The Baptism of Jesus

Posted on January 20, 2026 by Pastor Foley

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17)

When we look at the context of Matthew 3:13-17, we see that Jesus’ baptism is his ordination into priesthood. In the Old Testament, a man would be ordained for priesthood at age 30. At his baptism, Jesus is ordained not to the Aaronic priesthood, but to the priesthood of Melchizedek, as noted in Hebrews.

Jesus (left) is being identified by John the Baptist. Painting by Ottavio Vannini in the 17th Century.

Not only this, but, when we realize that the voice from heaven is quoting Psalm 2, we can see that Jesus’ baptism is also his coronation as king.

I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain. I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.” (Psalm 2:6-7)

Looking at the context in Isaiah 42 helps us to see that the words of the voice from heaven show us that Jesus is the Messiah.

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1)

Equally important, the baptism of Jesus is the beginning of a new creation. Just as the Holy Spirit hovers over the waters in Genesis 1, and just as the dove is sent out by Noah after the flood, the Holy Spirit hovers on and rests on Jesus at his baptism.

And, directly after this, Jesus, as the new Adam, is tempted by Satan just as the first Adam was; but Jesus does not fall into temptation and, later, defeats Satan on the cross.

The Nicene Creed says, “We believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” Baptism is not a public declaration of your seriousness about Jesus. It is a public declaration of Jesus’ seriousness about you.

The phrase “one baptism” of course means that we shouldn’t get baptized two or more times. But the more important meaning of “one baptism” is that Jesus’ baptism is the only baptism. We are baptized into Jesus’ baptism.

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:26-27)

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)

This is how we are saved—by being baptized into Christ. Why? Because baptism is how we enter the Lord’s death. The water of baptism is not only water, it is also the blood of the Lord which he shed for us. We are washed in that blood not just by “asking Jesus into our hearts”, but by baptism. This is why Jesus refers to his death as his “baptism”.

“But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!” (Luke 12:50)

So, Jesus is not only King and Messiah. He is also the sacrifice that we partake of and whose death we enter into in order to enter the new creation—the Kingdom of God.

These are basic and essential Christian truths. Sadly, these are preached less and less today, even in good churches. Modern Christians think that it is important first to build relationships with people, encourage them, prepare their hearts, and convince their minds before preaching the gospel.

But salvation is a plunge into death, and sinners cannot be convinced to take that plunge. We drown in the waters of baptism—it is a violent end to the life of a sinner. Baptism is crucifixion. Baptism is us accepting that we are guilty. Baptism is about us dying to the world and all worldly hopes and forms of support.

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:3-4).

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).

Do you realize that no one chooses to be baptized? Our fallen, sinful self can never be convinced to choose to die with Christ. So how does it happen that we come to Christ?

We come because he calls. And that call always happens through the proclamation of God’s word.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:44).

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”” (Romans 10:14-15)

The reason you can’t encourage or persuade somebody to be born again is because prior to being born again we are spiritually dead. Dead people cannot be encouraged or persuaded about spiritual matters because they are dead.

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:28-29)

The new birth is always a miracle, not the result of effective church ministry. Everyone who comes to the waters of baptism, whether they realize it or not, is responding to the call of Christ. We are like Lazarus in the grave, and Jesus calls to us, “Lazarus, come out!”

It doesn’t matter how good the worship band is. It doesn’t matter how persuasive your friend is. It doesn’t matter how good the pastor’s preaching is. The only way we are baptized is because Christ calls us out of death. We have no more choice over our new birth than we have over our old birth. No one can come to the Son unless the Father draws him. All Protestants agree that, unless God calls through his word, a sinner cannot enter the waters of baptism.

Faith is a gift from God. Faith is not an openness to God that we can cultivate in the heart of sinners.

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“He will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:18-25)

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Pastor Foley

In Matthew 1, we see the genealogy of Jesus. But the interesting thing is that the kings Ahaziah, Jehoash, and Amaziah are left out of Jesus’ genealogy. Why is this?

First of all, the important thing to keep in mind is that God always works according to his word, never according to human systems.

In the 1970s, Christian leaders in the West said that God works through the “Seven Mountains”: religion, family, education, media, arts & entertainment, business, and government. These leaders said that if we wanted to win the world for Christ, we would need to “influence” these mountains.

But, in reality, to God these are not mountains. God is not an influencer. To God, what shapes the world is not human systems but his word. God’s word does not influence the world. It creates it.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3)

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3)

Many translations of the Bible have Matthew 1:1 reading “The genealogy of Jesus”. But the original word is not “genealogy” but “genesis”. Jesus’ birth does not just influence the world; it is its genesis. God is not constrained to work through the world’s systems. If God wants, he can just leave out human systems and those who manage them, such as the three kings who are not included in Jesus’ genealogy. They are nullified.

“God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,” (1 Corinthians 1:28)

This is what happened in the “genesis” of Jesus:

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).”

When the Lord acts in our lives, he usually doesn’t act in ways that are according to our plans or systems. His actions generally interrupt our lives because God is not constrained by human systems. He acts according to his word.

The birth of Jesus interrupted Joseph’s life because he was forced to choose between the law of God and God. According to the law, Joseph should have cancelled his engagement to Mary. But, instead, he obeyed the word of God from the angel and took Mary as his wife.

“For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,” (Romans 8:3)

God had to work “apart from the law” (cf. Romans 3:23) in order to set us free from sin because the law was powerless to do so. Working through the “seven mountains” is not a definition of God’s action, but it is a better definition of sin: rejecting the direct care of God and indirectly receiving his care through mediators such as nations, kings, priests, and laws.

Throughout the Old Testament, God promised that he would come personally to rule on the earth, to save us from our sinful rejection of him. He promised to do this by coming personally and removing all mediators from between him and us, not by replacing bad mediators with good mediators. This is the good news of the Kingdom of God. This is the promise that is fulfilled in the birth of Christ, Emmanuel.

Joseph was a descendant of David, but Jesus was not the flesh-and-blood son of Joseph. Jesus became the son of David through adoption. Joseph adopted Jesus by naming Jesus. We might think, “Wouldn’t it be better if Jesus was a direct descendant of David rather than an adopted one?” But God does not work through human systems. God knows that spiritual parentage is more important than fleshly bloodlines.

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

“children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:13)

Names that are given to babies by God are also the word of God and carry the power of the word of God.

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11)

God tells Joseph to give Jesus two names. One, “Jesus” and another “Immanuel”. As for “Immanuel” it is because Jesus is “God with us”.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

In fact, the whole of the Gospel of Matthew is about “God with us”. He is born as Emmanuel and, at the end of the Matthew, he says “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Note: “I am” is the name of God).

There are only two scriptures in the Old Testament about God saving his people from their sins. They are Ezekiel 36:16-29 and Ezekiel 37:21-27

“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness..” (Ezekiel 36:24-29)

“They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. “‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd.” (Ezekiel 37:23-24)

In modern popular theology, sin is breaking God’s law and, because we broke God’s law, Jesus had to die as a substitute for us, so if we believe in Jesus we are counted righteous and can go to heaven when we die. But Ezekiel 36 and 37 show us that sin is not about a broken law, but something far deeper: a broken relationship between us and God. It was broken not because we are not perfect, but because we rejected the relationship with God, a relationship where we receive God’s direct care and reign over us.

In Ezekiel, it wasn’t just that Israel broke God’s law. They rejected God as their sole ruler and provider and sought care and rule from worldly systems–in the “Seven Mountains”, so to speak. So, the Lord scattered them among the nations they emulated. But he promised to bring them back, giving them a new Spirit and new hearts which trust him by washing them with water—a promise fulfilled when we are baptized into Christ’s death, receiving the Holy Spirit.  

With Joseph and Mary, God spoke to them through angels and dreams. Most of us would be thrilled if God guided us through angels and dreams. But the writer of Hebrews says this:

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Now God speaks to us not merely through angels and dreams but directly, through the Son. By his blood, the Lord Jesus saved us from our sins. He freed us from our slavery to the structures and systems of this world, to which we had turned instead of God. Now Christ gathers us as his people to rule over us personally and provide for us directly until the end of the age. Now we see him through the eyes of faith, but then he will appear, and we, in our resurrected bodies on a new heavens and new earth, will see him face to face!

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“Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect another?” (Mt 11:2-11)

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Pastor Foley

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:

‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:2-11)

By Pieter Brueghel the Elder – Google Arts & Culture: Home – pic Maximum resolution., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=122059315

Through Jesus’ life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, he brought the direct reign of God–the Kingdom of God—with him wherever he was. And when, with his Father he poured out the Holy Spirit from his throne in heaven, Christ’s reign was extended over the whole world.

Many people’s understanding of the Kingdom of God robs Christ of the complete and total victory which the scriptures announce that he has clearly already won. They either believe that the Kingdom is only in heaven, or in our hearts, or in the future, or only partly present, or only in the church.

Revelation 1:5 tells us that Jesus is presently the ruler of the kings of the earth. But, if that is so, why do we not see him ruling over everything?

Hebrews 2:8 says this “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.” (KJV)

Psalm 110:2 also says, “The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!””

Christ already defeated his enemies on the cross, as Colossians 2:15 tells us. But instead of destroying them, he invites his enemies to end their rebellion and receive his mercy. The gospel is the offer of mercy to Christ’s enemies before he returns to judge the world.

This doesn’t mean that his enemies can do whatever they want to do at the present time. Christ already rules over them directly and personally. Nothing they do can stop him or even slow him down. Everything that they do only accomplishes his purpose of bringing them to his feet. There, at his feet, they must choose either his mercy or their destruction.

The Kingdom of God is at hand. Christ is presently ruling and reigning over the earth. In scripture, the Kingdom of God is never separated from the salvation is God. If the salvation of God is present, then the Kingdom of God is present.

“Where is your king, that he may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said,… “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” (Hosea 13:11, 14)

Scripture is clear that the Kingdom of God and the salvation of God save us not only from our sins, but from all the things that seek to rebel against God in the world.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,” (Colossians 1:13)

Christ rescues us from all things now because his Kingdom is present now. Previously, we were under those appointed by God such as rulers, presidents, parents, etc. But now we are under Christ’s direct rule, and nothing in this age can interfere with that.

In scripture, the Kingdom of God is not an optional kingdom. You don’t get to decide whether you become part of it or not. On the cross, the Kingdom of God defeated all the other kingdoms and put all people under the direct rule and care of Christ. His rule can either be welcomed with joy or rejected and rebelled against. And those who rebel will face eternal destruction on the day of Christ’s return.

Christ is already Lord of all. But in the present age the Kingdom can only be seen by faith. Many Christians hear “seen by faith” and tend to think that this means that the Kingdom is only present in our hearts. But “seen by faith” doesn’t mean that the Kingdom is not here. It means that it is not detectable using the senses that are used to see things in the present age.

“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3)

We might say, “I am born again, but I still can’t see the Kingdom of God. Why?” This is actually the question which John the Baptist asked Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”. The scripture does not say that John asked this because he was languishing in prison and sad that he might have selected the wrong candidate for the Messiah.

John the Baptist’s question does not reveal a lack of faith. It reveals a lack of sight. John knew that he was faithfully proclaiming the message of the Kingdom of God that God had given him through the scripture to preach.

“See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire.” (Isaiah 30:27)

We can understand what motivated John’s question to Jesus based on how Jesus responded to John’s question: “Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” (Matthew 11:4-5)

John preached about the Kingdom from the prophet Isaiah. So Jesus responds to John’s question by also quoting from Isaiah:

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:3-6)

Jesus is not only the only king of the Kingdom of God, but the only teacher. Jesus is not encouraging John but teaching John. Jesus is the only one who can open people’s minds to understand the scriptures.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.” (Matthew 23:8-10)

It is almost as if Jesus answers John’s question by saying, “John, you are correct. But keep reading after Isaiah 30. Before the Messiah comes in judgment, he must come in mercy to strengthen the feeble hands and knees. He must first give sight to the blind, and preach the good news to give life to the dead.”

And, later, as he taught his disciples, he first had to be crucified, buried, and rise again on the third day to fulfill the scriptures.

“He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:44-45)

Jesus told the crowd, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Jesus’ purpose is not to praise John the Baptist, but to use what just happened as a teaching illustration about the kingdom of GOd. He is teaching that, even though the Kingdom of God is fully present, it is impossible for us to discern God’s activity based on what we see. Even John, who proclaimed the Kingdom of God, could not see it. Yet, even the least in the Kingdom of God can see what John cannot.

When we are baptized, we die to the present age. But, even though we are born again, we cannot use the senses of this age to see the Kingdom. We must use Kingdom-senses to see the Kingdom. We receive this Kingdom-sense at our baptism. “Kingdom-sense” is not some spooky spiritual ability that allows us to hear voices in our ears and see visions. Jesus shows us clearly the only sense by which we can detect the Kingdom of God. It is his word. Jesus responded to all inquirers by revealing himself to him through his word.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)

The word of God, taught by Jesus himself through the Holy Spirit, is the only way we are able to see the Kingdom of God. Even though Christ is ruling over all creation directly, the only way to detect that activity is through him teaching us through His word. Without the Holy Spirit opening our eyes and the Spirit manifesting him to us, we are as blind to Christ’s reign as an unbeliever—and as blind as Jesus’ disciples, Nicodemus, and John the Baptist.

We can’t overcome this blindness just by sitting down and reading the Bible. Scripture only becomes the living word of God when Christ himself teaches it and the Holy Spirit opens our minds to receive it. That means we have to come to scripture with humility and patience, asking Christ to teach us. We must wait on him to teach what he wants to teach us, when he wants to teach us. He is gracious and merciful, and he will respond to us just like he did to John the Baptist and to his own disciples.

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