The Feast day of the Baptism of the Lord
“It is I who need baptism from you, said John, and yet you come to me.” After the infancy narratives the events move forward to the start of Jesus’ public ministry. John the Baptist has begun his mission to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’ and now calls Israel to repent and be baptised at the River Jordan.
Now Jesus having travelled from Galilee, joins the crowd of repentant sinners to be baptised. John acknowledges his lesser role in relation to Christ since John’s baptism is only by water for repentance. John sees himself needing to be baptised by Jesus, the One who will ‘Baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire.’
But why did Jesus have to be baptised at all? He was sinless and had nothing to repent. Nevertheless, at the beginning of his public ministry Jesus demonstrates his unity with sinful Israel by going into the same waters as the repentant crowd. In this way Jesus shows that he has come to unite himself with sinners, and by doing so, he foreshadows how he will bear the sins of humanity at the climax of his mission on the cross.
So, Jesus being baptised by John becomes the occasion for his anointing as the Messiah-king and the confirmation of his Divine Sonship. Jesus was being commissioned as a prophet like Ezekial of old, to the people of Israel. The heavenly world being revealed to those on earth, God is now revealing who Jesus is.
So far in the Gospel, an angel, the Magi, and John the Baptist have confirmed Christ’s identity and mission. Now the heavens are opened and we encounter God’s own voice revealing who Jesus is by saying: ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’
The Holy Spirit descending like a dove recalls Noah’s dove that signalled the end of the flood, and the beginning of the new world.
It also recalls Genesis chapter one, when the Spirit of God came hovering over the waters like a bird. With both these images in mind St. Matthew is pointing out that the event of Jesus’ baptism at the beginning of his public ministry, marks the beginning of a new world, a new creation, whereby he will redeem all of humanity.
There is a lot to take in, from this relatively short Gospel passage, Jesus allows himself to be numbered among sinners, since he is already ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world’. Through his Baptism, he is already anticipating the baptism of his passion and death.
Today’s feast reminds us of our own baptism, an important date to remember and celebrate. It is a time of special importance because it marks our own spiritual birth in Christ Jesus, the beginning of the Lord reaching down and touching our lives, claiming us for his own adopted Children. We are now part of God’s family, free from original sin and can call God ‘Abba Father’. Obviously, being a member of God’s family involves obligations and responsibilities in which we should take seriously, in order to lead good holy lives.
By our Baptism we are invited to answer God’s call to be holy, since it is everybody’s vocation to become ‘Saints’ in Heaven.
So, let us follow Jesus, by being a committed follower, spreading the Good News, and leading a life full of Happiness, Love, and Peace, as we celebrate today the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rev. Fr Philip Wrigley's Blog 