Introduction

We conclude our series of God’s family.  We focus on Christ’s baptism as presented in Luke and Matthew. While critics often point to differences between the Gospel accounts as contradictions, Scripture itself treats multiple witnesses as a strength, not a weakness. Each evangelist emphasizes different aspects of the same event to reveal deeper theological meaning.

Luke and Matthew are not competing narrators; they are complementary witnesses. Luke highlights humility, reversal, and inclusion, while Matthew emphasizes fulfillment, covenant faithfulness, and judgment. Together, they teach us not only who Christ is, but what it means to belong to God’s family.  Jesus is the great equalizer. 

Luke’s Report of Christ’s Debut

Luke carefully crafts a narrative in which social expectations are overturned. He introduces John the Baptist through the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Remember that this is an elite, priestly family.

The controversy is that they are barren.  This carries cultural shame.  Though Luke assures us they were righteous, their childlessness would have been interpreted by society as divine displeasure. 

Their exalted place in their genealogy is taken away.  They are humbled.  However, the Lord exalts them in his timing.  John’s birth removes that reproach. His birth restores their honorable place. 

There is a parallel story of Mary.  She is a peasant woman. We do not know her genealogy.  She is young and should be praising Elizabeth.   Astonishingly, when Mary visits Elizabeth, it is Elizabeth who humbles herself, recognizing Mary as the more significant figure. 

The unborn John leaps in the womb, and Mary responds with the Magnificat.  Mary does not exalt herself, but celebrates that God lifts up the humble.  He also humbles the exalted.

These stories form the backdrop for Christ’s baptism.  Luke summarizes Christ’s baptism, but he does so after John goes to prison.  This kingdom is established by the humble being exalted.  Christ will submit to death to be raised to life. 

The baptism communciates Christ’s movement.  The heavens open and the Spirit descends like a dove.  We would expect judgment like in the flood or echoes in Isaiah.  Luke wants us to see that Christ secures the lowly to exalt them in the new family. 

Matthew’s Report of Christ’s Debut

Matthew introduces John the Baptist abruptly.  There is no backstory for John.  He appears, and he is preaching.  John arrives as a prophetic firebrand proclaiming judgment. His harshest words are aimed not at moral outcasts but at the religious elite. Matthew wants Israel to understand that covenant membership alone does not equal righteousness.

Joseph’s role reinforces this theme. Matthew gives Joseph a voice to emphasize that Christ really is in David’s line (2 Sam. 7).  Matthew shows that Jesus does not merely erase Adam’s sin.  Christ’s mission is to relieve and fulfill Israel’s story.  He is Israel’s messiah who cleanses his people and secures the nations. 

This framework climaxes in Christ’s baptism. John recognizes the theological tension: the Messiah does not need cleansing.  John needs his cleansing from Christ. Yet Jesus insists that baptism is necessary “to fulfill all righteousness.”  Christ is submitting to judgment.  The first judgment with heaven opening.  He bears the judgment Israel deserved and consecrates Himself to cleanse His people. Matthew emphasizes that God’s promises move from prophetic assertion to historical fulfillment in Christ alone.

What is Baptism?

Luke and Matthew do not contradict one another; they emphasize different facets of the same redemptive reality. Luke highlights that the humble  are welcomed into God’s family.  The outsiders and the unworthy people need their exaltation in Christ. 

Matthew highlights how redemption is accomplished through Christ reliving Israel’s history.  The elite bear testimony showing that Christ really is king. 

Luke shows Christ forming a new international family where identity is grounded in grace, not status. Matthew shows Christ as the covenantal redeemer who submits to divine judgment so His people may live. Together, they proclaim that Christ is both the humble King and the righteous Judge, the one who humbles the proud and raises the lowly by first humbling Himself unto death.

The family of God, therefore, is neither a refuge for self-righteous elites nor a consolation prize for the weak.  We must see ourselves as members of a redeemed community united under one Messiah who has borne judgment and secured peace.

We are not a worthy people, but a people who have been made worthy. 

Conclusion

Both Luke and Matthew testify that true shalom is found only in Christ. This is not a shallow peace of tolerance or coexistence, but a restored communion with God. Christ does not merely endure us; He redeems us. He enters judgment, fulfills righteousness, and rises triumphant so that heaven’s verdict of death is overturned.

Whether we are tempted to trust in our prestige or despair over our brokenness, the call is the same: find your identity in Christ alone. He is the great equalizer.  We note that the exalted must kneel, the humble are raised, and all who come find life in Him.

As we move forward, we are reminded that our entire existence is situated in Christ. As the saying attributed to Luther puts it: Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose today, and is coming again tomorrow. This is not a life of terror, but of confidence. The Redeemer has overcome. Our consecration, our joy, and our power are found in Him alone. Let us live before his face as we walk in HIs power, seeking to conform to Him.