RE: Why The Lord Jesus Needed To Be Baptized. MCGI TOPIC REVIEW

Baptism was a Jewish practice before Jesus' time on Earth. Priests used to cleanse in a "temple bath" (called a mikveh) before entering the Holy of Holies. Baptism became a universal practice after the crucifixion because the temple's curtain had been torn so there was no longer a separation between the Holy of Holies and the rest of the world. Everyone became "worthy" of the cleansing ritual rather than just the priests.