BibleProject | Discovering the Exodus Way Theme in ScriptureSýnishorn

Through Baptism, Toward God’s Kingdom

Today’s readings provide three perspectives on the same story of John the Baptizer’s first encounter with Jesus at his baptism. But how does Jesus’ baptism relate to the Exodus way?

Think back to Moses leading Israel out of Egypt. When the people pass through the Red Sea, they do not instantly arrive at their destination. So passing through the waters doesn’t mark a final entrance into the promised land. Rather, the people are beginning a journey (through transformation) that will take them to the future God has promised.

Jesus is baptized to parallel Moses—not because Jesus is sinful. Scripture says Jesus never sins. But like Moses at the Red Sea, Jesus enters the waters with his people to lead them toward something new. By connecting these stories, the gospel writers suggest that baptism is not a finish line but a starting point, marking the beginning of a journey that prepares people for the way of life in God’s Kingdom.

The crowds around the Jordan River need rescue from religious and political oppression. But even more, they need deliverance from the harmful thought and behavior patterns they’re stuck in. So John shouts, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” (Matt. 3:2, NET). This word “repent” means “turn around.” It’s about choosing to live in a new way. John calls people out of the way they’re living, through the waters of baptism, and into God’s Kingdom way of life, the way of Jesus.


Let’s keep meditating on the repeated scenes that act as hyperlinks in this passage. Each gospel author quotes Isaiah (the passage we examined yesterday), linking John’s baptism to Israel’s exodus out of Babylonian captivity. Notice how everything is happening at the Jordan River—the river Israel crosses to first enter the promised land. And John calls Jesus the “lamb of God,” linking back to the exodus from Egypt and the first Passover. Keep observing—there’s a lot to see here!

By tracing the Exodus way theme through Scripture, we can see this story about Jesus’ baptism in a new light. He’s like a new Moses, leading a new rescue mission that’s about willfully entering a new way of life, the Exodus way.

Reflection Questions:
Have you ever thought about baptism as a finish line, an event that suggests you’ve already arrived? What happens when we reframe baptism as the beginning of a journey that transforms us into people who can live in God’s Kingdom?

At the first Passover, the blood of the blameless, sacrificial lamb protected people from the threat of death. Then John calls Jesus the “lamb of God” and says that Jesus “removes the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Why do you think John is connecting Jesus to the first Passover like this?