Jesus Baptism
Loving God overshadow me with your Holy Spirit.
Help my eyes, to see, my ears to hear, my mind to be
open and my soul to be receptive.
Speak to me through the scriptures and
enable me to find your truth within this reading.
READ Matthew 3:13-17 The Baptism of Jesus
REFLECTION
Humility
John recognised who Jesus was. As his cousin, he would have grown up knowing the destiny of Jesus and his own role within it. Jesus’ reply to John’s refusal to baptise him, shows his humility and his obedience to God’s will.
Humility was the mark of his mother, and she would have taught her son the importance of being humble. Remember her acquiescence to God when the Angel Gabriel informed her, she was to carry the Messiah. “Be it unto me according to your will.” As a mother it was Mary’s duty to teach her son about his faith and responsibility as a righteous person. We see that as he grew up under her tutelage, pride and status were never part of who he was.
As we read in Philippians 2
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
For Jesus to effectively bring about God’s mission he needed to identify fully with humanity with all their flaws.
With this act of humility at the very beginning of his ministry, God shows his approval and acknowledges him as his Son. The dove which descends above Jesus is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, a bringer of hope and peace. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was to bring hope to the world. This encounter was an affirmation to Jesus that he was on the right track. Doubt is a powerful tool of the devil. We often give up on our endeavours through lack of confidence. For some that lack is so profound they are always seeking affirmation. Forever questioning, “Am I doing the right thing? Am I good enough? What if I get it wrong? What if they don’t like me? Am I lovable?” Jesus too was prone to doubt, fast forward to the Garden of Gethsemane when he asked God to take the cup of pain away from him. He would also take himself away for quiet times on his own, no doubt checking in with God that he was still on the right path.
Questions
- When were you first aware of your belief in God? Remind yourself of the circumstances and how you felt when it happened. How did you respond?
- Have you made a commitment to God? If so when and how did you profess that commitment? In what form did this commitment take? Was it private or public? How have you maintained your commitment? Has it changed?
