Yeshua's Baptism

This isn’t about Yeshua baptizing but it's about the baptism that Yeshua had John the Baptizer perform for him.

Question: Why did Yeshua say that John had to baptize him in order to fulfill all righteousness? John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. Surely Yeshua didn't need to repent, he was the sinless Son of God. The other most common baptism used at this time was for proselytes to Judaism. Nope, that doesn't work either since Yeshua was already a Jew of the tribe of Judah. Yeshua wasn't joining one of the sects of Judaism of the time either (Essenes, etc.).

Mat 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John to be baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Mat 3:14 But John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?"
Mat 3:15 So Jesus replied to him, "Let it happen now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John yielded to him.
Mat 3:16 After Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming on him.
Mat 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my one dear Son; in him I take great delight."

Answer: Well, I've read some great commentaries by the typical "western" thinking theologians. And while I'm sure they have some valid points let's not forget who Yeshua was and His mission.

Yeshua was not only to be a servant and savior but He was to act as our great High Priest. A priest intercedes between men and God and only the High Priest could offer the Day of Atonement sacrifice. What did the Torah dictate for the ordination of the High Priest? Well, let's take a look....

Exo 40:12 And you are to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and you are to wash them with water.
Exo 40:13 Then you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments, and you are to anoint him and sanctify him that he may minister to me as a priest.

The anointing was done with oil. Oil we know from Hebraic typology is a type of the Holy Spirit. What happened at that baptism scene? Yeshua emerges from the water and the Holy Spirit (the real thing, not the typology) comes down onto Yeshua to anoint Him to do the Father’s will. Messiah means “Anointed One.”

Now, imagine being a Jew in those days and watching this scene: a prophet from God baptizes a man upon whom the anointing of the Holy Spirit then comes upon. Do you think the visual was totally lost on them as it has been on us? I doubt it. I believe that's why some of John the Baptizer’s disciples (the apostle John among them) immediately left John and started following Yeshua.....they understood what they had just witnessed. Would Israel be reminded of the words of their greatest prophet, Moses:
Deu 18:15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to
him.

Next time you read about Yeshua’s baptism and the Holy Spirit descending on Him....keep that in mind.