Read MATTHEW 3:13–17
We believe, wrote fourth-century theologian Athanasius, “in one God, Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son, and in one Holy Spirit; one God, known in the holy and perfect Trinity, baptized into which, and in it united to deity, we believe that we have also inherited the kingdom.”
At the baptism of Jesus, all three Persons of the Trinity were distinctly and powerfully present. Jesus, the Son, came to be baptized by John. This represented the climax of the Baptist’s ministry, though he hesitated (v. 14). After all, a sinless man did not need baptism to signify repentance from sin. Jesus, however, asked to be baptized to signify His consecration to the will of His Father and the launch of His public ministry (v. 15).
John, as we know, was filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth (see Luke 1:15). It’s reasonable to infer that he knew his cousin’s true identity as the Messiah and Son of God through a revelation from the Spirit. When John baptized Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended “like a dove” (v. 16), a form symbolizing purity and innocence.
In addition, the voice of God the Father spoke from heaven: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (v. 17). Love is part of the inner life of the Trinity. Since love must have an object, from eternity there must have been Someone for God to love. In this sense, God being more than one Person was perhaps inevitable, though still mysterious.
On this occasion, alluding to Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1, God publicly identified, affirmed, and encouraged His Son as He began His mission of redemption (see 1 John 4:8–9).
APPLY THE WORD
Before His ascension, Jesus instructed us to make and baptize disciples in the name of the Trinity (see Matt. 28:19). For the church, baptism signifies discipleship, a public commitment to following and obeying Christ. Baptism reminds us that we identify with the death and resurrection of our Lord and, like Him, are consecrated to doing the will of our Father.
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