My Dear People,

This scene marks the beginning of Jesus’ public life. Having traveled from Galilee, Jesus joins the crowd of repentant sinners to be baptized by John at the Jordan.

While Mark and Luke also narrate this event, only Matthew records the interchange between John and Jesus that precedes Christ’s baptism (3:14-15). John objects to Jesus being baptized, saying “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” John acknowledges his subordinate role in relation to Christ—something he already spoke of in 3:11. If John’s baptism is only “with water” and “for repentance”, John views himself as needing to be baptized by the one who “will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  Understandably, John—who views himself merely as the forerunner—is uncomfortable with the strange reversal of roles in which the one who is “mightier than he” joins the sinners at the Jordan River and submits to his preparatory baptism of repentance.

Nevertheless, Jesus tells John, “Allow it for now.” Although this appears to be an inversion of their proper roles, it should be permitted, Jesus explains, because “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” In Matthew’s Gospel, the word righteousness often refers to the proper moral conduct of the Christian disciple being obedient to God’s will, but it also can refer to God’s saving plan. Both meanings may be intended here since Jesus speaks of fulfilling all righteousness. The word fulfill is used sixteen times in Matthews’s Gospel and in almost every case it refers to the fulfillment of Scripture. Thus, Jesus being baptized by John is fitting not simply because it is God’s will for this instance, but because it also fulfills an aspect of God’s saving plan. As we will see, Christ’s baptism becomes the occasion for his anointing as the Messiah-king and the confirmation of his divine sonship (3:16-17).

After Jesus is baptized, Matthew reports a heavenly vision and a heavenly voice.  This revelatory event at the Jordan River recalls the commissioning of the prophet Ezekiel by the river Chebar. Like   Jesus, Ezekiel came in a time of suffering for God’s people (Ezek. 1:1), and he, too, was beside a river when “the heavens opened” and he saw a heavenly vision, heard the voice of God, and received the spirit (Ezek. 1:1; 2:1-2). Jesus, like Ezekiel of old, is being commissioned as a prophet to Israel in a new period of crisis.

Matthew first notes that the heavens were opened. This phrase dramatically describes a unique revelation being given, as if the heavenly world were being unveiled to those on earth. Here, the phrase introduces God’s own direct revelation about Jesus. So far in Matthew’s Gospel, an angel, the magi and John the Baptist have confirmed Christ’s identity and mission. Now the heavens open, and we encounter God’s own, unmediated revelation about Jesus.

The vision itself consists of Jesus seeing the Spirit of God. . .coming upon him (3:16). This verse does not imply that this is Jesus’ first contact with the Spirit, for Matthew already highlighted that Jesus was conceived by Holy Spirit. Still this marks a pivotal moment in Christ’s life. The Spirit coming on Jesus represents his anointing as Israel’s Messiah. Indeed, the Spirit of the Lord sometimes came powerfully on the kings of Israel at the time of their anointing. Samuel told Saul that a sign of his being the anointed King of Israel would be the Spirit coming to him (1 Sam 10:6). When David was anointed king, “the spirt of the Lord rushed upon David” (1 Sam 16:13). Similarly, it was expected of the future royal son of David that “the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him” (Isa 11:2; see Isa. 61:1). Therefore, readers of Matthew’s Gospel are to see the Spirit coming on Jesus as an anointing that formally inaugurates his messianic mission. Peter in Acts 10:38 describes Jesus’ baptism as an anointing with the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit descending like a dove recalls Noah’s dove that signaled the end of the flood and the beginning of the new world. It also recalls the Spirit of God over the waters of creation in Gen. 1:2, where the Hebrew text describes the Spirit as “hovering” or “fluttering” over the waters like a bird. With these images from Genesis in the background, Matthew suggests that this event at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry—his ministry whereby he will redeem humanity—marks the beginning of a new world, a new creation.

The voice from the heavens is God’s voice (Gen 15:4; Deut 4:36; Dan 4:31), which reveals Christ’s divine sonship: “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” These solemn words contain several Old Testament allusions that shed light on Christ’s identity and mission.

First, the Father’s voice echoes Isa 42:1—the first verse of a series of “songs” about a figure called the Lord’s servant in Isa 42-53. This servant will restore Israel and bring salvation to the ends of the earth, accomplishing this through suffering as he offers his life for sin. Isaiah foretold that God would be pleased with his servant and would put his Spirit upon him: Here is my servant whom I uphold, upon whom I have put my spirit. (Isa 42:1).

With the Spirit descending on Jesus and God speaking of him as the one “with whom I am well pleased,” Jesus is clearly revealed as the servant foretold by Isaiah.

Second, the “beloved son” recalls Isaac, the only individual person described as a beloved son in the Old Testament (Gen 22:2 LXX). Isaac was to be offered as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah, (Gen 22:1-12; recognized as the temple mount in Jerusalem: 2 Cron 3:1) like the beloved son Jesus, who will be offered as a sacrifice for sin in Jerusalem.

A third allusion may be found in the echoing of Ps 2:7. In that royal psalm, God addressed the newly enthroned king, saying. “You are my son: this day I have begotten you.” Similarly, God proclaims Jesus as “my Son” at the beginning of his own kingly mission.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente