The Baptism of Jesus

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying:

"I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

But Jesus answered him:

"Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."

When Jesus "...came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said:

"This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

***


So there we have it, the first words of our main character, Jesus, as seen early in Matthew. His opening statement, as such, is meant to reinforce the notion that Jesus did not appear out of thin air, he was foretold. His first words act as a continuation of the genealogy and confirmation of royal lineage.  God Himself chimes in at the end to reinforce the notion.


As a side note, I find it curious that the exact wording of the post baptism portion seems to at least leave open the possibility that no one except Jesus sees "the heavens open" and "the Spirit of God descending like a dove". Or, for that matter, hears God's voice. It is interesting to think about. Is this the moment that Jesus himself figures out he is God's son? I venture a guess to say no; but it is a curious question. Was the baby Jesus perfect? Divine? How about youthful Jesus up to this point? He certainly knows something of God's plan, otherwise he'd not have sought out this symbolic baptism and then answered John the Baptist so cryptically.

Next entry will deal with Jesus being tested in the wilderness. His ministry is just started, he has no concrete actions under his belt, so to speak, and already the devil arrives to tempt him. Curious.