DAY TWO – Thursday, March 3, 2022
Matthew 3:13-17
In this passage, Jesus is baptized by John. John was encouraging people to repent and become baptized. He was baptizing them with water in the Jordan River. Basically, turning away from their former lives and beginning a new relationship with God, or dying to the old self and rising up to new life.
Jesus came to John to be baptized. John was reluctant to baptize Jesus; he felt Jesus should baptize him and not the other way around. John was well aware of his inadequacies and knew who Jesus was. Jesus said, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” John did not argue but consented. So did John understand completely what Jesus meant?
There are a number of strange issues to address here. Why would Jesus repent since he was without sin? What did he mean by “to fulfill all righteousness”? I had to research this a little. “Righteousness” means to be in a right relationship with God. Jesus was already in a “right” relationship with God. I have read that Jesus was modelling for us. Jesus wanted to have a baptism to publicly show his commitment to God’s will for his life, and to show us the way for us to go. This act confirmed that Jesus was God’s chosen one. This was Jesus’ first public acknowledgement that he was God’s son. Jesus was showing his complete submission to God’s will. This is what we are required to do when we give our lives to God.
When Jesus came up out of the water, God sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove to descend upon Jesus. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to face and conquer the temptations in the wilderness, and gave him strength and vision for his ministry of healing and teaching. It led him to death on the cross. This is where his strength and direction came from. The Holy Spirit is also there for us and will lead us, motivate us, and strengthen us on our journey.
The United Church’s practice today is to baptize babies or children more than adults. The act of Confirmation practiced in the United Church comes closest to the significance of the baptism act of the Bible, I think. This closer look at the baptism of Jesus brings a deeper level of meaning to baptism/confirmation for me. If we repent and determine to start a new relationship with God, God gives us the Holy Spirit to go with us on our life’s journey. We too can say that we are beloved of God. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion and mentor/helper that gives us direction, strength, and courage for our journey. It brings meaning, depth and wholeness to our lives. What a powerful concept, that we too are given the Holy Spirit.
Lorraine Andrews
Matthew 3:13-17
In this passage, Jesus is baptized by John. John was encouraging people to repent and become baptized. He was baptizing them with water in the Jordan River. Basically, turning away from their former lives and beginning a new relationship with God, or dying to the old self and rising up to new life.
Jesus came to John to be baptized. John was reluctant to baptize Jesus; he felt Jesus should baptize him and not the other way around. John was well aware of his inadequacies and knew who Jesus was. Jesus said, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” John did not argue but consented. So did John understand completely what Jesus meant?
There are a number of strange issues to address here. Why would Jesus repent since he was without sin? What did he mean by “to fulfill all righteousness”? I had to research this a little. “Righteousness” means to be in a right relationship with God. Jesus was already in a “right” relationship with God. I have read that Jesus was modelling for us. Jesus wanted to have a baptism to publicly show his commitment to God’s will for his life, and to show us the way for us to go. This act confirmed that Jesus was God’s chosen one. This was Jesus’ first public acknowledgement that he was God’s son. Jesus was showing his complete submission to God’s will. This is what we are required to do when we give our lives to God.
When Jesus came up out of the water, God sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove to descend upon Jesus. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to face and conquer the temptations in the wilderness, and gave him strength and vision for his ministry of healing and teaching. It led him to death on the cross. This is where his strength and direction came from. The Holy Spirit is also there for us and will lead us, motivate us, and strengthen us on our journey.
The United Church’s practice today is to baptize babies or children more than adults. The act of Confirmation practiced in the United Church comes closest to the significance of the baptism act of the Bible, I think. This closer look at the baptism of Jesus brings a deeper level of meaning to baptism/confirmation for me. If we repent and determine to start a new relationship with God, God gives us the Holy Spirit to go with us on our life’s journey. We too can say that we are beloved of God. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion and mentor/helper that gives us direction, strength, and courage for our journey. It brings meaning, depth and wholeness to our lives. What a powerful concept, that we too are given the Holy Spirit.
Lorraine Andrews
