John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin. John’s mission was to prepare the hearts of the Jewish people to turn toward Jesus and his teachings. He did this by urging them to repent, (meaning, feel sincere regret) for their sins, to change, and to return to their nation’s special relationship with God.
Baptism is a symbolic act, where a person is gently lowered backward into water and then quickly raised out of it. Being baptized by John was an outward symbol that showed a person felt sincerely sorry for their sins. It publicly showed a turning away from sin, and the return to a state of holiness and devotion to God.
But Jesus was not a sinner. Hebrews says he is (7:26, Good News Translation) “…holy; he has no fault or sin in him; he has been set apart from sinners…” A baptism of repentance for sins would not have been appropriate in his case.
Jesus was baptized to symbolize his willingness to die as a ransom for Adam, so that all people may have an opportunity to live again in God’s future kingdom. In addition, he gave an example for us to follow – we are to turn away from the world’s sinful ways and begin a new spiritual life with a full devotion to doing God’s will until death.
Matthew (3:16, 17 English Standard Version) says, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and…the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and…a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.’”
When it says “the heavens were opened to him,” we understand it to mean Jesus received a new, spiritual understanding or awareness. He would need this information in order to carry out his ministry exactly as God wanted.
So, why was Jesus baptized? To symbolize his willingness to die for the sins of the world as a ransom for Adam, as well as to give us an example to follow – we are to turn away from sin and devote our lives to doing the will of God.
This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com