamphlet Repentance by H. P. Barker.