King James Bible
"But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!"
Jesus uses baptism as a metaphor for his coming suffering and death, depicting it as an overwhelming immersion he must undergo. This follows Old Testament imagery where waters symbolize judgment and trial, pointing to the cross as his destined ordeal. The Greek word for 'straitened' conveys being pressed or constrained, revealing Jesus' intense emotional burden as he anticipates his passion. His exclamation shows both the weight of his mission and his resolute determination to complete the redemptive work set before him.