Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John and the River Jordan. But John tried to deter him, saying,  “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”   Matthew 3:13-14

Why did Jesus need to be baptized by John?

Jesus was without sin, yet he came to where John was baptizing sinners and asked his cousin John to baptize him. John was thunderstruck! “My cousin, You are without sin, why do you need the cleansing or repentance that I offer to this brood of vipers?” It’s a logical question.  Jesus did not need to repent; he did not need the ritual washing that John offered those out there in the wilderness.

So why?

Jesus came to that rocky, muddy bank of the Jordan for three simple reasons.  First, to show the world his Jewishness; his willingness to submit to  the traditions of Judaism.  Second, to bear witness to his Messiahship; to let the world know that He was the One about whom John had been preaching.  And finally, his baptism was a message to us. In entering those waters, Jesus demonstrated that he not only acknowledges our sinfulness, but that he is willing to immerse himself in the murky miasma of our sins. Talk about a metaphor!  He takes our sins upon himself in order to neutralize them. He did it symbolically in the waters of the Jordan, then did it again on the cross at Calvary.

Billy Graham summarized this way:

“Jesus — who was the sinless Son of God — took upon himself your sins and my sins, and the sins of the whole human race. Just as he didn’t have to die, so he didn’t have to be baptized — until he became the bearer of all our sins.”

And that is Good News.