why was jesus baptized?
Why are we baptized? We are baptized for three reasons. First, we are baptized so that we will become sons and daughters of God, our baptism makes us participate in the new life won for us by Christ who by his death and resurrection has made us sons and daughters of the Father. Second, we are baptized to cleanse us from our sins, to give us a fresh start, to rid us of sin which obstructs us from living fully our call as sons and daughters of God. And thirdly, we are baptized in order to incorporate us into the family of God, to become members of the church. Baptism marks our entry into the community of God.
So why did Jesus asked to be baptized? What is the reason why Jesus asked for the baptism of John? He could not be baptized for the first reason – so that he will become a son of God? He is already the Son of God, in fact he is the beloved Son of the Father. He could not be baptized for the second reason either. Jesus after all was sinless – he is God. In fact during Christmas we say in prayer that Jesus was a man like us in all things but sin. So he could not be baptized to be cleansed from sin.
So why was Jesus baptized? Jesus was baptized because of the third reason. He was baptized to mark his entry into God’s people, his entry into community. By accepting baptism Jesus in effect is telling us that he is one with us, that he wants to share our lives, and that he wants us to share in his life.
Two important things should be noted here.
First, Jesus wants to share our lives. He indentified himself with us, with everything that is in us. He is telling us that he is one with us in our struggles, in our triumphs, in our pain and in our joy, in our failures and in our successes. He is one with us. He shares our dreams, he shares our aspirations and hopes.
One of the things that made me survive my struggle with the daily pain of arthritis was this thought. My experience with Jesus was not found in healing because I never did receive any miraculous healing, but it lies in the thought, it rests in the belief that I am not alone in my pain and suffering. Jesus was a constant companion.
Permit me to share with you my own experience of the accompaniment of Jesus in a situation of suffering when some people would have thought only of God’s absence in their lives. This is what I wrote then:
In these times of helplessness I believe in a God who cried with me whenever I cried in my pain. I believe in a God who shouted in anger whenever I shout in anger because of my disability. I believe in a God who cuddled me to sleep when I was too tired, too sick, too frustrated with my life. I believe in a God who suffered with me, who shared my joys, my pain, my concerns even though how petty they may be. I believe in a God who became my crutches and support whenever I stumble and fall, and could no longer bear to walk in discouragement. I believe in a God who does not want me to suffer. I believe in a God who permitted himself to suffer and die so that I will not suffer and die in the pains of hell. I believe in a God who loves me so much, who accepts me as I am with all my sins, with all my failures, with all my emptiness.
I believe that Jesus came to live among us, and for me this is the meaning of the incarnation. Jesus did not remain in our cute belens. He was born there but from there he came into our lives, he lived our lives, he lived among us. This reality of the incarnation is made clear to us in his baptism when he identified himself with the people lining up to be cleansed, he joined their line, he joined the pila of people who waited and prepared for the messiah with the their aspirations and dreams which that messiah would fulfil. That is Jesus and that is our first prayer for this day – to feel and experience Jesus as companion, to feel and experience the accompaniment of Jesus in our lives.
The second note: Jesus after sharing our lives wants us also to share in his life. By accepting baptism Jesus wants us to share in his life. Sometimes we forget this. Sometimes we just want him to participate in our life and we just want it to remain that way. We are a capitalist by nature – using Jesus for our own ends. And so we pray endlessly for his miracles, for the things he will do for us that will be advantageous to us. But Jesus did just come to liberate us, period. He came rather to liberate us for something, that like him we could live as true sons and daughters of the Father. Jesus did not come just to join us in the mire and mud of our existence. Rather he came down to us so that he can pull us up, or should I rather say, to help us pull ourselves out. He indentified himself with us, so that we can identify ourselves with him. In other words that we may become like him, like him in his love, in his concern, in his dedication, in his forgiveness, in his compassion, in his passion for God and those in need. I believe it is truly unfair that Jesus would have to undergo all these difficulties of a God becoming man and end up treated merely like Santa Claus. The Baptism of the Lord widens the perspective of Christmas. His coming should not be taken just as one of those reasons to celebrate and be happy about. More than just a celebration and an occasion to be happy, his coming also challenges us, his identification challenges us to go beyond ourselves.
So why did Jesus asked to be baptized? What is the reason why Jesus asked for the baptism of John? He could not be baptized for the first reason – so that he will become a son of God? He is already the Son of God, in fact he is the beloved Son of the Father. He could not be baptized for the second reason either. Jesus after all was sinless – he is God. In fact during Christmas we say in prayer that Jesus was a man like us in all things but sin. So he could not be baptized to be cleansed from sin.
So why was Jesus baptized? Jesus was baptized because of the third reason. He was baptized to mark his entry into God’s people, his entry into community. By accepting baptism Jesus in effect is telling us that he is one with us, that he wants to share our lives, and that he wants us to share in his life.
Two important things should be noted here.
First, Jesus wants to share our lives. He indentified himself with us, with everything that is in us. He is telling us that he is one with us in our struggles, in our triumphs, in our pain and in our joy, in our failures and in our successes. He is one with us. He shares our dreams, he shares our aspirations and hopes.
One of the things that made me survive my struggle with the daily pain of arthritis was this thought. My experience with Jesus was not found in healing because I never did receive any miraculous healing, but it lies in the thought, it rests in the belief that I am not alone in my pain and suffering. Jesus was a constant companion.
Permit me to share with you my own experience of the accompaniment of Jesus in a situation of suffering when some people would have thought only of God’s absence in their lives. This is what I wrote then:
In these times of helplessness I believe in a God who cried with me whenever I cried in my pain. I believe in a God who shouted in anger whenever I shout in anger because of my disability. I believe in a God who cuddled me to sleep when I was too tired, too sick, too frustrated with my life. I believe in a God who suffered with me, who shared my joys, my pain, my concerns even though how petty they may be. I believe in a God who became my crutches and support whenever I stumble and fall, and could no longer bear to walk in discouragement. I believe in a God who does not want me to suffer. I believe in a God who permitted himself to suffer and die so that I will not suffer and die in the pains of hell. I believe in a God who loves me so much, who accepts me as I am with all my sins, with all my failures, with all my emptiness.
I believe that Jesus came to live among us, and for me this is the meaning of the incarnation. Jesus did not remain in our cute belens. He was born there but from there he came into our lives, he lived our lives, he lived among us. This reality of the incarnation is made clear to us in his baptism when he identified himself with the people lining up to be cleansed, he joined their line, he joined the pila of people who waited and prepared for the messiah with the their aspirations and dreams which that messiah would fulfil. That is Jesus and that is our first prayer for this day – to feel and experience Jesus as companion, to feel and experience the accompaniment of Jesus in our lives.
The second note: Jesus after sharing our lives wants us also to share in his life. By accepting baptism Jesus wants us to share in his life. Sometimes we forget this. Sometimes we just want him to participate in our life and we just want it to remain that way. We are a capitalist by nature – using Jesus for our own ends. And so we pray endlessly for his miracles, for the things he will do for us that will be advantageous to us. But Jesus did just come to liberate us, period. He came rather to liberate us for something, that like him we could live as true sons and daughters of the Father. Jesus did not come just to join us in the mire and mud of our existence. Rather he came down to us so that he can pull us up, or should I rather say, to help us pull ourselves out. He indentified himself with us, so that we can identify ourselves with him. In other words that we may become like him, like him in his love, in his concern, in his dedication, in his forgiveness, in his compassion, in his passion for God and those in need. I believe it is truly unfair that Jesus would have to undergo all these difficulties of a God becoming man and end up treated merely like Santa Claus. The Baptism of the Lord widens the perspective of Christmas. His coming should not be taken just as one of those reasons to celebrate and be happy about. More than just a celebration and an occasion to be happy, his coming also challenges us, his identification challenges us to go beyond ourselves.
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