redicted by John. While some
imagined that the prophet himself was the Messiah, John declared that the
mission of Christ was so much greater than his own that he would be
unworthy as a slave, to loose the latchet of his shoes. While John
baptized with water, Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with
fire. Water was a material element, and merely symbolized an inward
change; Jesus would bring them into fellowship with a divine Person, and
would exert upon their souls cleansing and transforming power. He would
come, however, to punish the impenitent; he would separate the wheat from
the chaff; the former he would gather into his garner, but the chaff he
would burn with unquenchable fire.

The close of the career of John is introduced by Luke at this point of his
narrative to prepare the way for his account of the ministry of Christ. It
was actually some time after Jesus had begun his work that Herod the
tetrarch arrested John and cast him into prison because he had rebuked the
profligate king for his impurity and his sin. John had been a faithful
messenger of God, but the world does not reverence its prophets; they are
usually imprisoned, beheaded, burned, or crucified.

B. The Baptism Of Jesus. Ch. 3:21, 22

21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that,
Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the heaven was
opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a
dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my
beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Why did the ideal Man, the Son of God, submit to the baptism of John, a
baptism of repentance? Surely not to confess any sin of his own; but first
of all to set his seal of approval upon the work of John and to attest the
message which declared that repentance and confession of sin are
absolutely necessary for all who are to share the salvation of Christ.

Then again by his baptism Jesus identified himself with his people, not as
being sinful, but as doing what they were commanded to do and as
sympathizing with them in their hatred of sin, in their distress for its
burden, and in their hope and expectation of relief. Only those who
sympathize can serve and save.

Then again baptism indicated that the penitent had broken with the past to
begin a life of new holiness and obedience. So in his baptism Jesus was
ending his quiet years of preparation in Nazareth and was about to enter
upon the