Baptism of Jesus

All four Gospels record the baptism of Jesus, marking the inauguration of his public ministry around AD 26–27. John the Baptist had been preaching in the wilderness of Judea, calling Israel to repentance and baptizing in the Jordan River. When Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized, John protested: "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus answered, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt 3:14–15). Jesus, who needed no repentance, submitted to John's baptism to identify with sinners he came to save and to formally consecrate himself to his messianic work. As he came up from the water, "the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'" (Matt 3:16–17). All three persons of the Trinity are present: the Son baptized, the Spirit descending, and the Father speaking from heaven. The descent of the Spirit equipped Jesus for his public ministry, and the divine voice identified him as the messianic Son of Psalm 2:7 and the suffering Servant of Isaiah 42:1. From the Jordan, Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days of temptation before beginning to preach the kingdom of God.