“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'” (Matthew 3:16-17)
The mission of John the Baptist was to prepare Israel for the Messiah. He proclaimed that this then was the time to repent of sin, to forsake living for self and turn one’s heart to God to serve Him alone. Now Jesus came to be baptized by John, not because he needed to repent. Jesus is sinless. He accepted John’s baptism as the sign of His dedication to God, and commitment to righteousness. As He said, He came to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus, in His baptism was identifying with all humanity, showing us that He is one with us. Jesus also was baptized to mark the start of His ministry to preach the gospel, to perform works of righteousness and power, to be our sacrifice for sin.
God the Father confirmed His mission and person with words that remind us of our own Baptism. Like Jesus, we who have declared our faith through Baptism are God’s beloved sons. He is well pleased with us as He is with Jesus, not because of our union with Christ. We die to sin and self in Baptism and rise to a life of righteousness empowered by His Holy Spirit. We ought to avail ourselves daily of His power in our struggle with sin so we do not stray from the light of His truth.
Perhaps we could use a prophet like John in these days of moral chaos and gross wickedness, someone who would call sinners to repentance and faith, including those in high places in government and society who claim to dictate morality to the rest of us, a morality marked by sinful disrespect to the Word of the Lord. And we, His Church, are that prophet. We are called to preach the gospel of faith and repentance with boldness, to confront sin wherever we see it even though it mean we offend others who want to feel at ease in their wicked lifestyles. We are called to extend God’s mercy and forgiveness to all now before it is too late.