The Baptism of Jesus Christ

My seminary teacher told a ridiculous story once in my ninth grade seminary class. He told us how he was late that morning because he woke up late and when he got into the shower there was no soap. So he proceeded to run to the storage closet, grab a bar of soap, run downstairs and throw in the washer for a short spin. 

“What a ridiculous thing to do,” we all told him. Why on earth would you wash a bar of soap? Soap by definition cleans! He told us how he just had to get that first layer off where all the dirty hands in the factory had touched it. We all looked at him with disbelief until finally I realized why! 

Soap is clean; there is no purpose in washing soap. Just as some might think, Christ was clean. What purpose could John have in baptizing the Savior of the world? He was perfect and was not in need of repentance and being washed clean through the act of baptism. 

I think we would all respond as John does in Matthew 3:14 when he says, “I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” John was the imperfect one here, why was he the one baptizing Christ? 
We read the answer in the very next verse which reads, “And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).

I really like the verse in 2 Nephi 31:7 in which Nephi asks, “Know ye not that he was holy?” He asks the same question we do. Why would Christ be baptized? He was holy already. He then goes on to tell us that Christ was baptized for many reasons. 

1. To be an example 

2. To humble himself before the Father

3. To show his obedience in keeping the Fathers commandments

Christ wasn’t baptized because he needed to be made pure, but rather to be an example of how to humble ourselves and obey the Father. If Christ, the most holy man to come to earth was still obedient to his Father, shouldn’t we do the same?

What comes next is a wonderful lesson about the Holy Ghost. In verse 16 it reads, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17). 

What does this teach us about the Holy Ghost? Let’s start off with the form of a dove. One might interpret the word form to mean the visible shape or configuration of a dove, thereby thinking that the Holy Ghost was present as a dove. Joseph Smith clarified that “John ‘led the Son of God into the waters of baptism, and had the privilege of beholding the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove, or rather in the sign of the dove, in witness of that administration.’” The prophet Joseph then explains, “The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage.” This helps us understand that while the Holy Ghost was not literally a dove, but rather, he sent down his stamp of approval, a sign telling the people that this was ordained of God. 
T
he last lesson we learn from this experience which I would like to share is the evidence that each member of the Godhead are separate and distinct personages. This is an interesting account in which Christ is present here on earth, the Holy Ghost shows his presence through the form of a dove, and God the Father calls down to introduce his son. What a great account in proving the reality of the distinct personages of the Godhead. Each provides a different role, yet they are each one in purpose. 

Modern Day Prophets

With much talk of the OW movement I have come closer in my desire to follow and love our prophet. Prophets play such a crucial role in this, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We believe that prophets are called of God and that they are God's spokesman here on Earth. They lead our church under direct and divine revelation (instruction) from God. 

One of my favorite prophets from the scriptures is spoken of in Luke, chapter one. In verse 41 we read, "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost" (Luke 1:41). Who was this great babe that when Mary, carrying the Savior of the world, entered, lept in the womb? This was John the Baptist. 

Even his birth was quite something of a miracle. We know that Sarah and Zacharias were late in age, well past the childbearing age, however, when Gabriel visited Zacharias he prophesied that they would have a child, and nine months later, what do you know?

We read in  Luke 1:14, "14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth." Now we know that Zacharias and Sarah must have been pretty excited to have a baby after all these years, but why would anyone else have cause to rejoice over this new baby boy? 

They had cause to rejoice because this new baby boy was to prepare way for the Son of God. He was sent to prepare the people for the Savior of the world. Can you imagine a day without a prophet? Not only a day without a prophet, but imagine if one day someone came and told you that there was a man willing to die for you. A man who loved you so much that he was about to make all the impossible, now possible. A man who would enable us to live even after death. Someone who would take away all our pains and sorrows, and understand everything we could ever experience? I don't know about you but I would fall down right there and kiss his feet, and then probably insist that he take me to him right away. 

John the Baptist brought the Holy Ghost, he carried the Priesthood, he personally tutored members of the twelve apostles. "We learn that he was “ordained by an angel,” when he was eight days of age, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews and to prepare a people for The Lord" (John the Baptist, Bible Dictonary). Truly John was foreordained for this wonderfully calling, a calling in which he would ultimately sacrifice his life in honor of. To be called as the messenger of the Savior was truly a great calling and a man worth marveling over. In the short accounts we have of John the Baptist we learn so much of his faithfulness and love for our Savior.

How lucky we are to have prophets in this, the latter day. Prophets who continue John the Baptists work of preparing the world for the coming of our Savior. I am truly grateful for the words of our loving prophet President Thomas S. Monson and for the counsel that we provides us to live by each day. I know that if we follow his counsel we can partake of the wonderful gifts of the atonement, and the love of our Savior.