Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:13-17)

Why would Jesus get baptized? He never did anything wrong!

Jesus stands in our place as the one Man who represents all humanity before God the Father. He is not a sinner, but we are—and so He is baptized for our sake, so that the blessings of Baptism come to us.

And what are those blessings? "The heavens were opened to Him"—and now they are open to every one of us who belongs to Jesus. The Spirit of God came to rest on Him—and since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes also to us and lives inside us. And a voice from heaven said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Yes indeed—because of Jesus' death and resurrection on behalf of all of us, we, too, are God's beloved children. He is well pleased with us—because of Jesus.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord, thank You for standing for us, so that we can share in Your life and joy. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

* Who else stands for you in some area of your life?

* Why do you think Jesus chose to become a human instead of saving us in some other way?

* What other gifts that belong to Jesus has He shared with us?

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 39-40    Mark 4:21-41

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