Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. One of the most frequently asked questions is why did Jesus have to be baptized since he was God? I think that that question comes from a place of a primary understanding of baptism as the sacrament that removes original sin; clearly a central tenant of the theology of the Sacrament of Baptism. But prior to Vatican 2, it was the core understanding of baptism.
But in Vatican II, theologically speaking, a much deeper dive was done into the history and the historical theological breadth of the sacrament of baptism. In addition to the concept of the removal of the ancient stain of original sin, one of the jewels that became a centerpiece of the post Vatican II theology of baptism was a refocusing on baptism as the sacrament of initiation into the community of believers and discipleship of Jesus Christ. So not only is one washed clean from original sin and made a new creation, but one is brought into the Body of Christ and made a disciple of Jesus!
So, back to the question of why did Jesus receive baptism from John? Many scripture scholars agree that it served as a moment to mark his entry into his public ministry. In a way it was a moment of John the Baptist presenting Jesus to the crowds as the long awaited Mesiah, and John testifies that Jesus is the Son of God.
And in allowing himself to be baptized, like all of those who had rushed out to the Jordan to be baptized, Jesus aligns himself with humanity in all of its brokenness, even though he is Divine.
Many scholars will point out that since John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for one’s sins, and since Jesus was sinless, what did this baptism of repentance then mean? It meant that Jesus was showing his willingness to take on our sins…perhaps a foreshadowing of the cross, where he would open wide his arms and surrender himself for the salvation of the world.
So as we consider the powerful message and meaning behind the baptism of the Lord, what does our baptism mean for us and how we live out our daily lives? The truth is that my baptism has made me a new creation, joined me to the Body of Christ and made me a disciple of Jesus Christ! So that means that having been baptized I have been named and called to live a very specific way of life, which Jesus has carefully laid out for us in his words and action handed down to us in the Gospels.
He commanded us to love one another as he has loved us. He commanded us to welcome the stranger, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and give water to the thirsty. He commanded us as his disciples to visit the sick and the imprisoned. He called us to be good Samaritans, to care for the injured and the needy. These weren’t suggestion…Jesus tells us that when we do these things to the least of our sisters and brothers, we do them to him! And when we fail to do them to the least of our sisters and brothers, we fail to do them to him.
It seems like many baptized Christians in our nation and certainly many of our elected political leaders have missed this part of our baptismal call to discipleship and to living out our membership in the Body of Christ! When we make budget cuts that take food away from the hungry, we take food away from Christ himself -- his very words!
When we make healthcare unavailable and unaffordable for the most vulnerable, we do the same to Christ! When we fail to house the unhoused, we fail to house Christ. When we reject the stranger, we reject Christ himself!
Jesus’ words and actions had consequences; our words and actions have consequences.
Jesus’ call for actions of loving and caring for the other, they are the actions which will decide the division of the sheep from the goats, in the final judgement. This is how critical Jesus saw it was to live our discipleship following in his footsteps: loving as he loved, embracing the stranger and the outcast as he did, eating and sharing time with those society marginalizes, embracing them as sister and brother, being open to encountering the divine that dwells within them, and thus, having our own encounter with God.
Let us pray that filled with the Holy Spirit we may continue to boldly live out our discipleship each day, and to continue to stand up for and with those most in need, in our families, in our community, in our nation and in the world.
Blessings in the New Year,
Fr. Tim
But in Vatican II, theologically speaking, a much deeper dive was done into the history and the historical theological breadth of the sacrament of baptism. In addition to the concept of the removal of the ancient stain of original sin, one of the jewels that became a centerpiece of the post Vatican II theology of baptism was a refocusing on baptism as the sacrament of initiation into the community of believers and discipleship of Jesus Christ. So not only is one washed clean from original sin and made a new creation, but one is brought into the Body of Christ and made a disciple of Jesus!
So, back to the question of why did Jesus receive baptism from John? Many scripture scholars agree that it served as a moment to mark his entry into his public ministry. In a way it was a moment of John the Baptist presenting Jesus to the crowds as the long awaited Mesiah, and John testifies that Jesus is the Son of God.
And in allowing himself to be baptized, like all of those who had rushed out to the Jordan to be baptized, Jesus aligns himself with humanity in all of its brokenness, even though he is Divine.
Many scholars will point out that since John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for one’s sins, and since Jesus was sinless, what did this baptism of repentance then mean? It meant that Jesus was showing his willingness to take on our sins…perhaps a foreshadowing of the cross, where he would open wide his arms and surrender himself for the salvation of the world.
So as we consider the powerful message and meaning behind the baptism of the Lord, what does our baptism mean for us and how we live out our daily lives? The truth is that my baptism has made me a new creation, joined me to the Body of Christ and made me a disciple of Jesus Christ! So that means that having been baptized I have been named and called to live a very specific way of life, which Jesus has carefully laid out for us in his words and action handed down to us in the Gospels.
He commanded us to love one another as he has loved us. He commanded us to welcome the stranger, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and give water to the thirsty. He commanded us as his disciples to visit the sick and the imprisoned. He called us to be good Samaritans, to care for the injured and the needy. These weren’t suggestion…Jesus tells us that when we do these things to the least of our sisters and brothers, we do them to him! And when we fail to do them to the least of our sisters and brothers, we fail to do them to him.
It seems like many baptized Christians in our nation and certainly many of our elected political leaders have missed this part of our baptismal call to discipleship and to living out our membership in the Body of Christ! When we make budget cuts that take food away from the hungry, we take food away from Christ himself -- his very words!
When we make healthcare unavailable and unaffordable for the most vulnerable, we do the same to Christ! When we fail to house the unhoused, we fail to house Christ. When we reject the stranger, we reject Christ himself!
Jesus’ words and actions had consequences; our words and actions have consequences.
Jesus’ call for actions of loving and caring for the other, they are the actions which will decide the division of the sheep from the goats, in the final judgement. This is how critical Jesus saw it was to live our discipleship following in his footsteps: loving as he loved, embracing the stranger and the outcast as he did, eating and sharing time with those society marginalizes, embracing them as sister and brother, being open to encountering the divine that dwells within them, and thus, having our own encounter with God.
Let us pray that filled with the Holy Spirit we may continue to boldly live out our discipleship each day, and to continue to stand up for and with those most in need, in our families, in our community, in our nation and in the world.
Blessings in the New Year,
Fr. Tim
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