Matthew 3:13-17
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.16And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus was intentional about beginning his public ministry by coming to his cousin, John, to be baptized. This was a kind of ordination and unveiling for Jesus.
But why would Jesus be baptized? Why would he need a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins?" This is a question Christians have wrestled with since the first Gospels were written. Matthew raises the question for us by citing John's words to Jesus: "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?" (Matthew 3:14).
In choosing to be baptized, Jesus was identifying fully with humanity. He stood publicly with those who felt alienated from God and in need of Grace. He waded into the water with the broken, the guilty, and those who felt far from God. This was a foreshadowing of what he would do in his ministry, when he befriended sinners and tax collectors, and ultimately when he died on the cross.
I'm reminded of Joan Osborne's 1995 song, "One of Us," that famously asked, "What if God was one of us / Just a slob like one of us." When Jesus stepped into the Jordan River to be baptized, he was "just a slob like one of us." He was showing himself to be the "Son of Man," a phrase that appears eighty-one times in the Gospels to describe Jesus.
But even as Jesus showed himself to be the Son of Man, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended, and the heard the voice of God say, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). He was not only the Son of Man. He was the beloved Son of God.
Jesus was called "Beloved" by the father. The greek word is agapetos, and it is a term of great affection. I think of the love I have for my daughters and my wife, who are beloved to me. The apostles came to use the word as a way of addressing their fellow Christians. Again and again in the letters on the New Testament, the apostles addresse Christians as "Beloved." Who are they beloved by? They, and we, are beloved by God.
We believe that in our baptism God claims us as his beloved children, just as he did with Jesus, his only begotten Son. When we remember our baptisms, we remember our identity, and we remember that God has a deep affection for all of us. We are God's beloved children.
As you reflect upon Jesus' baptism, remember his humility in choosing to identify with broken and sinful people. Remember the Father's claim in his baptism, that Jesus was his beloved son. But pause for a moment to remember your own baptism. Know that God has claimed you as his beloved child.
Jesus, thank you for identifying with our human brokenness--that we might identify with your diving sonship. Help me to believe that I really am one of the Father's beloved.
Amen.
Adam Hamiliton, The Way-40 Days of Reflection
Jesus was intentional about beginning his public ministry by coming to his cousin, John, to be baptized. This was a kind of ordination and unveiling for Jesus.
But why would Jesus be baptized? Why would he need a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins?" This is a question Christians have wrestled with since the first Gospels were written. Matthew raises the question for us by citing John's words to Jesus: "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?" (Matthew 3:14).
In choosing to be baptized, Jesus was identifying fully with humanity. He stood publicly with those who felt alienated from God and in need of Grace. He waded into the water with the broken, the guilty, and those who felt far from God. This was a foreshadowing of what he would do in his ministry, when he befriended sinners and tax collectors, and ultimately when he died on the cross.
I'm reminded of Joan Osborne's 1995 song, "One of Us," that famously asked, "What if God was one of us / Just a slob like one of us." When Jesus stepped into the Jordan River to be baptized, he was "just a slob like one of us." He was showing himself to be the "Son of Man," a phrase that appears eighty-one times in the Gospels to describe Jesus.
But even as Jesus showed himself to be the Son of Man, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended, and the heard the voice of God say, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). He was not only the Son of Man. He was the beloved Son of God.
Jesus was called "Beloved" by the father. The greek word is agapetos, and it is a term of great affection. I think of the love I have for my daughters and my wife, who are beloved to me. The apostles came to use the word as a way of addressing their fellow Christians. Again and again in the letters on the New Testament, the apostles addresse Christians as "Beloved." Who are they beloved by? They, and we, are beloved by God.
We believe that in our baptism God claims us as his beloved children, just as he did with Jesus, his only begotten Son. When we remember our baptisms, we remember our identity, and we remember that God has a deep affection for all of us. We are God's beloved children.
As you reflect upon Jesus' baptism, remember his humility in choosing to identify with broken and sinful people. Remember the Father's claim in his baptism, that Jesus was his beloved son. But pause for a moment to remember your own baptism. Know that God has claimed you as his beloved child.
Jesus, thank you for identifying with our human brokenness--that we might identify with your diving sonship. Help me to believe that I really am one of the Father's beloved.
Amen.
Adam Hamiliton, The Way-40 Days of Reflection
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