Matthew 3:13-17
Inside Out
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Do you wear your heart on your sleeve?
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Jesus shows us His heart in this passage
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John questions Jesus request to be baptized by him
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WHY?
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Jesus has no need to change his mind / repent
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Jesus has no reason to confess sin
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Jesus does not need to display the fruit as proof
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So why does Jesus need to be baptized by John?
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vs. 15: “...to fulfill all righteousness.”
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Baptism does not “do” anything to us
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It’s an external symbol of an internal reality
Jesus’ baptism is the external symbol of...
1. His identification with us:
“… being in very nature God … made himself nothing …
being made in human likeness” (Phil. 2:6–7)
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor …”
(2 Cor. 8:9)
“...was numbered with the transgressors.” (Isa. 53:12)
2. His knowledge of the cross:
“… the baptism I am baptized with” (Mark 10:38)
Our baptism looks back on the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus. We are IN HIM because of that
historical act.
Jesus’ baptism looked forward to His death, burial, and
resurrection, and is a symbol of His future experience.
3. His separation for the ministry:
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vs. 16 & 17 = combination of 2 Messianic statements:
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‘This is my Son …’ (Ps. 2:7)
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This is about the Messiah (cf. Hebrews ch. 1)
‘My chosen one in whom I delight’ (Isa. 42:1)
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This is about the suffering servant, NOT Israel
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To the Jews, the Messiah would not suffer
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That’s why 1 Cor. 1:23 is true
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vs. 16 & 17 show us:
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Who He is - The Son
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What He does - The suffering servant
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vs. 17 - “...with him I am well pleased.”
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As far as it is recorded, Jesus had not DONE anything
for God yet (30 years)
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It is not what we do for God that pleases Him
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It is our disposition towards Him that pleases Him
The meeting of The Trinity here marks a new era in the
work of The LORD
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Next week we’ll see that the first ministry event was not
very glamourous!