Christ Identifies With You | Matthew 3:13-17

What a crazy thing to say

Author

Caleb Lee
January 08, 2024

Identity is quite a hot topic these days.

But is there anything more controversial and scandalous than the perfect Creator of the Universe identifying with His lowly, sinful Creation?

13  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14  John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15  But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16  And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17  and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:13-17

Jesus didn’t have to get baptized at all. John confirms that with his initial hesitation to baptize Him. Yet, Jesus insists not because of His need to be baptized, but because in doing so He is able to identify with the ones He is here to save.

And in the reverse, we, as sinful beings, are able to identify with Christ. As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:21:

21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

And yet, even though Jesus’ baptism serves as a way for Him to identify with us, it also serves as a way for Him to reveal Himself as being the Messiah, the Beloved Son of the Trinity.

As we see in John 1:32-34:

32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

So it’s in the simple act of baptism that we see the Creator of the Universe relating to us in our sinful state, having come to the earth to bring salvation through his substitutionary life, death, and resurrection.

What a wonderful Savior.

Have a blessed Monday, friends.

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