Q & A: Why Was Jesus Baptized When He Had No Sin?

A: Jesus was baptized because He was taking our place. This reveals His perfect identification with us; He took the place of the sinners. When He came to John the Baptist, John did not want to baptize Him at all. Far be it from John, he wasn’t going to do it! But the Lord Jesus said, “…It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). How is that? Well, He’s taking the place of a sinner, and that is realized in His death. When He died upon the cross, He died as a sinner. Now at the very beginning He takes that place of perfect humanity down here, the place actually of a sinner. He was made “sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). I think the explanation is found in that. He’s perfectly identifying Himself with the human family in the baptism.