we were born to be, we need to understand what Jesus knew about authority and how He responded to it, as well as the remarkable results that came from it.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 3:13–4:1)
This incident is loaded with meaning.
Do you know how far the site of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River is from the region of Galilee? It is approximately seventy or eighty miles. That would be more than a week’s walk over a terrain of rocks and hills. Jesus didn’t come for a casual visit. He came looking for John.
We have seen that many people’s experiences with authority have been negative, and that they are therefore wary of it. Yet submitting to true authority is something desirable and essential for our lives, and one of the ways we know this is that Jesus went looking for what we tend to avoid. He sought out what we run from. He requested what we are suspicious of. He confidently sought John the Baptist to allow Him to submit to his authority.
“But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper [“fitting” nkjv] for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness’” (Matthew 3:14–15). “All righteousness” means “all right standing, or positioning.” Jesus was saying that this was necessary for Him to be in proper relationship to the Ultimate Authority, God the Father.
Authority Needs Authority to Release Its Power
John had previously distinguished his authority from the authority of Jesus. Before Jesus came to be baptized by him, John had told the people, “After me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry” (Matthew 3:11, emphasis added). John knew well the powerful authority of Jesus. He had also said, “I baptize you with water for repentance.…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (verse 11).
What kind of baptism did Jesus come for? Water baptism. And it was John who was authorized to baptize with water. Jesus couldn’t baptize Himself because He was not the water-baptizer. As great as He was, He had to submit to the authority that had been established by God the Father for this time in His life on earth.
The Old Testament prophecy in Malachi 3:1 reveals what authority Jesus was submitting to when He was baptized by John:
“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire.(Malachi 3:1)
Two “messengers” are mentioned in this passage. The first messenger would prepare the way for the Lord, and this refers to John the Baptist. The second messenger is the messenger of the covenant, and this refers to Jesus.
John’s authority was in his assignment—to prepare the way for the Lord. He declared, “The reason I came baptizing with water was that he [the greater Messenger] might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:31).
The account in the book of Matthew says that when Jesus answered John in terms of authority—“Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness”—“then John consented” (Matthew 3:15).
The secret to life is to constantly
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 3:13–4:1)
This incident is loaded with meaning.
Do you know how far the site of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River is from the region of Galilee? It is approximately seventy or eighty miles. That would be more than a week’s walk over a terrain of rocks and hills. Jesus didn’t come for a casual visit. He came looking for John.
We have seen that many people’s experiences with authority have been negative, and that they are therefore wary of it. Yet submitting to true authority is something desirable and essential for our lives, and one of the ways we know this is that Jesus went looking for what we tend to avoid. He sought out what we run from. He requested what we are suspicious of. He confidently sought John the Baptist to allow Him to submit to his authority.
“But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper [“fitting” nkjv] for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness’” (Matthew 3:14–15). “All righteousness” means “all right standing, or positioning.” Jesus was saying that this was necessary for Him to be in proper relationship to the Ultimate Authority, God the Father.
Authority Needs Authority to Release Its Power
John had previously distinguished his authority from the authority of Jesus. Before Jesus came to be baptized by him, John had told the people, “After me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry” (Matthew 3:11, emphasis added). John knew well the powerful authority of Jesus. He had also said, “I baptize you with water for repentance.…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (verse 11).
What kind of baptism did Jesus come for? Water baptism. And it was John who was authorized to baptize with water. Jesus couldn’t baptize Himself because He was not the water-baptizer. As great as He was, He had to submit to the authority that had been established by God the Father for this time in His life on earth.
The Old Testament prophecy in Malachi 3:1 reveals what authority Jesus was submitting to when He was baptized by John:
“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire.(Malachi 3:1)
Two “messengers” are mentioned in this passage. The first messenger would prepare the way for the Lord, and this refers to John the Baptist. The second messenger is the messenger of the covenant, and this refers to Jesus.
John’s authority was in his assignment—to prepare the way for the Lord. He declared, “The reason I came baptizing with water was that he [the greater Messenger] might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:31).
The account in the book of Matthew says that when Jesus answered John in terms of authority—“Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness”—“then John consented” (Matthew 3:15).
The secret to life is to constantly
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