If Jesus Couldn’t Do It, Neither Can You!

If Jesus Couldn’t Do It, Neither Can You!

One of the less talked about events in Jesus’ life, is His baptism by the Holy Spirit. Immediately upon being baptized by John, the Scriptures say the Holy Spirit came down and abode and remained upon Jesus. Now many are confused by Jesus’ water baptism, but it is not a mystery. Baptism is always an outward picture of a proper inward disposition of the heart, in sinners this is achieved through genuine repentance. Baptism follows the aligning of one’s spiritual compass, something Jesus always kept pointed towards the Father, and so He was a candidate for baptism at any and all times, not due to the repentance of sin, but simply as a testimony of a right heart. When John questions Jesus’ baptism, Jesus simply tells him it is necessary to set a proper example (fulfill all righteousness) for all who will follow in His footsteps. Jesus was illustrating what Peter would proclaim… “Then Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” Act 2:38. A right heart, is a right heart, whether through repentance, or as in Jesus’ case, through a life always aligned with the Father, His purposes, and His Will! Jesus was demonstrating the pattern, sequence, and nature of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and so we should not be surprised that upon His baptism, He received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, this as a picture of what would soon come to pass. This was clearly John’s understanding of the event as well… “And John bore record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and He abode on Him. And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water, that One said to me, Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon Him, He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” John 1:32-33.

So the question becomes, why? Why did Jesus receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and did Jesus need the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Well, they say that timing is everything, and it is certainly true on this occasion. Jesus is thirty years of age when He is baptized, and this becomes key to understanding its significance for Jesus personally. Jesus has managed to do some remarkable things so far without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He has grown in His knowledge of the Scriptures, confounding the elders at the Temple and in the Synagogue. He has also grown in favor with God and man, demonstrating a piety and grace few if any could match. More importantly though, He has lived sinlessly for thirty years. When He receives the baptism of the Spirit, He is the spotless, sinless, Lamb of God. So why now, and for what purpose does the Holy Spirit come upon Jesus. Actually the answer is quite simple. Jesus at thirty years of age is just now embarking on His earthly ministry, which will last only three and a half years. The missing years of Jesus, are missing, because there is nothing to see! The baptism of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus coincides with the beginning of His earthly ministry, the point in time when He officially sets out to do the Will of the Father.

You see, although Jesus could do everything mentioned beforehand, without the indwelling, the one thing He could not do, was faithfully complete what awaited Him over the next three and a half years. The Spirit indwelling Jesus gave His humanity the power to complete the race the Father had set before Him. Without it, Gethsemane would have proved too much for Jesus’ humanity.  Jesus had become the recipient of the same power He told His followers would come upon them, so they could be His witnesses. The giving of the Spirit in Jesus’ life was for the same reason it is given to us, to provide us the power to live supernatural lives, and this as it relates to doing the will of the Lord. From this lesson in the life of Christ we can infer a couple unmistakable truths, the first is, that those who possess His Spirit have been given the power and strength they need to be victorious in this life, we have inherited the power to lead supernatural lives and truly conquer what is before us. However, on the other side of that coin, is the sad reality of those who do nothing.  If the power of the indwelling comes upon us to fulfill the Lords will in our lives, it must at the same time serve as an indictment upon the millions who sit in our churches doing nothing! In Scripture, the surest sign of the lost is not their imperfections, but rather their indifference to the cause of Christ. We must remember that it is not a saint who sins that makes Christ nauseas, but rather a lukewarm church member!

Rev. Joel M McDuffie Jr.

2/20/2017