Baptism (of Jesus)
The Gospel accounts
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22).
Mark, who provides no birth narratives, introduces us to Jesus at the Jordan River saying that he came from Nazareth and received John’s baptism. It is at this moment that the HolySpirit descends upon Jesus like a dove, and Jesus hears a voice from heaven saying, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." It is a seminal moment for Mark’s Gospel.
The striking difference between the Mark and Matthew versions of Jesus’ baptism (which are very similar otherwise) is that in Matthew, the voice from heaven is heard also by the public. Together with Luke, in these accounts, the Spirit is made visible in the form of a dove. Luke’s account is the briefest, noting simply that "when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying ..." the heavens opened. What seems to be most important to Luke is not the baptism, but that as Jesus was praying the Spirit descended upon him and dhe alone heard the message from the heavenly voice.
John’s Gospel differs from the other three in that John describes Jesus in the vicinity of John the Baptist’s Jordan River baptisms but does not record the baptism itself. Instead, he recounts the Baptist’s testimony that, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him ... and I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God" (John 1:25-34). Thus, John’s Gospel may imply — but does not specify — that Jesus was baptized by the Baptist.
The Matthew key
Matthew adds a conversation between Jesus and John the Baptist which is key for us. Jesus comes to be baptized, but John protests that it is he (John) who should be baptized by Jesus. In Jesus’ response to that protest, ELCA Lutherans understand why it was that Jesus received John’s baptism, which the evangelists identify as a "baptism of repentance" and the "forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 3:2 ff, Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3). Jesus says to John, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness" (See Related Resource #1).
Jesus’ baptism is tied to understanding righteousness
In the New Testament, righteousness is a relational concept. Righteousness presumes a covenant relationship that needs the active participation of both covenant partners. "Thus the one who upholds, and therefore participates in, this covenant relationship is designated 'righteous,' and, as in the Old Testament, those acts which preserve a covenant relationship, either between God and man or between man and man, are righteous, while those acts which break this relationship are unrighteous."
God is righteous because God is faithful to promises made to his creation. God upholds the relationship. At the same time through sin, faithless/unrighteous humankind has broken its relationship with that faithful God. It is in Christ that God restores the relationship, and this restoration is God’s promise of salvation to humankind.
Salvation depends solely on God’s act. God’s restoration of this covenant with humanity through Christ reveals righteousness. Jesus himself is called righteous, not because his acts conform to a moral norm — his opponents called him a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of immoral people (Luke 7:34) — but because by his obedient sacrificial death he brings humanity into a new relationship with God (Romans 3:21, 22a, Colossians 1:20).
Acknowledging that God alone is righteous — and the source of all righteousness — undergirds Jesus’ understanding of the Baptist’s baptism in Matthew’s Gospel. He presents himself for baptism, as did others who accepted John’s baptism of repentance, as a declaration that God alone is "righteous." Jesus’ witness, as he receives John’s baptism, attests to God as the source of all fulfilled righteousness: "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."
Paul Achtemeier, Righteousness in the New Testament, Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, vol. R-Z-, page 91.
Biblical quotations from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)