"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Today's quote is the Matthew account of the water baptism of Jesus which was in accordance with the laws of God, and thereby required of all ancient Jews who were entering into any kind of religious service. Seeing that Jesus was a Jew, He was also bound by the law and was required to submit Himself for the Jewish ritual of water baptismal cleansing. Had He not submitted to water baptism, He would have been a worthy sacrifice.
After Jesus completed His baptism and arose from the water, God, the Father, said, "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." That part of the quote is very important because as Jesus completed His water baptism, He fulfilled the requirements of the old law which allowed God to recognize Him as His only begotten Son and worthy of the task that laid before Him.
It behooves us to note that Jesus was not baptized in water to become the Son of God, He was baptized in water because He already was the Son of God, a human man who was required to live perfectly, fully following the Law of Moses in order to qualify as a wholly righteous man worthy of being a sacrifice for the sins of the world. ~
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