This week, Donald J.
Tramp was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States of America.
He stood on the western steps of the United States Capitol. From the moment Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office, President Tramp began to exercise the duties of his office.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus stood on the rocky shores of the Jordan River. His hair and clothes were still dripping with the water of his baptism.
Suddenly the sky opened.
The Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove. God the Father spoke from the clouds.
“This is my Son, whom I love;” he bellowed, “with him, I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
The question many people ask is, “Why was Jesus baptized?”
That’s a good question.
John the Baptist wondered the same thing.
When Jesus waded into the water with him, John told him, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14).
But Jesus insisted. This was a part of God’s plan.
He needed to be baptized.
The word “baptize” means “to wash.” In baptism, we receive the promise that God has washed us of all our sins because of Jesus.
So, again I ask: Why was Jesus baptized? Jesus is God in every way. He never sinned once. Why would he need to be baptized?
Peter later explained. He said that at Jesus’ baptism, he was “anointed with the Holy Spirit and power” (Acts 10:38).
In ancient times, oil would be poured over the head of a person to mark them as the chosen one for a specific position. The act was called “anointing.” In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed - marking them as the chosen ones.
Throughout the Old Testament, God promised to send the “Messiah” - a Hebrew word which means, “the Anointed One.” The writers of the New Testament used the Greek name “Christ,” which also means, “the Anointed One.”
At his baptism, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power.
Jesus’ baptism was God’s way of saying to the world, “This is the Messiah. This is the Christ. This is the Chosen One.”
Jesus’ baptism was his inauguration. It marked the beginning of his public ministry here on earth and his first steps toward the cross. Jesus’ baptism marked him as the Chosen One.
Your baptism does the same for you. In your baptism, God anointed you - he marked you as his chosen son or daughter.
You are a baptized child of God. You have been washed of all your sins in Jesus’ blood. You belong to God. That is who you are.
As a Christian, your baptism defines you. It tells you and the world who you are. In many ways, just like Jesus, your baptism was your inauguration day.
Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over-25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion , ” on
Amazon.
