John the Baptist - part III

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens where opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’” (Matt. 3:13-17).

Here it says that a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God gave His only begotten Son to the world and prepared a salvation for all mankind. His great love is shown and His righteousness is fulfilled. Our Lord came to this world in the likeness of man. He humbled Himself and let John the Baptist baptize Him, saying, “…for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Even our Lord tried to meet God’s demand. The Son of God had no privileges, unlike the children of the kings and rulers of the world. The Lord was baptized in God’s will. His humbleness has become our good example.

When the Lord Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, what did it reveal? It revealed that the ministry of John the Baptist was transferred over to the Lord Jesus. This was a sign of handing over the mission. When the Lord Jesus came up from the water, it indicated that the ministry, mission, and entrustment of John the Baptist had been completed. Now, it was the Lord’s turn to assume ministry. The era of John the Baptist hand changed to the era of the Lord Jesus. That was a turning point in history and also the climax of revival. Since then, John, who was a good pioneer, completed his mission. Soon after that, he was imprisoned.

John the Baptist, the great prophet, had the spirit and power of Elijah. He was dauntless in confronting tyrants and tyrannies. For the sake of testifying for the Lord and His will (truth and righteousness), John feared not the king’s wrath or his evil power. He eventually walked into the prison of the human kingdom and stepped on to the way of martyrs. He was the first martyr after the Lord Jesus was born.