Matthew 3:13-15
John had been explaining that Jesus' baptism would be much greater than his, when suddenly Jesus came to him and asked to be baptized! John felt unqualified. He wanted Jesus to baptize him. Why did Jesus ask to be baptized? It was not for repentance for sin because Jesus never sinned. "To fulfill all righteousness" means to accomplish God's mission. Jesus saw His baptism as advancing God's work. Jesus was baptized because He was confessing sin ON BEHALF OF THE NATION, as Nehemiah, Ezra, Moses, and Daniel had done; He was sowing support for what John was doing; He was inaugurating His public ministry; He was identifying with the penitent people of God, not with the critical Pharisees who were only watching. Jesus, the perfect man, didn't need baptism for sin, but He accepted baptism in obedient service to the Father, and God showed His approval.
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Matthew 3:15 Put yourself in John's shoes. Your work is going well, people are taking notice, everything is growing. But you know that the purpose of your work is to prepare the people for Jesus (John 1:35-37). Then Jesus arrives, and His coming tests your integrity. Will you be able to turn your followers over to Jesus? John passed the test by publicly baptizing Jesus. Soon he would say, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Can we, like John, put our egos and profitable work aside in order to point others to Jesus? Are we willing to lose some of our status so that everyone will benefit?
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Matthew 3:16,17
The doctrine of the Trinity means that God is three persons and yet one essence. In this passage, all three persons of the Trinity are present and active. God the Father speaks; God the Son is baptized; God the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus. God is One, yet in three persons at the same time. This is one of God's incomprehensible mysteries. Other Bible references that speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are Matthew 28:19; John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 12:4-13; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5; and 1 Peter 1:2
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Matthew 4:1 This time of testing showed that Jesus really was the Son of God, able to overcome the devil and his temptations. A person has not shown true obedience if he or she has never had an opportunity to disobey. We read in Deuteronomy 8:2 that God led Israel into the wilderness to humble and test them. God wanted to see whether or not His people would obey Him. We too will be tested. Because we know that testing will come, we should be alert and ready for it. Remember your convictions are only strong if they hold up against pressure.
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