Validating Him before His Ministry: Matthew 3:13-17

When I read about Jesus’ baptism at the start of His ministry, the only detail in this event that the three gospels share is what happens immediately after Jesus comes up out of the water. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all give different details leading up to the baptism, and how detailed each gospel describes the baptism is unique as well.

It would seem that when we take all three gospel records together, the one big thing they want us to realize is not the baptism itself, but instead that God the Father and the Holy Spirit show up.

“After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’” (v. 16-17)

Matthew uses the most words to describe this event, while Luke uses the least. Luke’s gospel simply describes the whole baptism event like this: “Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’” (Luke 3:21-22)

Luke shares no details about John the Baptist’s interaction with Jesus prior to being baptized. Instead both Luke and Mark skim over the actual baptism to bring us the big thing they want to emphasize: God showed up!

This brings me to what likely is the key idea each of these gospels wants us to focus in on: At the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, before the teaching, the preaching, the healing, or even calling any disciples, God the Father and the Holy Spirit show up to validate Jesus and what He has done (i.e. being baptized) and what He is about to do over the next three and a half years.