12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
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.” –Matthew 3:11-17
All four gospel’s echo this account of how Jesus came on to the scene. Take a moment, and put yourself there; here is a man called John. He is rough, hairy, oddly dressed; and probably poor as dirt. He was the son of a priest, who totally rejected his priestly duties; to go out into the wilderness and preach the gospel. We find him here on a Jordan bank preaching the gospel of repentance, baptizing persons, and talking of one “mightier than I.” Within this revival of repentance, soul after soul coming down confessing and being baptized; this is when Jesus comes. He walks up to John, and says “I have need to be baptized”; and like a lot of things Jesus did; he did that for our benefit, so was the case when he was baptized of John. After he comes up out of the water, the Spirit then comes down and the record is given from God himself, the affirmative statement announcing the beginning of his ministry…….. “this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. This event is recorded in Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1; is a dress rehearsal to what Christ can do in every human heart. The beginning of Jesus’s ministry foreshadows the very purpose of his ministry.
Let me explain; review the text in bold, then re-read the underlined text. We find Jesus coming onto the scene when there was a revival of repentance. Repentance is a must; you have to VOW, and determine in your heart that you will never again do that which you have confessed and repented of. Only in this state can you experience the second coming of Christ (Sanctification-see Acts 2). When you have first repented and God has pardoned your transgression(s); then the Spirit can come down and the record is given from God himself, the affirmative statement announcing the beginning of his ministry in your life…..this is my beloved Son. You become a child of God, and heir with Christ. The Spirit of Jesus Christ; the “Holy Ghost whom I will send in my name” (John 14:26) comes in and he remains. When you are born of God, and have the Holy Spirit abiding within, it enables you to live a life pleasing to God. It enables you to live a life where you do not willfully transgress against God, because you don’t want anything but what God wants. He is able “to keep you from falling, and present you faultless” (Jude 1:24).
The beginning of Jesus’s ministry foreshadows the very purpose of his ministry. He came so that we could be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire. He came that we might be sanctified; that is, set apart for God’s holy purpose. How? By the Holy Ghost (Romans 15:16).
“17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” - John 17: 17-19
