The Baptism of Jesus

With recent heavy rains, and flood waters bursting across riverbanks to fill the fields (and for the more unfortunate, their homes), it is tempting to see only the destruction, and to forget that there is often a purpose hidden, amongst what seems like misfortune.
Flood waters from rivers used to be an essential part of agricultural cycles. While the rising waters could bring danger to life; the receding flood left behind a rich gift: precious nutrients to provide a new start, fresh ground to plant new crops; grazing lands made thick and lush for livestock to feed on.
The story of Noah, surviving when flooding swept across the whole earth on a cataclysmic scale, is not just about wrath and destruction; but about redemption and new beginnings, and a promise that creation will never again be totally destroyed.
God could have chosen earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes or blizzards to wipe all living creatures away, but the choice of water to purify was significant, because its symbolism became that of new beginnings – hence the use of water in the Sacrament of baptism.
Our own baptism is a symbolic washing away of the sins of mankind – only made possible through the sacrifice Jesus made for our sakes. But it is also an activation of the Holy Spirit – the living part of Jesus within us all – and a signal of commitment, to live our lives henceforth in obedience to God’s Will for us. It is the nourishment we need to be steadfast and righteous.
So why did Jesus ask John to baptise Him in the River Jordan? He was free of sin, and certainly not in need of repentance. Poised on the threshold of His adult ministry, the path that would lead in only one direction – to His persecution and death on the cross – His baptism could be seen as a sign of commitment to this next stage of active preaching and becoming the Messiah.
Jesus’s baptism was a public declaration that He was the one sent in fulfilment of the prophecies, those in the Old Testament, and of John the Baptist himself, who said – “the one who will come after me will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11)
But the simplest explanation for His baptism is the one Jesus gives us. He said to John – “For in this way we shall do all that God requires” (Matthew 3:15). It was His obedience to God’s will, and His commitment to follow the destiny God required of Him.
Immersed in the filthy waters of the River Jordan, surrounded by our polluting mortal sin, Jesus arose pure and untainted. For the Holy Spirit descended, and God declared: “This is my own dear Son, in whom I am pleased”. (Matthew 3:17) Jesus has sacrificed His own Spirit and Will, and is now the Lamb of God, ready to offer the ultimate sacrifice and save us all from our own sin.
From this moment of Jesus’s Baptism, we start the season of Lent, where our eyes turn towards the Easter destination of the cross. Surely Jesus’s thoughts were also on what was yet to come, as He stepped back out onto the banks of the Jordan, and prepared to set out towards Galilee. He had the nourishment He needed to be steadfast and righteous. Thanks be to God.

Let us pray:
Living Lord, let me feel the nourishment of the waters that pour forth from you. Ignite the Holy Spirit within me so that I can do your Will in all things. Amen