Who is Jesus? This is one of the question people asks every day. Matthew Gospel provides a clear answer: Jesus is the Son of God. How do we know that? Based on the Biblical revelation, His baptism by John on the Jordan River became the climax and the center of his identity. Since baptism itself intrinsically gave us the sense of the sacredness of our commitment, however, for Jesus, his baptism has taken a different stance in revealing his identity and his mission. At the baptism of Jesus, the divine love is revealed. Matthew understood clearly that the baptism that John offered was to be about commitment, revelation, and mission. In that aspect, today, the narrative of Jesus’ baptism is an excellent source for us since it reveals to us different aspects of Jesus’ personality.
Looking at the scenery around the baptism of Jesus, we can say that it was a public, prophetic, and royal anointing. The scenery of the baptism revealed to us Jesus’ mission, which is to be in solidarity with humankind in his quest for life. The sky opened, and contact between God and humans took a new step forward. This baptism reveals the presence of the Trinity. In this act of baptism, we have seen the Trinity break the silence to communicate with us. The Holy Spirit came upon him like a dove. That reminds me of the action of the Holy Spirit in the book of Genesis: “The Holy Spirit covers the water and gives life”. This is the same Spirit who comes upon Jesus in the Jordan River to give new life, I mean new creation. A bold statement has been made: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”. This is a call to trust the Lord. This call to trust came amid all the mistrust we are experiencing in our lives. How difficult it is today to trust. We are living in a culture of not trusting. However, these words from heaven invite us to trust Jesus with all our heart, with all our strength. Today, more than ever, we need to trust God since, through Jesus, he wants us to be part of something greater than we can imagine. As Fr. Thomas Keating said: “When you trust that we are part of something beautiful beyond our wildest imagination, you will find healing”.
Around Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, we underline a prophetic activity with all the scenes and symbols that have vehemently appeared. For this reason, we can say: “baptism is a call to a prophetic career”. How we live it out may vary from person to person. To be prophetic is to become involved and to get our hands and feet dirty. When we were baptized, we received the gift of the Holy Spirit and fire. Also, at that time, we said to the entire world in a loud voice that our life is now under God’s reign since we possess the divine love within us. Also, at that time, we were saying to the world that we are up to listen to the voice of Christ.
Brothers and sisters, when we listen to Jesus, we fill the void left by all the mess of our lives. When we listen to Jesus, we position ourselves safely and patiently to experience the changes we all seek in our lives, and our world begins within. When we listen to Jesus, we can easily have a disposition of the heart that leads us to love and respect one another. When we listen to Jesus, we need the calm and the silence of the heart that will help us reduce the toxicity of our environment, infiltrated by what we can call a game of opinion. When we listen, we become more present to the gentleness and the goodness of God, our Father. Remember, to listen is to trust wholeheartedly that we belong to God. In fact, that trust could be the only option we have to heal the wounds we have inflicted on the world.
