BAPTISM OF CHRIST 11 01 2026
FIRST READING: Isaiah 42.1-9
NEW TESTAMENT READING: Acts 10.34-43
GOSPEL Matthew 3.13-end
Today, we are celebrating a glorious event, the Baptism of Jesus. Jesus was not baptised as a child. We do not have any information about his life till he was about 30 years of age.
In the wilderness around Jordon, John the Baptist was thundering with the word of God, calling people to repentance. John was considered as a fore runner of Jesus and his work was to prepare the ground for Jesus to begin his ministry. While John was preaching in the wilderness, people from all walks of life came to listen to John. John was not only calling people to repentance; he also baptised people in the river Jordon.
John did not invent baptism, he used a Jewish purification ritual to help people mark a new beginning in their lives. People responded to his call to repent and John used Baptism to outwardly participate in this ritual to tell themselves they are going to be a changed person and do that publicly that they are going to be a new person, leaving their old way of life and begin a new life.
As this was happening, John the Baptist himself did not expect Jesus to line up along with other sinners to be Baptised. Jesus was sinless and there was no need for a baptism. Jesus’ nature was holy. Yet he was standing along with all kinds of repenting sinners. Here was Jesus standing in solidarity with sinners as they made a decision to leave their old ways and turn to God.
As Jesus came out of the water there was a great affirmation from the heavens, ‘this is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased. This in fact marked the beginning of his ministry. He identifies fully with the sinful humanity, He publicly marks a new phase in his life as he chooses to get baptised. For John the Baptist and others who knew Jesus it must have been a special event as God affirms that Jesus is the son of God in whom he is well pleased.
The Baptism of Jesus was an occasion where God affirms that he is Gods beloved son and it is a proclamation to the world that he is the Son of God. This is the affirmation and the proclamation that marked the beginning of Jesus’ glorious ministry.
The baptism of Jesus prompts us to remember our own baptism. Perhaps most of us would have been quite young when we were baptised. This service gives us an opportunity to remind ourselves of our baptism. On the day of our baptism, we were blessed in the Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
We need to remember our baptism all the time because it is a reminder that we have been clothed with Christ and Holy Spirit dwells in us. And more specially we are a child of God.