There is much we don’t know about the early life of Jesus. After Jesus’ trip to the temple as a 12-year-old, we are told that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people” (Luke 2:52). Luke’s Gospel account then fast-forwards to the baptism of Jesus as an adult. This was an important event in the life of the promised Messiah that is recorded in each of the four Gospels.
At first glance, it may seem strange that Jesus would seek to be baptized as even John seemed surprised by this request and tried to stop Jesus. After all, Jesus never sinned and was not in need of God’s forgiveness. Yet, Jesus was fully committed to doing the will of His heavenly Father, which included baptism. Jesus’ baptism modeled how His followers are to publicly profess their faith in Him. Jesus’ baptism would also be His next step in beginning His earthly ministry. Indeed, the very next day, Jesus began calling disciples to follow Him.
As Jesus went up from the water, we see a beautiful picture of the Trinity: the heavens opened as the Son prayed, the Spirit descended upon Him, and the Father declared Jesus the Son in whom He is well pleased. Jesus’ baptism represents believers’ death to sin. Just as Christ died on the cross and was raised, so, too, are His followers born again and raised up from the grave into new life.
Lead children to see that Jesus lived a perfect life of obedience and died as the sacrifice for our sins before rising again. Help them understand that though we cannot follow God perfectly, we can place our trust in the One who did. Remind boys and girls that Christians are called to obedience through baptism. While baptism does not have the power to save us, it is an outward expression of an inward reality in the life of the believer.
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Every week, members of The Gospel Project for Kids team offer guidance to help you as you prepare to teach every session to preschoolers and kids.
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