The feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Nativity of Jesus. To truly understand this feast, we need to look at what baptism meant in late Judaism. Before Jesus was baptized, John the Baptist preached and practiced a “baptism of repentance.” His reaction to the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism was surprising. He said, “You brood of vipers. Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” (Cfr Matthew 3:7-8). How did baptism come to represent purification and repentance in John’s time? It’s important to explore this before we look at the Baptism of Jesus.
During the Second Temple period in Judaism (516 BC to AD 70), ritual washing had a clear religious purpose. The Law of Moses required these washings for people who became ritually unclean, as seen in Leviticus 14-15 and Numbers 19. These rituals did not remove moral guilt but restored ritual purity, allowing people to rejoin the worship community. Water was a symbol of cleansing as commanded by God.
Outside the Temple, Judaism also practiced immersion rituals. The mikveh,
a ritual bath, was used for purification after impurity and before important
religious events. Converts to Judaism would immerse themselves as part of
joining the covenant community. This act marked a clear change in status,
showing a break from the old life and the start of a new religious identity.
At Qumran, among the Essenes (from the mid-second century BC to the late first century AD), ritual immersion had a stronger moral meaning. Their Community Rule connected immersion with repentance and following the Law of Moses. Water alone was not enough if the heart was not changed. Moral conversion and ritual washing went hand in hand. This background helps us understand John the Baptist’s words.
John’s baptism should be seen in this Jewish context, but it also brings something new. He baptizes people only once, not many times, and offers it to both Jews and converts. Matthew 3:7-8 tells us that “many Pharisees and Sadducees came to John to be baptized.” John connects his baptism directly to repentance, warning of coming divine judgment. He calls for real change, not just an outward act. Baptism is not a “magic gesture.” Instead, it invites people to use their free will and strength to live out what they have received. Baptism is a prophetic sign, showing that Israel must get ready for God’s action.
John does not say that his baptism saves people. He sees it as a preparation. He points to someone greater who will come after him. John’s baptism uses water, but the one who comes will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. This shows a shift from a symbolic act to true divine action.
Baptism of Jesus: To Fulfill all Righteousness. When Jesus came to John for baptism, John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” John saw the paradox: the Holy One, without sin or even “original sin,” was coming for baptism. John may have wondered, “What would the Holy One need to repent of?” Jesus answered, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
What does Jesus’ baptism mean? By being baptized, Jesus, who is without sin, shows us that he has fully entered into our humanity. He takes on our human nature, wounded by sin, and immerses it in water to renew and transform it into a new creation. Paul talks about this “new creation” in Romans 6:3: “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. Therefore, we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” What we lost through Adam and Eve’s disobedience has been restored by Jesus’ obedience.
Rediscovering divine filiation: At Jesus’ baptism, the Father’s voice was heard saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved. With whom I am well pleased.” The Father calls Jesus his “Beloved Son,” and at the transfiguration, he adds, “Listen to Him.” Through his baptism, Jesus gives us back our “divine filiation.” Filled with the Spirit in baptism, we too can call God “Abba, Papa.” Living our lives as a journey to discover and deepen this identity leads us to true fulfillment. This is very important.
During the Nativity feast in 2025, while reflecting, I realized for the first time that the Nativity is like a “Love Letter God the Father has written to us.” Listening to Jesus and getting to know him as the “Beloved Son” helps us become closer to him and his Word. The more we know him, the more we love him and want others to know and love him too. Today, many voices claim to know religious truth. Some even try to change the “Gospel” to suit their own interests, but they only deceive themselves and others.
Baptism of the Lord: A Call to Renewal. Celebrating Jesus’ baptism today means letting ourselves be renewed in our own baptism. We are invited to let “baptismal grace” produce lasting fruit in our lives. This is only possible with the “indwelling of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit helps us align our freedom and will with God’s will. Let us welcome the Spirit within us and let his quiet presence guide us. Only when we are changed by the Spirit’s power can we weaken the old nature, which is sin. If we keep feeding our old nature with sin and selfishness, the new creation from baptism will stay inactive.
As we finish the Nativity season and get ready for the next part of the liturgical year, let’s listen to God’s call to follow Jesus, our guide and source of inspiration. In the baptism of Jesus, we contemplate how God saved our human nature wounded by sin. It is this very act of Christ’s baptism that makes us “capax Dei,” able to receive God, his revelation, and his Word in our lives
Let
us pray:
Heavenly
Father,
As
we contemplate the Baptism of your Beloved Son, renew in us the grace of our
own baptism. Help us to listen to your voice, follow your Spirit, and walk in
the newness of life Christ has won for us. May we grow each day in our identity
as your children, strengthened by the Holy Spirit to bear lasting fruit.
Transform our hearts, that we may live in your love and share it with the
world.
Amen.🙏🙏🙏
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