The Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3: 11-17)
The story of the life of Jesus is told in the four Gospels of the New Testament. In many episodes, we can read about the many healings, exorcisms, teachings, and acts of forgiveness of Christ. But how did it all begin? The Bible says that Jesus, a then 30-year old carpenter from Nazareth, went to the Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. After His baptism, His entire life changed. Let us discover this essential episode of the life of the Son of God on earth.
The Baptism of Jesus
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
John the Baptist
Jesus talked about John the Baptism, saying: “truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11).
He also said: “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26), and for a good cause: John dedicated his life to serving others, and he cleared the path for Jesus by encouraging men to repent. The heart which pleases the Lord and brings us our greatness is the heart of a servant.
This Is My Son, Whom I Love
When Jesus stepped out of the water, the Father let everyone know how much He means to Him: He declares loud and clear that He is His son, He loves Him, and He is the source of His joy. A strong message, which lets us know that God does not look at our actions before loving us and declaring it to the world. Today, we can still hear the message of love of our Father in Heaven if we try to listen. The Bible is the love letter that God addresses to each of us.
