Why does Jesus
have to be baptized?
When Jesus comes from Galilee to be baptized by John at the Jordan, John the Baptist is understandably
confused: I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me? Jesus’ response in Matthew's Gospel is revelatory: Allow
it now, for thus is it fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. By submitting to John’s baptism by water,
Jesus is also submitting to God’s plan for the salvation of humanity by
embracing his own humanity, his human nature, which, though he is without sin
himself, is nonetheless a part of his identity.
Jesus is the human-divine person of the Trinity, whose other two persons are
also revealed at the moment Jesus is baptized:
the Spirit of God descends like a
dove and God the Father’s voice
is heard from the heavens, identifying
Jesus as his beloved Son, with whom
God is well pleased.
Jesus’ ministry,
which begins at this moment, has long been identified with the mission of the
suffering servant described in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, a servant with
whom God is also well pleased. This mission involves gentle justice and compassion – a bruised reed he shall not break, the
Lord says; it is to be a life of service dedicated to opening the eyes of the blind and bringing out prisoners from confinement. In this way, the baptism of the Lord is
another epiphany: this gentle servant
will be a light for the nations, and
also a king who, as Psalm 29 notes, will bless his people with peace.
Peter will recall
Jesus’ baptism in the Acts of the Apostles as the foundational moment of the
Messiah’s ministry of peace: You know the word God sent to the Israelites, as he proclaimed
peace through Jesus Christ, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John
preached. Moreover, anointed with the Holy Spirit, Jesus
fulfills to the letter the mission of the suffering servant, doing good and healing all those oppressed. By embracing his own humanity through
baptism, Jesus can better heal and serve that humanity, becoming a source of
righteousness, breaking down all barriers to right relationship with God, and thereby
offering a means to salvation for all.
What began as a puzzling dip into the Jordan makes sense only in the
context of Jesus’ ultimate mission of peace and redemption, and points to our
own role in that mission as Christians who are ourselves baptized priest, prophet and king. May we, too, then, be a light for the nations as we embrace lives of service and compassion
for all.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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