Why was Jesus baptised if he had no sin?

JesusIn theological review

The short answer

Jesus was baptised not to wash away his own sin, for he had none, but to identify with the sinners he came to save, to be publicly anointed by the Spirit and declared the Son by the Father, and, in his own words, to fulfil all righteousness. John himself raised the same objection.

The fuller answer

John the Baptist asked this question before anyone else did. His baptism was for repentance, crowds were confessing their sins in the Jordan, and when Jesus stepped forward John tried to stop him, saying he needed the baptism the other way round. The objection is built into the story itself, which means Matthew expects readers to ask it and gives Jesus' own answer in reply.

At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” “Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him. As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

Matthew 3:13-17 (BSB)

That answer is that it is fitting to fulfil all righteousness. Jesus is not confessing sin; he is taking his place. From the first public moment of his ministry he stands where sinners stand, in the same water, under the same call to repentance, identifying himself with the people he came to save. The cross, where he would be counted among transgressors, is already visible in outline at the river.

God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (BSB)

The baptism is also his anointing. As he comes up from the water the Spirit descends on him like a dove and the Father's voice declares him the beloved Son. In Israel, kings and priests were anointed for office; here the Messiah is publicly installed, not by oil but by the Spirit himself, and the whole Trinity is openly at work in one scene at the Jordan.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.

Hebrews 4:15 (BSB)

Paul and Hebrews keep the two truths locked together: he knew no sin, and he was tempted and tested in every way as we are. His baptism belongs to that pattern. A sinless saviour who stood apart from sinners could not represent them. By entering their baptism, their wilderness and finally their death, he made himself one with them in everything except the sin he came to remove.

Sources

Berean Standard Bible (BSB)

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What is baptism?Baptism is the sign Christ gave his church of washing, burial, and resurrection. In it a believer is plunged under water and raised again, picturing what Paul describes: buried with Christ through baptism into death, raised to walk in newness of life. It is done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and it marks a person as Christ's before the watching world.Was Jesus really tempted, and could he have sinned?Yes, his temptation was real: Hebrews says he was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Christians differ in wording about whether he could have sinned, but agree the pressure was genuine, his obedience was costly, and he never yielded. A temptation resisted to the end is felt more, not less.Who was John the Baptist?John the Baptist was the prophet sent to prepare the way for Jesus, the son of the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth, born shortly before Jesus and related to him through their mothers. He preached repentance at the Jordan, baptised those who confessed their sins, baptised Jesus himself, pointed his own disciples to Jesus as the Lamb of God, and was beheaded by Herod Antipas.Bible Character: JesusThe Son of God, born of Mary in Bethlehem, who preached the kingdom of God, was crucified for our sins according to the Scriptures, and was raised on the third day.Bible Character: John the BaptistThe prophet in the wilderness who prepared the way of the Lord, baptised the crowds and Jesus himself in the Jordan, pointed to him as the Lamb of God, and was beheaded by Herod.On the map: JerichoFind it in the Lands of the Bible, with the verses that place it there.On the map: JudahJudah is the southern hill country, with Jerusalem and Hebron as its main centres and Bethlehem as the town of David. It is the setting for Ruth, for much of the kings and prophets, and for the birth of Jesus.