Water Baptism revisited

This morning I was reading Matthew 3 and it struck me again how we often gloss over parts of a verse as they just don’t seem to pop out at us. Maybe its common language or our focus has been on other things but here I am again reading about baptism and something popped out that we already know but in a new way.
“I baptize you with[b] water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
There is so much going on here but let’s stick to the main points.
Firstly- John himself states “I baptize you with[b] water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Did you notice he states he baptizes with water but one coming after him Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. I love how the bible then goes on to describe how that fire will separate. Fire is one of those things try and describe it to someone who has never seen it. Thus try and describe the fire inside us when the Holy Spirit ignites us and purifies us.
Secondly- John did not want to baptize Jesus. His words were “I need to be baptized by you”
Thirdly – This is the key verse to the whole passage. Jesus said “it is proper to do this to fulfill all righteousness” What exactly did he mean by that. I know we would say he needs to be baptized as we all do and it fulfills righteousness in Him. I would suggest we read it another way. Jesus fulfilled all righteousness the bible tell us. The law was fulfilled in Christ, baptism was fulfilled in Christ and as Jesus said hanging on the cross “IT IS FINISHED” He completed all requirements. Think about it for a moment.
Until someone lived perfect before the law the law could never be completed. How can someone say I fulfilled it when they sin. Jesus never sinned and completed the law in himself. He paid the price and now had the right to make new terms. Such terms could only be fulfilled in the one who was above the law and that was Jesus.
So the progression of the bible reveals to us baptism was fulfilled and I love the next part.
Fourthly- At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

What a beautiful confirmation of fulfillment and the statement of John saying Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus fulfills baptism and the Holy Spirit comes down from above as dove. The celebration of heaven as baptism was finally fulfilled in Christ.
Jesus was finally completing why He came and only He understood the importance of what was going on here. Only the God head knew that within baptism lies completed life. Jesus was the resurrection and the life. He was transitioning mankind into eternity with Him. Johns words were finally fulfilled right before his eyes.
SUMMARY- It always puzzled me why Jesus was baptized when he knew no sin. I always explained it away by saying he was showing us we need to do the same. Today I see even clearer the deception of such and the truth of such. Why do we have so much trouble reading the words of these great men. John clearly told us his baptism was going away and Jesus clearly tells us he is fulfilling baptism in water. The Holy Spirit arrives as John said He would and right in that water a new era began. It did not begin at Pentecost it began with baptism being fulfilled in Christ.
It is so subtle but so powerful and there is no better description of Holy Ghost life than that. I am enthralled by the scene here. Such an enormous change in life. The passing of one era to another and so subtly. As men we look at the day of Pentecost and love it. We have a natural attraction to it as men because of the visible deposit of power and manifestations. It to us has become a pivotal time but we are missing the key here. When we see the subtle baptism change and arrival of the holy Spirit we understand we too must be baptized into Christ like John said. With the holy Spirit and fire. When we climb into Christ and He into us the baptism is eternal.
Again as men we follow the manifestations instead of the lifestyle. We think we need water baptism and can we suggest that as the new testament progresses it become increasingly unclear if baptism in water is water of the Jordan or Holy Spirit water. Jesus knew the change man needed time to transition into the change. When I climb into the water with Jesus the Holy Spirit alights as a dove on our heads and now we never leave the water and as Ephesians 4 says I am now be being filled. I am baptized daily in Holy Spirit water that brings life.