Baptism of Jesus

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Why was Jesus baptized? He was sinless.

EXODUS 40:12   “And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.”

:13  “And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.”

This Priesthood stood above the people and guided them towards God.

The Priests performed the sacrifices and the High Priest performed the Passover sacrifice.

Killing the Passover lamb was the most important sacrifice of the year. That was the sacrifice which launched the First Exodus when Moses led the Jews out of Egypt to guide them to the Promised Land.

Melchizedek was a Priest of the most High God.

But Melchizedek was never washed and anointed so He was not a High Priest.

GENESIS 14:18  “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.”

Melchizedek gave Abram (later called Abraham) bread and wine. The same symbols that Jesus served at the Last Supper on Passover night.

GENESIS 14:20  “And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.

And he gave him tithes of all.”

Abram/Abraham gave Melchizedek tithes. You only give tithes to God.

The Law did not allow two Priesthoods to operate together. The Levitical Priesthood had to disqualify itself before the Melchizedek Priesthood could replace it.

But the Melchizedek Priesthood had to have a High Priest.

So, John the Baptist baptized Jesus. This was the washing of the High Priest as well as the washing of the Sacrifice.

2 CHRONICLES 4:6  “He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.”

Then the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove rested upon Jesus and anointed Him.

Now, at last, Jesus became the High Priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood that was based on bread and wine.

The broken bread at the Last Supper signifying His death. The wine symbolizing the stimulation of revelation that was caused by His resurrection. His death and resurrection far eclipsed what any Levitical High Priest could do.

Jesus created bread for 5000 Jews from a schoolboy’s lunch of 5 loaves. The only miracle recorded in all four Gospels.

Then He supernaturally turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

These two incredible miracles, involving bread and wine, established His credentials.

But the Levitical Priesthood was the legitimate Priesthood ordained by Moses, the giver of the Law.

However, there was one particular law that the High Priest had to obey.

LEVITICUS 10:6   “And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.”

The High Priest was Aaron and then his eldest son was appointed after his death.

He must not tear his clothes.

But the High Priest Caiaphas got into a demonic rage when he condemned Jesus and he tore his clothes.

That broke the law and ended the Levitical Priesthood in AD 33.

In AD 70, the pagan Roman army under General Titus burned down the Temple and a large part of Jerusalem, just as God promised.

MATTHEW 26:65  “Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.”

MATTHEW 27:50  “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.”

:51  “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”

God tore up the Temple veil which totally disqualified the Temple from being a place where God was worshiped by the Jews under the Levitical Priesthood.

Many Christian preachers today, lacking direction in today’s confused world, now proclaim that the Jews will rebuild the Temple.

But the Levitical Priesthood was disqualified almost 2000 years ago, so there is no legitimate Priesthood to serve in a Temple even if it is rebuilt. The old Temple worship was ended by Caiaphas and the Romans.

At Calvary, Jesus performed a miraculous service.

Jesus presided over His own death.

John 10:18  “No man taketh it from me,

but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,

and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

1 JOHN 3:16  “Hereby perceive we the love of God,

because he laid down his life for us:

and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

In Heaven, in Revelation Chapter 4, there are 4 guards around the throne of God.

Jesus is God.

So, Jesus got the Romans to put four guards around His cross.

JOHN 19:23  “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments,

and made four parts, to every soldier a part;

and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.”

Then follows a fascinating detail.

His outer coat. The outer garments of the High Priest are the robes of office, not the undergarments.

Because Jesus is the High Priest of the Melchizedek order, He cannot allow His outer garment to be torn or rent.

Thus, four greedy pagan Romans were prevented from tearing up His coat as God made them decide to gamble for His coat.

JOHN 19:24  “They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.”

Jesus has full control over His enemies. They cannot cross a line that God draws.

Jesus did something unique.

As High Priest, He conducted His own death as the sacrificial Lamb so that it fulfilled the Law. And yet, He was also the Passover Lamb Who died.

The Priestly Order of Melchizedek totally eclipsed the disqualified and corrupt Levitical Priesthood.

Jesus then led the second Exodus, bringing the church out of the Jews.

Today we need a third Exodus. Bringing the Scriptural Bride out of the man-made unscriptural traditions of the church.

Think Christmas. 25 December. Lent. Good Friday. Easter Monday. God the Son. One God in three Persons. Same sex marriage. Gay rights. Sunday Sabbath. Etc.