Over the centuries, people have wondered why, if Jesus was without sin, he needed to be baptized. I believe that question reveals a narrow view of what baptism means. For us, there is the element of being forgiven and offered a clean slate. But in this reading, the sacrament is much more about affirmation, identity, and vocation. In Matthew’s account, God is speaking to the crowd, introducing Jesus as the beloved Son, but in Mark and Luke, God speaks directly to Jesus. “You are my son, the beloved.” It is with this new understanding of who he is and what he is called to do that he begins his ministry.
In what way does your baptism inform your own sense of identity? What difference does God’s claim on your life make in the way you speak and act, in the way you respond to difficulties, in the way you view the world?
Today, offer a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s willingness to love you and to include you as one of God’s beloved.