Why was Jesus Baptized? Priesthood
Jesus’s baptism is part of the ritual for priesthood (Jesus is of the order of Melchizedek) and identification with sinners in need of regeneration.
Exodus 29:4 (NKJV) “And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water.
The Hebrew word for “wash” is (H7364) רחץ râchats, which means wash, bathe. “to wash, the human body, Gen 18:4, 43:31, Lev 14:9, Deut 21:6, meats, Exod 29:17, Lev 1:9, metaph. the defilement of sin adhering to men, Isa 4:4” (Gesenius Hebrew And Chaldee Lexicon). “This Hebrew word carries the connotation of washing with water in order to make clean…Symbolically, such a washing was declarative of innocence (Deu 21:6); and was figurative of cleansing from sin (Pro 30:12; Isa 4:4) (Word Study Dictionary).
Exodus 29:4 (NKJV) “And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water.
Compare Leviticus 15.
Jesus lived in a sinful world though He was sinless in body, soul, and spirit. The dust of this world would be on Him.
See also Baptism at https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2456-baptism
Quotes:
“The transformative powers of the mikveh’s waters….A woman descends in a state of ritual impurity and emerges pure. A convert descends from a gentile and emerges a Jew. From the bride or groom before their wedding day to the convert on his/her initiation into Judaism to the woman who uses the mikveh monthly to experience personal and marital renewal—all experience life-changing moments upon immersion in the mikveh’s waters.
The mikveh has been used for ritual purification since our earliest history. Kohanim (priests) in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem immersed in a mikveh before Temple rituals. The laws of family purity, which have also been observed since ancient times, require mikveh immersion.”
[Source: https://cincinnatimikveh.org/wp/why-mikveh/]
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“The priests had to be ritually clean (tahor) in order to serve at the tabernacle, and Israelites who had become ritually unclean (tamay) had to restore their situation with the passing of time and bathing their whole body in fresh, ritually clean (tahor) water, according to Leviticus 15.
Later, when the temple had been built, it was necessary for everyone to be immersed in a mikveh to become ritually clean before entering the temple. There are many ancient mikva’ot (plural of mikveh) to be seen in Jerusalem, and it is clear to see the two sets of steps for each one – a set of steps going down to the mikveh in an impure (tamay) state on one side, and on the other side, steps where the pilgrim will emerge fresh and ritually clean (tahor).”
[Source: https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/was-baptism-originally-jewish/]
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(NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Notes) Water was often associated with the Spirit (e.g., Is. 44:3; Ezek. 36:25-27; Joel 2:28-29), allowing for a ready analogy with baptism.
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(Easton’s Bible Dictionary) The official duty of Christ and the sinless person of Christ are to be distinguished. It was in his official capacity that he submitted to baptism. In coming to John our Lord virtually said, “Though sinless, and without any personal taint, yet in my public or official capacity as the Sent of God, I stand in the room of many, and bring with me the sin of the world, for which I am the propitiation.” Christ was not made under the law on his own account. It was as surety of his people, a position which he spontaneously assumed. The administration of the rite of baptism was also a symbol of the baptism of suffering before him in this official capacity (Luke 12:50). In thus presenting himself he in effect dedicated or consecrated himself to the work of fulfilling all righteousness.