It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
Jesus was baptized by John even though he had no need of a baptism of repentance. John knew it, and "would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"" But Jesus gave the somewhat mysterious reply, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (see Matthew 3:14-15).
Why did Jesus wish to be baptized? In what way was did it fulfill all righteousness? To us these may seem like obvious questions to ask. Yet we don't tend to ask why Jesus died on a cross, or in what way that was fitting to fulfill all righteousness. And there is a real sense in which these questions are asking the same thing. This is because the humility and abandonment to the Father that Jesus showed in his baptism was not just similar to that which he demonstrated on the cross, it was the same.
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (see Romans 6:3).
Entering the waters of baptism and entering the pit of Sheol are connected. These are torrents of destruction spoken of by the Psalmist (see Psalm 18:4).
The whole life of Jesus was characterized by this great act of self-surrender, because he "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (see Philippians 2:6-8).
Jesus did not go to the cross simply to perform some atonement economics by which we could receive a credit on our accounts that would pay the admission price to heaven. He did so in order that he himself could become the way through death to that far distant shore.
Why was Jesus baptized? Because by rising from the waters of baptism humanity became a new creation, drawn out of the waters of chaos, as the first creation once was, when, in Genesis, the Spirit hovered over the waters (see Genesis 1:2). Because by being baptized Jesus himself became the new ark which would carry all those who would unite themselves to him through the flood until the dove was ready to descend on a world made new (see Genesis 8:11). Because by passing through the waters Jesus opened the way for us to follow him in a new and definitive exodus, through the Red Sea (see Exodus 14), and through the Jordan (see Joshua 3 and 4).
In being baptized Jesus was not made holy by the water. Rather his descent into the water made the water holy. By his contact with the water he unsealed the font of baptism for the Church.
For, as we have said, when the Saviour was washed, then the water was cleansed for our baptism, that a laver might be ministered to the people who were to come.- Saint Ambrose
He tore the veil separating God and man (see Matthew 27:51 and Hebrews 10:20) such that baptism would now be a place where the Spirit would descend again and again on each individual who would enter those waters.
On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open
and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.
In baptism we receive the gift of faith. We believe "Jesus is the Christ" and so are "begotten by God", and enter into the relationship of love between the Father and the Son. In a real way we are all meant to hear the words of the Father spoken over us saying, "You are my beloved sons and daughters; with you I am well pleased."
The baptism of Jesus is not merely an example of humility. It is the beginning of the path and the possibility of true humility. It is not merely a symbol of death and new life. It itself is the source from which we "draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation."
All that might seem like a lot to say about past events that now seem to have little relevance to our lives at this moment in time. But our baptism never ceases to be relevant. It is a font of grace that, though we though we have received it, we have hardly begun to avail ourselves of the possibilities it contains. Though the seed of the new life has been planted in the baptized we need to keep turning back to the source, again and again, by faith and prayer and desire, to source of living waters which make us new, not just once, but all the way through life as we are united more and more to Jesus himself.
All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
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