Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Jesus had many conversations with many different people, but one of the shortest conversations I record for you is the conversation between Jesus and John the Baptist at the Jordan River when John baptized Jesus. This does not mean, however, that this conversation is not meaningful, rather it contains a truth that you need to know for it was the forthtelling of His mission and signified how all would enter the Church, as Jesus explained to Nicodemus, by water and the Spirit.
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5.
So let us consider that conversation and bring up the treasures hidden deep therein.
But by way of background, let us first look at who John the Baptist was and why he was at the Jordan baptizing when Jesus reached the age of thirty years, the age at which those who were chosen to serve Me and handle My holy things in the tabernacle in the wilderness were qualified to begin service in the ministry. Numbers 4:3,23,30,35,39,43, 47.
John was the child of the priest Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth. Both Zacarias and Elizabeth were of priestly descent, Elizabeth being from the daughters of Aaron. Luke 1:5. They were righteous, faithfully walking with Me in the way of My commandments. They were elderly, advanced in years. Many years before they had prayed for a child but Elizabeth was barren and so they were childless. But suddenly all that changed in the fulfilling of prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi, spoken into the earth many years before their time. But My Word had been working until the fullness of time came. And it had come.
Thus I sent My angel Gabriel, whom I had sent to Daniel many years before as My messenger, and whom I would also send to Mary a short time after his visit to Zacharias.
Gabriel came to bring good news to Zacharias. His prayer had been answered and he and Elizabeth would have a son. And I had already called him by the name “John,” which in Hebrew is “Yohannan (יוֹחָנָן),” which is derived from Yehochanan (יְהוֹחָנָן): “the LORD has been gracious.” It is My Covenant Memorial Name (יהוה) combined with the word “grace (נן).”
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5.
John was the prophet that would make My way clear to enter the earth in Jesus to reconcile all people to Myself through the forgiveness of their sins and prepare the people for the arrival of their Messiah. He had come to prepare the hearts of the people to be open to receive Salvation.
As Isaiah had described him 700 years earlier:
A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low; let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 40:3-5.
And this is the Scripture passage from Isaiah by which John described himself and his mission to those the Pharisees sent to question who he was and what gave him authority to baptize.
At the time Gabriel appeared to Zacharias he was performing his priestly service before Me in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple and burn incense. He was at the golden altar of incense before the veil while the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the evening incense offering, which was at 3:00 in the afternoon.
Gabriel appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense near the golden table holding the bread of the presence and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:8-17.
This was to fulfill another prophecy, that of Malachi, that was spoken into the earth and set in motion 400 years earlier:
“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:5-6 (Malachi 3:23-24).
In My message to Zacharias, you will note that I put the emphasis now on the heart of the Father turning back to the children, which I do for each one of you in Jesus. In Jesus I take the initiative in reconciliation.
Zacharias, even though the message was delivered by an angel, entertained doubts about his and his wife’s ability to have a baby at this time of life. He forgot about Abraham and Sarah or at least did not think their miracle could be repeated in his life. He expressed his disbelief and Gabriel revealed his name to Zacharias as one of the archangels who stand in My presence and replied to his unbelief as follows: “I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” Luke 1:19-20.
Remember what I told Moses? My loyal angels are not pleased with disobedience to My Word.
Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him. But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. Exodus 23:20-22.
Words matter and this was the time to fulfill the prophecies of My Messiah coming into the earth so Zacharias had to be silenced so he would not destroy My plan of Salvation. Elizabeth, however, believed, stating that I was working on her behalf and removing her reproach of childlessness before men. She received with gratitude and My Word did come to pass. And Zacharias named him “John,” as I had directed. And then his negative tongue was loosed speaking faith and a prophecy over his son.
“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of shalom peace.” Luke 1:76-79.
Zacharias had since studied the prophet Malachi and found the One that was to be revealed by the prophet that came in the spirit and power of Elijah. He was ushering in the rise of the Sun of righteousness, “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 4:2-3 (Malachi 3:19-21.)
But to back up a bit to the first time John and Jesus met. Do you recall when that was? It was in their mother’s wombs.
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary with the message that she was to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah that a virgin would be with child and He would be Immanu-el, which means, “God with us,” who would be born from on High by the power of the Holy Spirit and take the throne of His father David forever, I also let her know that her relative Elizabeth, was with child already for six months. Mary, thus, knowing Elizabeth was advanced in years, immediately headed for the hill country of Judea to help her cousin during her pregnancy.
When Mary arrived, John leapt with joy in his mother’s womb when Mary greeted Elizabeth. He already was aware of his mission in his heart and knew the One he came to make the way for was with him. Yes, a baby in the womb is aware of what is taking place in the world around him or her.
Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” Luke 1:39-45.
I had visited My people. The glory was in the land. The Light of the world had come into the darkness of your night to give the light of life to everyone who would receive Him.
The presence of Jesus made John leap for joy in the Holy Spirit. Later John would say:
“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:27-30.
After his miraculous birth, John continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel. He learned how to hear My voice. He and Jesus never met again until their meeting at the Jordan River in accordance with My divine timeline. And they met right at the spot at the Jordan River where Joshua and the people of Israel had first entered the Promised Land with the Ark of the Covenant. But more on this in a moment.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, My Word came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2.
Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. People heard his preaching and their hearts were touched. Many came to him from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. It was an amazing revival of hearts turned towards Me and wanting to be put right with Me. The people were hungry for Me and they were like sheep without a shepherd.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Matthew 3:7-10.
But John was looking for the One I had sent him to open the way for. And that was Jesus.
As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12.
And Jesus did come. But not quite as John expected. He came to be baptized by John. This was the most humbling and exalting experience for John of his life.
Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Matthew 12:13-17.
John had a profound respect and love for Jesus and Jesus had the same for John. This conversation between John and Jesus was brief but it is very prophetic and deep. It explains the mystery of baptism and why you must be baptized with water and the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, as My Son later revealed to Nicodemus.
Why did Jesus permit Himself to be baptized? He was born from above from the imperishable seed of My Word and He had never let the devil have any part in Him. He had no need to repent but do not forget His mission and the substitutionary redemptive work He was to do on your behalf. He is your identification (“in Christ”) and your substitute (scapegoat). It is in Him you die to sin in baptism and are raised up out of the waters to new life by resurrection power.
First, let us look at what happened at the baptism.
John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.
Jesus said it was fitting for them to fulfill all righteousness. I am the LORD your righteousness and Jesus fulfills My promise of making you righteous as I put all your sins on Him and gave you His righteousness, which is My righteousness. To fulfill that promise He would have to die to remove your sins and the guilt attached to them and be raised up free from them.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21. And this was enacted in Baptism that Christ underwent baptism as the first fruits of those who believe.
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
He went down in the water and came up with the Heavens opening and the Holy Spirit descending to remain with Him as I spoke of Him as My beloved Son in whom I was well pleased. And this is exactly what takes place in your baptism. You die to sin in Christ and then you are raised to newness of life born again in the waters of baptism as My beloved child and joint heir with Christ. The old you dies and the new you rises as a new creation in Christ
But how would this be achieved? An eternal life had to be given in return for the eternal life you lost (murdered) in Adam. But, since after him all his descendants were born of his perishable seed born from submitting to the lies of the devil no one had an eternal life to give, all were born under the sentence of eternal death. There had to be a kinsman redeemer to ransom you from this slavery to sin and death. And I found Him in My Son, in Him My Word from above became flesh and dwelt among you and gave the eternal life He had in the flesh for the eternal life that Adam murdered in you all. He took the punishment for your sins when He died to sin and when I raised Him up from the dead with all sin gone in the death He died once for all you were justified and created anew from above by the imperishable Word.
And keep this in mind as well, for everything I do works together as a whole, creating a completion of all the threads in one amazing tapestry of salvation and sanctification in Christ, John and Jesus met right at the spot at the Jordan River where Joshua and the people of Israel had first entered the Promised Land with the Ark of the Covenant. Do you recall what took place? When the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the river, which was overflowing its banks at that time of year, the Jordan River (Jordan means “descend”) rolled back past the city of Adam so that the river no longer flowed into the Dead Sea. It did a rewind.
The Ark of the Covenant was My presence among them and it represented Jesus, being wood (humanity) overlaid with pure gold (My divine righteousness), covered by the propitiatory where the blood of the lamb was sprinkled to atone for sins, and inside was the urn of Manna (bread from Heaven), the staff of the High Priest Aaron that budded, and the tablets of the Ten Commandments (My written Word), all which speak of Jesus, the bread of life, your great High Priest, and the Word. So you see when Jesus stepped into that descent that sin caused to death (there is no way out of the Dead Sea) that flow ceased and rolled back past Adam, making it as if sin had never been and death never flowed down to all men from Adam. Jesus reversed the curse.
And at His baptism, He Himself stood in the Jordan River to complete the process and reverse the curse once for all. Jesus redeemed you from the curse by becoming a curse for you so that the Blessing of Abraham can be yours and the promise of the Spirit by faith. And His baptism sealed all that in the forthtelling of His death and resurrection as the first born-again man from the sins of all to the new creation of all who would receive Him as Lord. And I confirmed it right at His baptism for all to hear. In Him you all become again My beloved sons and daughters.
Now let Me present two more witnesses from My Word to you to establish that the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan is the forthtelling of death to sin and resurrection to new life. Jesus preached the Gospel in many ways to you from His birth to His resurrection and then on forever as your great High Priest and great good Shepherd. His life is a sign, a wonder, and a reality as the substance of the shadows of the Old Testament and fulfillment of all the forthtelling of His life, sufferings, death, resurrection, and the coming of the Spirit and the eternal Kingdom throughout the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. He revealed this to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, though it was there all the time for those who found My Words of life.
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:3-11.
Do you see what He was establishing at the Jordan River? The pattern for all that is sealed in your baptism. Remember what Peter preached to the crowd when they questioned what to do to be saved on the day of Pentecost?
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:37-42.
Faith, repentance, and baptism was the way in to the Kingdom of God. John was giving a baptism of repentance, but Jesus completed it to a baptism in the Spirit and fire! Power from on High.
Buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
And here is another witness from My Word to establish the fact:
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. 1 Peter 3:18-22.
I love you. Now do you see the significance and importance of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River? It was fitting (in Greek the word is “prepó (πρέπω),” to be fitting, proper, suitable, appropriate) to fulfill all righteousness. There is so much you can learn from the conversations of Jesus. In these latter days, I speak to you through My Son.