Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, 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, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17).
John the Baptist was preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Yet when the crowds came out to be baptized by John, so did Jesus. Why? As the Son of God, he didn’t need a baptism of repentance; he was perfect!
So why was Jesus baptized?
It was for us to “fulfill all righteousness,” as Jesus told John. Jesus was baptized to include himself publicly among the very people he came to save, to take our place as a substitute in every sense of the word.
Just as the priests and kings of the Old Testament were anointed with oil before starting their work, Jesus was anointed with water and the Holy Spirit, who descended on him in bodily form as a dove. And we hear God the Father’s declaration as well in all of this: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased.”
Who was that for? Jesus already knew he was God’s Son. This too was for us. The three persons of the Trinity gathered together to publicly and visibly make it known that the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, had arrived. Jesus had come to do his Father’s will.
Jesus’s baptism was the start of his public ministry.
Look three years down the road—you and I see where it leads . . . all the way to the cross. To pain and suffering for the sins of the world, separation from God the Father, and a criminal’s agonizing death.
Jesus knew where his ministry would lead him. And he was willing to take it, suffer through all of it, without hesitation, without wavering, because of his great love for the Father and the people he came to save. For me. For you.
So why was Jesus baptized? To fulfill all righteousness in our place, doing God the Father’s will and obeying him perfectly in our place. And then for our sins he died on the cross. All of them are washed away in his blood.
We give thanks to God for sending Jesus to fulfill all righteousness for us and for our salvation. His baptism is ours. His life is ours. His righteousness is ours because he gives it to us freely, out of love. And we thank God for the means of grace he’s given us: his Word, Baptism, and Holy Communion—the visible means by which he tells us exactly who we are to him through faith in Jesus.
“You are my son, you are my daughter, whom I love. With you, I am well pleased.”
Dear Christian, God has promised you that because of Jesus, you are his dearly loved child. May God give you strength, comfort, peace, and joy as you live for him.
Looking to dive deeper into Baptism and what it means for you? Join the NPH Book Club on Goodreads! We’re reading The Baptismal Life in January 2026 and sharing reflections in a self-paced, online discussion.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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