SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 3:13-17
John the Baptist baptizes Jesus who came from Galilee to the Jordan River. John said that Jesus needed to baptize him, not the other way around. Jesus told him he needed to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. When Jesus was baptized, heaven opened up and the Spirit of God came down upon him. A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
BSF STUDY QUESTIONS LESSON 3, DAY 5: MATTHEW 3:13-17
12 ) Jesus came to earth as a human partly to show others how to live. He was baptized to show that Christians should be baptized as well.
13a) That the Spirit would come down from heaven as a dove and remain, baptizing with the Holy Spirit.
b) He was praying.
14 ) We are here only because of God. We are here to do His will, not ours. If we were doing our will, we’d all be sinners, doing whatever we pleased in utter chaos. Instead, we work to please our God, our Creator, as a form or worship and honor for what He has given us and done for us.
15) It is important as Jesus showed us how to live and what to do. Baptism is a special day when you accept Christ into your life publically. If Jesus did it, we should, too. Here, Jesus being baptized also legitimizes John’s baptisms of the people since it was outside of Jewish tradition.
CONCLUSIONS BSF STUDY QUESTIONS LESSON 3, DAY 5: MATTHEW 3:13-17
I love how God opens up the heavens, showing his pleasure. God gives us many signs of how to live, as well as signs of reassurance that we are walking with Him. God does so much just for us. Try to digest that thought today. Great stuff!
END NOTES BSF STUDY QUESTIONS LESSON 3, DAY 5: MATTHEW 3:13-17
John questions Jesus because Jesus had no sin so therefore had nothing to repent of. Yet, Jesus knew this was the right thing to do. This one act allowed Jesus to identify with mankind. This is the official beginning of Jesus’s ministry. It’s an important sign to all that Jesus is here.
God showed all sinners that Jesus was identifying with them, not being cleansed of any sin. It was important that God show everyone this was His Son and that Jesus was different, so he sent the physical sign of the dove for all to see. Jesus now has the power of God (he always did, since he is God, but this is official for humans, like a ceremony). It was also important that John the Baptist, now hugely popular with the people, recognize Jesus as the Savior. John 1:32-33
Note Noah sent a dove that returned with an olive branch from the ark. Doves in the Bible represent peace, love, gentleness, and hope for a better future.
God set his stamp of approval upon Jesus. Here, we see the Holy Trinity together in the Bible: God in heaven, Jesus on earth, the Holy Spirit coming down between the two. Beautiful picture, isn’t it?