Matthew 3:13–17. The Baptism of Jesus Christ

After reading Matthew 3:13-17 I learned a few new things about baptism and the phrase “like a Dove”. In these scriptures we learn that Johan was hesitant to baptize Christ because he knew that Christ was perfect. However the Lord answered saying, “Suffer it to be so now…to fulfill all righteousness (vs.15). Prophet Joseph Smith explains that the Holy Ghost is not in the form of a dove but rather the sign of a dove. This sign is to signify that the dove and Holy Ghost is an “emblem or token of truth and innocence” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 81). The devil cannot come in the sign of a dove.

 Three reasons why I feel Jesus was baptized: 1. Example; to show the importance of this ordination and that all of us need to be baptized. 2. Obedience to God’s commandments 3. Receive Holy Ghost.

We learn in the scriptures that there are three members of the Godhead. In verses 16-17 it says, “…and he saw the Spirit of God” and later it reads, “…a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”