Story 28
Jesus’ Baptism
Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-13;
Luke 3:21-22, 4:1-13; John 1:29-34
The Bridge: The people thought that maybe John was the Messiah, but he made it clear that he was not. He was preparing the way for the One Whom God had promised to send. He said, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).
The Story:
- John began preaching to the people about the coming Messiah. He told them to turn away from their sins, for the Messiah was coming soon (Matthew 3:4-6; Mark 1:4-6).
- The people were confessing their sins and were baptized to symbolize their repentance (Matthew 3:7-10; Luke 3:7-9).
- One day when John the Baptist was out baptizing people, Jesus came to be baptized (Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:9; Luke 3:21).
- When John saw him, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29-30).
- When John told Jesus that He did not need to be baptized because He had never sinned, Jesus said, “I came to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).
- When Jesus came up out of the water, God spoke and said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 1:10-11; Luke 3: 22). The Holy Spirit descended like a dove and came to rest on Jesus to show that He was truly the Messiah.
Why did Jesus want to be baptized?
