Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." (Luke 3.21-22 NRSV)
The question you posed last night over a glass of port is a worthy one: Why would Jesus, if he was truly the Son of God (and therefore lacking any original or actual sin) submit to John’s baptism in the Jordan?
You are quite correct that the critical historian would surmise that Jesus was a disciple of John and would have naturally submitted to his baptism and teaching, only beginning his own ministry of preaching and healing after John was arrested and the Jordan program had failed. Jesus’ message of nonviolent, inclusive, and collaborative participation in the kingdom of God would naturally contrast with John’s violent, apocalyptic visions.
But, why does it matter to a person of faith that Jesus was baptized?
As you know, Jesus’ baptism has always been a point of embarrassment for the church. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus appears at the Jordan, is baptized, receives the holy Spirit and is driven into the wilderness without delay. But by the time Matthew has written his gospel, we find John refusing to baptize Jesus and asserting that it is he (!) who must be baptized. Jesus insists this must be so to fulfill all righteousness. In Luke’s narrative, John’s arrest and imprisonment are mentioned before Jesus even appears at the river, and the baptismal scene is described passively without John’s explicit presence. In the gospel of John, Jesus isn’t even baptized. One can discern a distancing between Jesus and John the baptizer in the eyes of the early church.
Perhaps the answer as to the relevance of the matter lies in the theophany that occurs as Jesus rises from the water—the heavens rip open, the spirit descends as a dove, and a voice declares Jesus God’s beloved son, in whom God is well pleased.
This moment is more than a theophany: it is the intersection of the corporeal and the divine. The incarnate Jesus is revealed to be both truly human (submitting to baptism) and truly divine (God’s son). At this moment, at least, heaven and earth become one.
If we take the incarnation seriously, that Jesus was indeed truly human, we find the relevance all the more apparent. For when we fragile, fallen, and fleshly humans are baptized, the heavens rip open, the spirit descends as a dove, and a voice declares that we are God’s beloved children, in whom God is well pleased.
Baptism is many things: a symbolic washing of sin, a means of God’s grace, a death and resurrection, an initiation into the community of God. But we must also remember that God’s declaration, when applied to Jesus the man at this baptism, also applies to us.
You too are God’s child—beloved and well pleasing. Perhaps that is why Jesus was baptized.
I remain sincerely yours,
S.H.