The Baptism of Jesus and the Fulfillment of All Righteousness:

An Exploration of Jesus’ Relationship to Israel in Matthew 3:13-17

Presented at the 2011 Southeastern Regional

Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society

Jacob Cerone, M.Div.

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 I. INTRODUCTION

What is the significance of Jesus’ baptism? Why does the sinless Christ submit to a

baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin? Mark and Luke provide little in the way of a

tangible explanation for why Christ might receive John’s baptism of repentance. Matthew's

account (3:13-17), though similar to the Markan and Lukan equivalents in almost every other

respect, contains material where John the Baptist protests Jesus’ request to be baptized; Jesus

answers, “Permit it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (3:15). Even with

Matthew’s additional material, there is a wide range of answers to these two questions. Among

Davies and Allison’s catalog of eight popular proposals,1 the view that Jesus is in need of

forgiveness and the view that Jesus transforms John’s baptism into Christian baptism are the

terminus ends along the spectrum.

At one end of this spectrum Strauss argues that there is no distinction between Jesus’

baptism and the baptism of John’s followers.2 Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are the

defining characteristics of John’s baptism, but does it follow that Jesus’ baptism was an

admission of guilt and a sign of repentance? Strauss thinks so, and he relies on Jesus’ words

“suffer it to be so now” as a tacit admission of sin.3 Contra Strauss, John’s attempt to deter Jesus

(3:14), his recognition of Jesus’ superior worthiness (3:14), and Jesus’ response (3:15) mark a

shift in the significance of Jesus’ baptism rather than an admission of sin.4 John’s administration

of baptism to his followers is here differentiated from that of Jesus’ unique baptism.

1
W.D. Davies and Dale C. Allison, The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, ICC, Vol. 1, (Edinburgh: T. &
T. Clark Limited, 1988), 321-323.
2
Friedrich David Straus, The Life of Jesus: Critically Examined, (Chapman, Brothers: London, 1846), 352.
3
Ibid., 351.
4
David J. MacLeod writes, “We should not think that Jesus needed to repent, confess His sins, or be
forgiven. Certainly John did not think so. The later New Testament writers emphatically state that He ‘knew no

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 If Jesus’ baptism is not for repentance, it might be tempting to conclude that Christ’s

baptism diverges from John’s in that it becomes the pattern for Christian baptism. To conflate

Christ’s baptism with Christian baptism, however, is anachronistic5 and myopic. Matthew

presents Christ’s baptism as an act of faithfulness as Jesus faithfully re-enacts Israel’s unfaithful

history. David MacLeod rightly observes, “The baptism of Jesus was a unique moment in the

history of salvation. It was a turning point that cannot be imitated, and the New Testament

writers keep their reverent distance knowing that no believer is the Son of God anointed for the

work of redemption.”6 Jesus’ baptism was an act within the totality of his work of redemption.

Christian baptism symbolizes one’s participation in the totality of that redemption (Mark 10:38;

Rom 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 1:13).

A more plausible explanation revolves around the understanding that Jesus is a member

within a covenantal community. Accordingly, most interpreters understand Christ’s baptism as

his participation in the national call to repentance as a humble member of the people. In this act

he associates himself with those he came to save.7 This is a part of the solution to the dilemma

presented in the text, but it seems as if Matthew has provided a more robust solution that both

upholds and brings further meaning to this interpretation. It is this paper’s contention that

Matthew intends his readers to understand Jesus’ baptism through the lens of an exodus event

sin’ (2 Cor. 5:21), ‘committed no sin’ (1 Pet. 2:22)—in fact, there was no sin in Him at all (1 John 3:5; cf. Heb 4:15;
7:26; 1 Pet. 1:19; 3:18). Therefore when John saw Jesus standing in the water before him to be baptized he ‘tried to
deter Him’ (NIV). He was surprised to see Him there. It didn’t seem right.” “The Baptism of Christ, or: The
Anointing of the King,” The Emmaus Journal, 9:2 (Winter) 2000, 139-140.
5
D. A. Carson, Matthew, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1984), 107.
6
David J. MacLeod, “The Baptism of Christ, or: The Anointing of the King,” The Emmaus Journal, 152.
7
Ivan H. French, “The Man Christ Jesus,” Grace Theological Journal, 1:2 (Fall 1980), 191, Robert H.
Mounce Matthew, New International Biblical Commentary, (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2004), 25. D. A. Carson,
Matthew, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, 107, and Fredrick Dale Bruner, Matthew A
Commentary, Vol. 1, (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1987), 84.

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wherein Jesus passes through the Red Sea as the representative head of Israel in order to succeed

at all points where Israel has failed, thus fulfilling all righteousness.

II. HISTORICAL SETTING

Understanding the significance of Jesus’ baptism requires attention, first of all, to the Sitz

im Leben of Matthew’s gospel. Matthew’s keen attention to Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament

scriptures, his thorough characterization of Jesus as Israel’s major historical figures, and his

intentional depiction of the redemption bought by Jesus, which is consonant with the redemption

YHWH wrought in the past, indicate that his audience was predominately Jewish.8 Matthew’s

concern is to stress the continuity between the Christian church and true Judaism.9 He takes great

pains to show the validity of the Christian sect by displaying Christ as the Son of God (3:17;

17:5), by regularly citing fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (e.g. 1:22; 2:15; 2:17; 2:23; 4:14;

8:17), and by developing distinctly Jewish themes (e.g. exodus, exile, kingdom of heaven). For

these reasons David Turner has suggested that Matthew’s audience is still a part of the

synagogue.10 Even if Matthew’s primary audience was no longer present in the synagogue, his

material and manner of recounting the life and significance of Christ suggests that he expected

his audience to have a working knowledge of the Old Testament. There is no doubt that

Matthew’s audience would observe the typological ties he makes throughout the Gospel.

III. LITERARY BACKGROUND

8
The portrait Matthew paints of Jesus as the new Israel and of his work as a new exodus event will be
explored throughout this paper.
9
Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans Publishing, 1992), 2.
10
David L. Turner, Matthew, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2008), 14.

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 The literary context of Matthew’s gospel similarly provides important clues as to his

intent. Matthew’s account of the baptism of Jesus, though longer than in Matthew’s synoptic

counterparts, is brief and terse. Jesus is portrayed as coming from Galilee to the Jordan River in

order to be baptized by John the Baptist. Recognizing the incongruity of baptizing Jesus, John

objects. Claiming that it is necessary to fulfill all righteousness, Jesus is baptized, and he hears

the voice of divine approval. Since internal commentary on the significance of Jesus’ baptism is

minimal, the surrounding context is invaluable.

Matthew 3:13-17 is within the overall context of Matthew 1:1-4:11, which serves as an

introduction for the book. The first subsection of the introduction, 1:1-2:23, is Jesus’ passive

recapitulation of Israel’s history; the second section, 3:1-4:11, serves as his active recapitulation

of Israel’s history. These subsections can be further delineated:

Introduction
A. Jesus’ Passive Recapitulation of Israel’s History (1:1-2:23)
1. Genealogy of Jesus Christ (1:1-17)
2. The Birth of Jesus (1:18-25)
3. King Herod and the Visit of the Wise Men (2:1-12)
4. Flight to Egypt, Bethlehem Massacre, Return to Nazareth (2:13-23)
B. Jesus’ Active Recapitulation of Israel’s History
1. The Ministry of John the Baptist (3:1-12)
2. Jesus’ Baptism (3:13-17)
3. Jesus’ Temptations (4:1-11)11

The introduction (1:1-4:11) is within the larger structure of the book that consists of Jesus’

Galilean ministry (4:12-18:35) and his Judean ministry and passion (19-28).12

Matthew’s intentional placement of certain pericopes around the baptism narrative color

it in terms of his running theme of exile and exodus. Herod’s resemblance to Pharaoh in the
11
This outline has been adapted from Andreas Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles, The
Cradle the Cross, and the Crown, (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2009), 194 and incorporates terminology from Joel
Kennedy, “The Recapitulation of Israel,” Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reiche Vol.
257, ed. by Mohr Siebeck, (Tübingen: Deutsche Nationalbibliographie, 2008) in points A and B.
12
For a more complete outline, see Andreas Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles, The
Cradle the Cross, and the Crown, 194.

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days of Moses and Israel’s bondage in Egypt is unmistakable. Attention to the geographical

movement of Jesus in his infancy and early childhood signals a reenactment of the nation’s

journey at the time of the exodus event, and as Wayne Baxter writes, “Matthew’s readers…are

left anticipating a new exodus, i.e., they are left anticipating the rise of a new deliverer to lead

Israel out of exile.”13 John’s voice crying out in the wilderness announcing the coming of the

Lord, who is portrayed as Isaiah’s Suffering Servant, is reminiscent of Israel’s return from

captivity. Finally, Matthew intentionally casts Jesus’ temptations in terms of Israel’s testing in

the wilderness.14 All this accumulates as evidence that Jesus’ baptism should be seen as his

identification with the nation of Israel by passing through the Red Sea and by beginning his quest

to succeed where Israel had previously failed to keep covenant. Support for the reoccurrence of

these themes in the surrounding passages along with Jesus’ typological relationship to Israel,

Moses, and David will be explored in the following section.

IV. THEMATIC/TYPOLOGICAL CONNECTIONS

Just as attention to the historical and literary context is important for understanding the

significance of Jesus’ baptism, it is also crucial for the interpreter to observe thematic and

typological developments throughout the gospel. Matthew’s desire to ground the fledgling

Christian movement in the Old Testament scriptures and to show how Christ is the culmination

and fulfillment of Israel’s future hopes can be seen throughout Matthew 1:1-4:11. Jesus’ identity

is thoroughly marked by parallels to Israel’s major historical figures, and the work that he is to

accomplish is couched in terms of Israel’s defining historical events. Jesus’ significance is tied

to Abraham in his genealogy (Matt. 1:1, 17, 20). He is seen as the messianic king after the line

13
Wayne S. Baxter, “Mosaic Imagery in the Gospel of Matthew,” Trinity Journal, 20:1 (Spring 1999), 71.
14
Richard D. Patterson and Michael Travers, “Contours Of The Exodus Motif in Jesus’ Earthly Ministry”
Westminster Theological Journal, 66:1 (Spring 2004), 37.

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of Judah (Matt. 1:1, 17; 3:3, 17), the new and greater Moses (2:16-18; 5:1, 17-20), and the

corporate identity, Israel, who does not fail when tested (4:1-11). As the teleological figure in

whom all these personas coalesce, Jesus’ redemptive acts are presented through the lens of an

exiled people in need of a new redemptive event that will allow them to enter the kingdom of

heaven. These themes and their inter-related nature will be explored here in order to provide

further literary context for Matthew 3:13-17.

Abraham

Although Abraham is not a prominent character in the first four chapters of Matthew, he

is an important one. This is evident in Matthew’s genealogy in that he is not content to connect

Jesus with David alone, but pushes all the way back to the patriarchal head of the nation (1:1,

17). Matthew connects Jesus to Abraham in order to show how Jesus is the teleological

fulfillment of the entirety of Israel’s history.15 Abraham’s inclusion in the genealogy allows

Matthew to subtly inform the reader that Jesus embodies corporate Israel by being connected to

all the major representatives of her redemptive history.

Moses

Perhaps the most obvious typological connection Matthew draws is Jesus’ relationship to

Moses. The family’s flight into Egypt in order to avoid a tyrant that resembles Pharaoh in

Exodus 1-2 clearly reveals the relationship. D. J. Harrington observes this connection and

writes, “Matthew sought to express a continuity between Moses and Jesus: In both cases a

wicked king (Pharaoh and Herod) tried to do away with them as infants; their escape was

15
Joel Kennedy spends the first half of his dissertation establishing that Matthew seeks to tell the story of
Israel’s history within his genealogy. This microcosm of Israel’s history is not a reminiscence of the past. Instead,
Matthew tells Israel’s history in order to show that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all her history. Kennedy
conceives of Matthew’s telling of Jesus’ and Israel’s story as a two-way street, “This introduction to the Gospel
retells and recapitulates the story of Israel precisely because the story of Jesus cannot be understood without it, nor
for Matthew can Israel’s story be understood without Jesus. According to the theology and narrative of Matthew’s
genealogy, the eschatological restoration of the kingdom is fulfilled in the Son of David, Jesus the Christ. He is the
climax and completion of Israel’s history,” 101.

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accompanied by the slaughter of innocent children; and return became possible only after those

who sought the child’s life had died.”16 The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) further solidifies

Jesus’ identification as the new Moses. Baxter writes, “As Moses, Israel’s former deliverer,

climbed a mountain and gave Torah to Israel, so now Jesus, Israel’s new deliverer, climbs a

mountain, sits down, and delivers his epic Torah-centric address to his disciples.”17 Jesus’ epic

act not only mimics but also supersedes Moses’ role at Sinai. After all, as Vern Poythress writes

“At Mount Sinai the voice of God spoke directly from heaven . . . . In Matthew 5 the revelation

comes through the voice of Jesus who is both God and the final Moses.”18 Jesus’ audience

grasped the gravity of the episode; “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were

astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their

scribes” (Matt. 7:28-29).19

David

16
Daniel. J. Harrington, Matthew, Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1991), 49. Harrington
also observes the parallels between the extra biblical comments Josephus makes in his Antiquities regarding Exodus
1-2 and Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth. “The birth of Moses is announced to his father Amram in a dream by
God . . . He also announces Moses’ mission as an adult: ‘He shall deliver the Hebrew race from their bondage in
Egypt (2:216).”
17
Wayne Baxter, “The Narrative Setting of the Sermon on the Mount,” Trinity Journal, 25:1 (Spring 04),
31. Baxter supports this statement saying, “…the Sermon is the expected consummation of this exodus typology
developed in the first four chapters. The events of the Exodus narrative—Pharaoh’s slaughter of infants, the return
of Moses to his people, the passage of Israel through water, and their temptation in the desert—are closely echoed
by Matthew: Herod’s slaughter of infants, the return of Jesus to his people, Jesus’ passage through water, and his
subsequent temptation in the wilderness, where Matthew rather obviously draws a parallel between Jesus and Israel,
identifying Jesus as the true Son of God,” 30.
18
Vern S. Poythress, The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses, (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed
Publishing, 1991), 256.
19
While Jesus’ providential escape from Herod’s tyranny and his Sermon on the Mount should serve to
establish Jesus’ role as the new Moses, Baxter cites the feeding of the multitudes and the transfiguration, the mosaic
equivalents of manna from heaven and the divine manifestation of God’s glory to Moses respectively, as further
evidence. “Mosaic Imagery in the Gospel of Matthew,” 76-77.

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 One of the dominating themes throughout Matthew’s gospel is the coming of the

kingdom of heaven.20 This kingdom is not devoid of a king to sit on the throne. Rather,

according to Matthew, the Davidic line has been revived. The promised king of Judah has

arrived. Matthew’s genealogy has been structured in such a way as to make this evident. He

begins his genealogy by stating that Jesus is “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt 1:1).

After recounting the patriarchal history of Israel, he concludes with David and then begins the

era of the kings with David and his offspring. Finally, after relating the exilic period, Matthew

writes, “So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from

David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations . . .” (Matt. 1:17) to form an inclusio

with 1:1,21 stressing the fact that Jesus is both the son of David and the son of Abraham.22 This

point is further emphasized as Matthew quotes Micah 5:2, claiming that Jesus is the ruler that

will come out of the tribe of Judah to shepherd God’s people (Matt 2:6). Furthermore, John the

Baptist declares the coming of a king who demands repentance as the metaphorical act that will

make his paths straight (Matt 3:3).23

Israel

Matthew’s seemingly random selection of a number of Old Testament personas serves

the purpose of identifying Jesus as the true Son of God, Israel. Along these lines, Frank

Thielman observes, “Matthew implies in several passages that Jesus himself embodies the nation
20
Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1-13, Word Biblical Commentary, (Dallas: Word Books, 1993), lx.
21
Joel Kennedy, “The Recapitulation of Israel,” 99.
22
Also, there is something to be said for the fact that Matthew’s use of the number fourteen seems to be a
symbolic representation of the Hebrew name David. This interpretation is based on the Hebrew numeric system,
which attributes a numeric value to each letter of the alphabet. In this instance, the name, dwd has the numeric value
of fourteen (four + six + four). See John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, 86-87 and D. A. Carson, Matthew, 68-69.
23
William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew, New Testament Commentary,
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 198. According to Hendrickson, the subjects of a king would repair broken
roads for their coming king by leveling the earth and filling in the blemishes. Likewise, those who wait in
anticipation for the eschatological kingdom ruled by the messiah are required to prepare themselves for his coming.

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of Israel, recapitulating its temptations and suffering its fate.”24 Aside from Jesus’ typological

relationship with those figures that mark Israel’s redemptive history,25 Matthew also shows how

Jesus relived Israel’s history throughout his life.

Jesus’ recapitulation of Israel’s history begins with the looming threat of Herod’s edict to

kill all male infants of the age of two or younger (2:13-18), as well as his flight to Egypt to

escape Herod’s wrath. While the first half of the story reveals Jesus as the new Moses,

Matthew’s quotation of Hosea 11:1 reveals him as God’s son, Israel.26 R. T. France writes, “[A]s

patriarchal Israel went down to Egypt and came back to the promised land, so now does Jesus,

the new Israel.”27 The theme is continued in the testing narrative where Jesus is sent into the

wilderness for forty days28 in order to be tempted to sin against his Father in the same way Israel

grumbled against God, tested him, and bowed down to worship idols.29 Each temptation is met

with a succinct rebuttal from Deuteronomy that brings to mind an analogous incident wherein

24
Frank Thielman, Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach, (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2005), 95.
25
God made three distinctive covenants with Israel (the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic), all of which are
represented in Matthew’s mention of Abraham, Moses and David. Jesus’ placement in this line as the typological
fulfillment of these individuals allows Matthew to make the point that it is through Jesus that God remains faithful
to his covenants of old by establishing the promised everlasting covenant through the work of Christ.
26
Matthew’s use of Hosea 11:1 as fulfilled prophecy is a case study in many hermeneutical discussions for
two reasons: 1) The passage does not explicitly contain messianic implications 2) and Hosea has a corporate
audience in view, not an individual. The latter objection is weakened by the observations already made regarding
Jesus’ embodiment of the corporate entity Israel and his recapitulation of her history. John H. Sailhamer, “Hosea
11:1 and Matthew 2:15,” Westminster Theological Journal, vol. 63 (2001), 87-96, has answered the former
objection by contending that the Old Testament writers understood exodus as a messianic theme.
27
R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary of the New Testament,
(Eerdmans Publishing, 2007), 78.
28
The number ‘forty’ may related to the forty years in the wilderness during which Israel was tested.” D. J.
Harrington, Matthew, 66.
29
Donald Garlington, “Christ in the Wilderness,” Reformation and Revival, 2:2 (Spring) 1993, 75.

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Israel failed to obey the LORD her God.30 Finally, the theme is extended into the latter half of

chapter four and into chapter five, where Jesus appoints twelve disciples and delivers a fulfilled

law (Matt. 4:18-22; 5:1-20).

Exile and Exodus

Now that the “Who?” of Matthew’s narrative has been defined, it is necessary to establish

the setting. Matthew conceives of the work of Christ in terms of a new exodus event. The

genealogy included consists of fourteen generations between Israel’s deportation to Babylon and

the birth of Jesus, thus leaving the people in exile. Matthew’s narrative proceeds to the vision

experienced by Joseph regarding Jesus’ birth. The angel reveals that Joseph and Mary are to

name their son Jesus, which means “YHWH saves,” “for he will save his people from their sins”

(Matt. 1:21). This salvation is cast as deliverance from spiritual exile. The Hosea quotation is a

part of a larger “reminiscence of the exodus, . . . [an event that] demonstrated Israel’s unique

status as God’s firstborn . . . .”31 John’s voice of preparation for the coming Messiah, the Son of

God, is a quotation of Isaiah 40:3 that pictures the coming of the LORD in order to deliver his

people from exile. This deliverance is once again cast in terms of exodus imagery found in

Isaiah 48:20-21. Finally, the Spirit of God leads Jesus into the wilderness in order to be tested,

an event parallel to Israel’s wilderness testing immediately following her passage through the

Red Sea (Matt. 4:1-11; Ex. 14:29; 15:22).

30
Jesus’ responses are taken from the following Old Testament passages: Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:13.
These citations remind Israel of her grumbling against God, her testing God at Massah, and their constant failure to
avoid idolatry and serve God alone.
31
David L. Turner, Matthew, 90.

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 EXPOSITION

Matthew 3:13

Matthew’s use of to/te allows for a subtle temporal transition from John and his ministry

of preparation to the baptism of Jesus.32 Matthew’s use of the historic present, paragi÷netai,33

vivifies Jesus’ appearance and brings his involvement in the coming events into focus. Matthew

is not at all concerned with Jesus’ journey but simply records his destination and place of

departure.34 Jesus’ sojourn from Galilee to the Jordan River is imbued with determined resolve.

In support of this notion R. T. France writes, “For Jesus to make a journey of around seventy

miles from Nazareth to the area of John’s activity in a ‘foreign’ territory would require

significant motivation.”35 Furthermore, Mathew uses touv baptisqhvnai, an infinitive of

purpose. Jesus’ baptism, therefore, is not to be understood as a casual incident. Instead, having

heard of the preaching and ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus intentionally sets out for the

explicit purpose of being baptized by him.

Matthew 3:14

When John learns the purpose of Jesus’ presence, he attempts to deter Jesus “de« . . .

diekw¿luen,” claiming, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” There are three

contextual clues that assist the reader in understanding John’s objection. First, John has already

claimed that he is not worthy to carry the sandals of the coming one, a task not performed by

Jewish servants but reserved for Gentile servants. Second, the baptism of “the coming one” will

32
Steven E. Runge, Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament:: A Practical Introduction for
Teaching and Exegesis, (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2010), 37-38. To/te serves as a low-level division marker, which
creates a new subsection while also functioning as a cohesive device. Therefore Jesus’ appearance is a new
development within the narrative, but not disjointed from the word and work of John.
33
John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, 52.
34
Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, 63.
35
R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, 119.

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be superior in nature to that of John’s baptism. It will be with the Spirit and with fire. John

rightly recognizes that he is in need of this baptism.36 Finally, John recognizes that Jesus has no

need of repentance or the confession of sin, the two staples of his baptism. The significance of

Jesus’ response to John’s concern, “Permit it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all

righteousness” (Matt 3:15), cannot be overstated.

Matthew 3:15

Jesus’ response to John bears two of the dominant themes of Matthew’s Gospel:

fulfillment and righteousness. Matthew’s use of plhrow and its cognates occurs twenty times

throughout the Gospel, ten of which are a part of his formulaic pattern where he cites the

fulfillment of Old Testament scripture. BDAG provides the following definitions for the verb:

“to make full . . . , to complete a period of time . . . , to bring to completion that which was

already begun . . . , to bring to a designed end . . . , or to bring to completion an activity in which

one has been involved from its beginning.”37 R. T. France and David Turner both observe that

fulfillment in Matthew is not simply a matter of biblical prophecy being realized or “fulfilled.”

Instead, Matthew’s concept of fulfillment relies upon biblical patterns and promises that have

been made complete in Christ.38 Therefore, it is best to understand Matthew’s “fulfill” in terms

of Jesus deriving meaning from and imparting meaning to Old Testament patterns as their

ultimate aim.

The meaning of dikaiosu/nhn “righteousness” in Matthew 3:15 is much debated. John

Nollad contends that Matthew presents righteousness, not as adherence to the ethical

36
Ibid.
37
Frederick William Danker ed., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian
Literature, 3d ed. (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 828-9.
38
R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, 181-4 and David L. Turner, Matthew, 22.

13
requirements of the law, but as a status conferred on those who have a right relationship with

God.39 Calvin, on the other hand, supposes that Jesus’ act of baptism was part and parcel of his

mission to “render full obedience to the Father.”40 Although Nolland correctly perceives the

presence of the sonship theme (right relationship), as well as John’s call for national Israel to

repent from their wicked ways and be set on the path of righteousness, Matthew’s use of

dikaiosu/nh throughout the Gospel is concerned with the individual’s acquiescence to the moral

will of God.41 As we turn our attention to the significance of Jesus’ baptism, Matthew’s use of

these terms to describe its appropriateness should not be forgotten.

Why then was Jesus baptized? Recalling Calvin’s earlier words, Jesus was baptized in

order to offer his Father obedience in all things. The most substantial criticism of this

interpretation comes from D. A. Carson. He writes, “Put so crassly this view forgets that the

baptism relates to repentance and confession of sins, not to righteousness itself.”42 Yet, this

interpretation is able to stand up to Carson’s criticisms when one takes into account Jesus’

solidarity with Israel. Matthew’s portrait of Jesus as Israel through his typological relationship

to Abraham, Moses, and David, along with his recapitulation of Israel’s history in his infancy,

continues in this passage. Jesus now stands as the representative head of sinful Israel. His

exodus mission is inaugurated as he passes through the waters of the Red Sea and is proclaimed

39
John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, 153-4.
40
John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries: Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Vol. XVI, (Grand Rapids:
Baker, 2005), 202.
41
Within the Sermon on the Mount and its immediate context dikaiosu/nh is used three times. One can
thirst after righteousness (Matt 5:6), be persecuted for his righteousness (Matt. 5:10), and one can have more
righteousness than another (Matt. 5:20). Righteousness is also something that is not to be practiced before others
(Matt. 6:1). The only time dikaiosu/nh is used in the way Nolland claims is Matthew 21:32 where Jesus says,
“John came to you in the way of righteousness.”
42
D. A. Carson, Matthew, 108.

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the Son of God.43 He is then led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to complete his mission to

obey vicariously on their behalf.

Matthew 3:16-17

The use of the exodus theme44 as a means of understanding Jesus’ baptism is not

unwarranted. First, there is a biblical precedent for understanding baptism in terms of passing

through the Red Sea. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “I want you to know, brothers, that our

fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea and all were baptized into Moses

in the cloud and in the sea . . . ” (1 Cor. 10:1-2). Second, Matthew’s record of God’s voice of

approval is a conflation of two Old Testament texts: Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1. Isaiah 42:1 is a

reference to the Suffering Servant motif that foreshadows Jesus’ death for the ransom of many

(Matt. 20:28). Psalm 2:7 evokes “the sonship motif [which] recalls the unique circumstances of

Jesus’ conception and infancy (Matt. 1:16, 18-25; 2:15) and sets the scene for Satan’s tests (4:3,

6). The sonship imagery and its relationship to the exodus theme has already been demonstrated

from Hosea 11:1, and its presence here only serves to strengthen the continuity of that same

theme in Jesus’ baptism. Finally, the use of to/te provides a link between the baptism narrative

and the testing narrative, indicating that both should be understood in light of one another.

V. CONCLUSION

What then is the significance of Jesus’ baptism? The historical setting of Matthew’s

gospel reveals that the book is laden with citations, themes, and characterizations drawn directly

from the Old Testament in order to stress the continuity between the Christian church and

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G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson eds., Commentary on the New Testaments Use of the Old Testament,
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 14.
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Matthew’s use of the exodus theme in Jesus’ baptism should not lead one to conclude that Jesus’ baptism
is the anti-type. Instead, it is one of many redemptive events patterned after the original exodus. Matthew uses the
cross and Jesus’ exile on behalf of sinners in order to break their bondage to sin as the anti-type.

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Judaism. The literary context of Matthew 3:13-17 demonstrates that Matthew intentionally

crafts the introduction to his gospel as Jesus’ recapitulation of Israel’s history: genealogical links

with Abraham and David, flight to Egypt, Bethlehem massacre, return to Nazareth, the

preparatory ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus’ baptism, and Jesus’ temptations. As was

demonstrated, this recapitulation of Israel’s history extends throughout the gospel to the Sermon

on the Mount, the feeding of the multitudes, and the Transfiguration. The thematic development

of exodus from exile by the son of Abraham, the new Moses, the rightful Davidic heir, and the

Son of God urges the reader to interpret Jesus’ baptism in this vein. Accordingly, Jesus’ baptism

is to be understood as an inaugural event. In his baptism, the Red Sea is once again parted.

Jesus passes through the Red Sea, Jordan, as the representative head of Israel in order to fulfill

all righteousness by succeeding at all points where God’s covenant people failed. All those who

place their trust in faithful Israel, Jesus Christ, find deliverance from exile. The kingdom of

heaven belongs to these.

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