Why Did Jesus Need Be Baptized?

---

To fulfill all righteousness

Matthew 3:11 ESV: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire”.

NOTE:  We see here that there are two types of Baptism:

1. Baptism by Water, where John was baptizing believers with water for repentance.
2. Baptism by the Holy Spirit, Where “he who is coming” – Jesus “ – “will baptize you” – believers  – “with the Holy Spirit and fire“. 

Matthew 3:13-14 ESV: ”Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?“.

NOTE: We  know  that  Jesus having  been  conceived  through  the  miraculous  and  non-sexual conception of the Holy Spirit was not born of sinful seed, and never sinned and therefore had no need to repent. John signifies this by questioning Jesus and asking why?

Jesus answered that question when He said it was to fulfill all righteousness, Matthew 3:15. Jesus was NOT doing this as an outward sign or as an example for others to follow, because:

• That was John’s purpose. “Make straight the way.”
• That would have wrongly signified Jesus had sin to repent of.  

So, what then was this righteousness that Jesus said was fitting and therefore needed to be fulfilled?

To fulfill every iota and dot of the law

We know from Romans 7:12 that the law is holy, righteous and good. We are also told – as Jesus said – that every iota and dot of the law must first be accomplished before the law will pass, Matthew 5:17-18. We also know that in accordance to the law:

• God’s way into His presence was through the consecrated priests
• There can be no change in the law without a change in priesthood. Hebrews 7:12

So, what this says is that Jesus would abide by the very laws that He Himself – as God – had established. He did not come to circumvent them, but to fulfill them. Now it is important understand that under the law, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and offer sacrifice. Likewise, under the laws of Levitical priesthood, a priest had to perform specific rituals before they became the High Priest and enter the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifice. I won’t list them all, but we know they had to:

• Undergo training, (see Luke 2:41-52),
• Be anointed (Jesus is anointed by the Spirit Matthew 3:16-17),
• Undergo a ceremonial washing. Again, this is not to say that Jesus needed cleansing Himself but in order to fulfill righteousness of the law, He was required to do cleansing under the law, His own law, that He did not come to circumvent, but instead fulfill. See Leviticus 16:4

Let’s look at the definition of the New Testament word “Baptism” which according to Strong’s Concordance includes Water Baptism for repentance of sin, Baptism by the Holy Spirit and Fire and also in its simplest form, is considered a cleansing. Strong’s Number: G907

Original Word: “βαπτίζω”

Transliterated Word: “baptizō”

Strong’s Definition: From  a  derivative of G911  “to  make  whelmed  (that  is  fully  wet);  used only  (in  the  New Testament) of  ceremonial  ablution  especially  (technically)  of  the  ordinance  of Christian baptism: – baptist baptize wash.

Thayer’s Definition:

• To dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)
• To cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one’s self, bathe

In ordinance of the High Priest to offer sacrifice

Jesus did not need to be cleansed in repentance of sin but instead he needed to perform a ceremonial cleansing in accordance with the law, in order to fulfill all righteousness and in order to become the High Priest and offer Himself as the sacrifice to God the Father. This is what is meant to fulfill all righteousness, for “Every iota and dot of the law must first be accomplished before the law will pass”. See Exodus 29:4-9

In ordinance of the Mitzvot

Now here is where an often over-looked detail reinforces what Jesus meant by every iota and every dot. First, we need understand that “Caiaphas” was – at that time of Christ’s arrest – the High Priest and there cannot be two High Priests. Immediately following His arrest, Jesus was taken to the home of Caiaphas where Caiaphas, still dressed in his Priestly and Seamless garments (likely without the breast plate), makes accusations of Jesus. When Jesus gave answer to these accusations, Caiaphas became enraged and tore his own garments. Under the law, when a priest tears his garments,  he  nullifies  his  priesthood.  Leviticus  21:10.

Tearing of garments was not merely some suggestion that God would like to see a High Priest not do, instead this was the law, one of the 613 laws of the Mitzvot. This was a commandment given by God to High Priests and breaking His commandments nullified their Priesthood. In fact, that would be the least of their problems for if the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies with a torn garment, they dropped dead. This is why the High Priest who entered the Holy of Holies had a rope tied around their waste and this is why the High Priests wore breast plates over their seamless garments / tunic. For if they were found unclean or if their clothing was even accidently torn, they died and needed to be pulled out.

This brings great significance to John 19:23-24, and the mention of the soldiers (by God’s providence) being careful not to tear Jesus’s tunic but instead cast lots for it. This was to fulfill the prophecy contained in Psalm 22:18 ESV, to fulfill the law and to illustrates the providence of God at work, in His wise and gentle influential direction that sees to His plans being fulfilled.

In the order of Melchizedek

While Caiphas may not have understood what he had done, God did, and thus, as far as God and His law was concerned, there could now be a lawful change in the Priesthood where it was transferred from Caiphas to Christ who had performed all the legal and ceremonial requirements to become High priest and “offer” sacrifice. Thus, Jesus was Himself the sacrifice made on the cross at Calvary but Jesus still had to “offer” that sacrifice 43 days later to God in the heavenly Tabernacle Hebrews 9:11-12 ESV. This is why in John 20:17 ESV, Jesus told Mary not to touch Him, for He had not yet entered the heavenly tabernacle to offer His sacrifice and therefore needed remain clean.

When the change in priesthood occurred with Christ there also came a change in the Law. This is self-evident because there is no law without priesthood and no priesthood without law. Not that all the demands of the Law are abrogated, but rather the change is with that of the Levitical priesthood and the animal sacrifices that they made are set aside, Romans 8:3-4.

It is also important to note that under the Levitical law given to Moses, it was against the law for a King to be a Priest or for a Priest to be a King. With the change in the law, we go back to a Pre-Levitical Priesthood, a Melchizedek Priesthood of Christ holding both the office King and High Priest. The Book of Hebrews really drives this home.