Thus far in this series, we have examined Watchtower misconceptions about the nature of Jesus.

Now we move on to look at its misconceptions about Jesus’ earthly ministry.

On page 38 of the Watchtower book What Does the Bible Really Teach?, there is a drawing of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.

The caption reads, “At his baptism, Jesus became the Messiah, or Christ.”

But that assertion contradicts the Watchtower’s own rendering of Luke 2:11: “For today there was born to you in David’s city a savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

So at his birth, an angel plainly stated that Jesus was already Savior, Christ (Messiah), and Lord.

Indeed, Luke 2:25-30 reveals that when the baby Jesus was brought to the temple, “…there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for Israel’s consolation, and holy spirit was upon him. Furthermore, it had been divinely revealed to him by the holy spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Christ of Jehovah… he took the child into his arms and praised God and said: ‘Now, Sovereign Lord, you are letting your slave go in peace according to your declaration,   because my eyes have seen your means of salvation.” (Watchtower translation)

Nevertheless, the Watchtower insists that it was at his baptism (when Jesus was in his thirties) that “God’s spirit, or active force, was poured out upon him that day, Jesus became the Messiah, or Christ, the one appointed to be Leader and King.” (Same book, p. 40)

In another publication, it was more specific: “By pouring out His holy spirit on Jesus, Jehovah was anointing him or appointing him to be the king of His coming kingdom. Being thus anointed with the spirit, Jesus became the “Messiah,” or the “Christ,” which words in the Hebrew and Greek languages mean ‘Anointed.’” (You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, p. 60)

Again, this is strange because the wise men who came to Bethlehem already knew he was God’s chosen king. In Matthew 2:2, they asked, “Where is the one born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when we were in the East, and we have come to do obeisance to him.” (The Watchtower rendering says “do obeisance to” rather than “worship,” but what I am highlighting was that he had  been supernaturally identified as king long before his baptism.)

 My purpose in presenting this is not to quibble over chronology.

 It’s to highlight the fact that since Jesus was already Messiah, king, and Lord long before his baptism, then his baptism must have represented something quite different.

 What was it?

 In his Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Volume 1, Pastor Warren Wiersbe makes the following points (pp. 17-18):

 Why

 “Why was Jesus baptized? First, his baptism gave approval to John’s ministry.

 “Second, He identified himself with publicans and sinners, the very people He came to save.

 “But mainly, His baptism pictured His future baptism on the cross (Matt. 20:22; Luke 12:50 ) when all the ‘waves and billows’ of God’s judgment would go over him (Ps. 42:7; Jonah 2:3).”

 The Role of the Holy Spirit

 “The coming of the Holy Spirit like a dove identified Jesus to John (John 1:31-34), and also assured Jesus as he began his ministry that the Spirit’s ministry would always be His (John 3:34) The dove is a beautiful symbol of the Spirit of God in its purity and in its ministry of peace.”

 The Statements of God the Father

 “The Father’s statement from heaven seems to be an echo of Psalm 2:7— ‘The Lord hath said unto me, “Thou art My Son; This day have I begotten thee.’

 “Acts 13:33 informs us that this ‘begetting’ refers to His resurrection from the dead, and not to His birth at Bethlehem.

 “This statement ties in perfectly with the Lord’s baptismal experience of death, burial, and resurrection.

 “But the Father’s statement also relates Jesus Christ to the ‘Suffering Servant’ prophesied in Isaiah 40-53…

 “Finally, the Father’s statement approved all that Jesus had done up to that point. His ‘hidden years in Nazareth’ were years of pleasing the Father. Certainly, the Father’s commendation was a great encouragement to the Son as he started His ministry.”