John's Question
Interestingly, John the Baptist himself wondered why Jesus came to him to be baptized! All four gospels record this momentous event (Matthew 3:13 - 17, Mark 1:9 - 11, Luke 3:21 - 22 and John 1:28 - 34), with both Matthew and John writing the most details. Before we directly answer this question, however, we need to cover the relationship between John and Christ.
John and Jesus
Scripture tells us that John knew, before he met Jesus, that his preaching was preparing the way for the Messiah (John 1:23). Yet, at the same time, he twice states that he did not know, with absolute certainty, who exactly was the Lamb of God.
"And I did not know Him; but that He might be manifested to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." . . .
"And I did not know Him before; but He Who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon Whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, He is the One Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'" (John 1:31, 33).
Even though Jesus and John had a family relationship through their mothers (Luke 1:36), John lived the majority of his life in the hill country of Hebron (Luke 1:80) while the home of the Lord was more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) away in Nazareth. As such, it is likely they did not have an ongoing personal relationship with each other.
Messianic Confirmation
The Holy Spirit in John, as Jesus approached him in the Jordan, convicted him that the person coming toward him was the Messiah. The sign confirming (but only to John) that Christ was the Messiah would happen right after the baptism (John 1:33). When the Lord approached the Jordan John the Baptist stated the following.
"I have need to be baptized by You, and You come to me?" (Matthew 3:13 - 14, HBFV).
The Bible then informs us why the Son of God needed to receive this ceremony. Jesus answered John by stating, "You must permit it at this time; for in this manner it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15).
Fulfilling Righteousness
The Lord was not immersed, like all the others that came to John, as a sign of repentance from sin. He submitted himself to this humble act (see Philippians 2:8) because it fulfilled God's will for him. It was a visible sign that he was placing himself fully under the direction of our heavenly Father. This is confirmed by what happened next.
And after He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him . . ." (Matthew 3:16, see also Mark 1:10 - 11, Luke 3:22, John 1:32).
The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus and God's words from heaven fulfilled several Old Testament prophecies (Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 11:2, 42:1, 21, 61:1).
Jesus was baptized in the fall of 26 A.D. when he was about thirty years old (Luke 3:23). This event is pivotal in the Bible, as it is the starting point for Christ's three and one-half year earthly ministry that will end in the spring of 30 A.D. Soon after his face-to-face meeting with John the Baptist, Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days and nights (Matthew 4, Luke 4).