United with Jesus

Jesus wades into the Jordan River alongside ordinary sinners to be baptized by John. John the Baptist knows who Jesus is—the Messiah he’s been pointing people to. John tries to refuse, believing he should be baptized by Jesus instead (Matthew 3:13-15). But Jesus insists. He has no sin to confess, no record to wash clean. John lowers him under the water. It’s a preview of Jesus’s ministry: the holy one standing in the place of sinners, closely identifying with the people he came to save. The Father declares his pleasure, and the Spirit descends...