The Commitment of Baptism

According to Fr. Bernard Haring, C.Ss.R. in his book "Priesthood Imperiled" the Baptism of Jesus by John at the river Jordan is essential to understanding Jesus, his mission and consequently the mission of all who follow him. When Jesus at about the age of 30 felt the call of the Father to become active as the chosen one he went to John the Baptist for baptism. Looking around him at that time Jesus saw a culture steeped in sin. This was expressed in egotism shown in the pursuit of power, possessions and prestige. The only person he found who seemed to see through this culture was John the Baptist. He proclaimed a message of powerlessness, simplicity and humility.

John knew exactly who he was and did not seem to need to be anything more or less than that. "When a feeling of expectance began to grow among the people who were beginning to think that John may be the Christ, he declared openly before them all. 'I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals.'" In another place he said, "I must decrease and HE must increase." "I am not the Messiah but I have come to prepare the way for him." From this secure self-identity he could say who he was, send his followers to go with Christ, and tell others what they should be.

In lining up for baptism by John like a sinner, Jesus set aside all exemption for himself. He also lined up with someone who would be martyred for his convictions. Jesus would also die for his convictions. This was a commitment to a nonviolent struggle that would win salvation for all. While this commitment was horrific it also had its consolation.

The Jordan scene was also one in which the threefold presence of God was manifested. The Spirit was seen in the form of a dove and the Son was affirmed by the Father. A voice was heard from heaven saying, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." The human Jesus needed this affirmation. God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son. This son would, however, reverse the conventional way of doing things. Instead of using power to destroy his enemies, he would become powerless like John and allow his enemies to apparently destroy him.
In the first three centuries of the Church baptism, and much more ordination to a leadership role, was a very serious commitment. Leadership in the Church was an almost certain passport to martyrdom in the tradition of John and Jesus. Christianity was inexorably set in opposition to the values of the world and to the human leaders who espoused those values. Christians were a thorn in the side to those authorities who often had them cleansed from the ranks of society through cruel deaths.

In the fourth century when Constantine was crowned Emperor by the Bishop of Rome, drastic changes took place. While the Church was freed from bloody persecution it soon became evident that following the Suffering Servant would become more difficult. Priests and Bishops became friends and partners of Kings and Princes. In the quest to promote the Church the civil authorities built churches and bishop's palaces. They bestowed pretentious titles like "Prince-Archbishop," "Your Grace," "Honorary Prelate." In this way the Church gained power and prestige but lost its prophetic freedom.

Today we are still victims of this situation. Even in our prayer we are often courting power, prestige or possessions for ourselves or for our families and institutions - extensions of our selves. We need a prayer that helps us to let go of all grasping.
Christian meditation calls us to the simplicity of saying a prayer word for twenty to thirty minutes every morning and evening. This is a time when we let go of all self seeking and try to be still and present to God and his radical call. It is a renewal of the Baptism in which we committed ourselves to Follow Jesus and the call of the Father no matter what the cost. This may not bring human approval but it brings us to an integrating inner peace.

Points to Ponder

A key to understanding and appreciating the core sacrament in the Christian tradition is to realize that Jesus accepted the central ritual traditions of his own Jewish people and gave them a new meaning and a profoundly deeper reality.

The more obvious one was when he used the Passover feast to give his disciples the gift of his body and blood and he continues that gift for us in the transformed Passover which we call the eucharist or the Mass.

In his time also, a common ritual for expressing sorrow for sin and conversion to God was to be immersed in the waters of the Jordan. To be baptized meant simply to be immersed. However, when Jesus sent the disciples to preach to all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, he was empowering them to do much more. They were enabled to bring all who were baptized into the familial, personal relationship with God which we call grace.

Obviously, this was not what happened when Jesus was baptized by John. Jesus did not need conversion as he already and always shared fully in the divine nature with the Father and the Spirit. What happened at the Jordan in the that day was that Jesus identified with the human race of which we truly a member and undertook to take our sins away by commitment to Father's will. The veil on his divinity was lifted briefly and his role as beloved Son was glimpse as the Spirit was revealed in a new in a person of Jesus. This is our faith.

Today is a reminder tht by our baptism we are privileged children of the father, touched by the Spirit, who are always in need of continuing conversion through the power and the love of God.

Commentaries on the Gospel

The baptismal rite made popular by John signified a public acknowledgement that marked the beginning of a way to justice while awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Jesus, who was one of the many, joined the people’s movement by adhering to John’s message. His baptism would be the starting point of his life of service to the people.

Since then, Jesus, as a true human, began to understand what God expected of him, by way of his contact with his people, and his various experiences. He grew in age, according to the biological process that we all undergo. He grew in wisdom: by opening up to the Lord and to others, and he came to realize his mission. He grew in grace: Remaining faithful to God strengthened his commitment to service, to the point of giving up his own life. This whole process is, in a way, highlighted in the gospel narration at the time of Jesus’ baptism during which he, having been aware of the character and message of John, would undergo a decisive inner experience of faith.

Sometimes, during intense moments of our lives, we ask ourselves, in a very special way, what we ought to do, what our vocation and responsibility is. These are moments when we are touched by the pain and injustice around us; and with our strength, we share something in the hope; that things may change. This is the time when we certainly experience the guiding hand of God leading this world toward a future full of hope, making us realize that all men and women in our midst are brothers and sisters. This is the moment when reality “speaks” to us, and we become so enlightened as to understand its meaning. It is not easy to explain or translate these experiences into words. And this was how Jesus felt when he was baptized in the River Jordan.

In order to describe this inner experience and appreciate the significance of this moment in Jesus’ life, the writers of the gospel had to resort to external symbolism. The heavens open: this means that God is near Jesus.

A dove descends: something new is going to happen, and like the Spirit hovering over the waters on the first day of creation, now it is flapping its wings over Jesus, the new human. Then God’s voice is heard, choosing Jesus as his beloved Son... All this notwithstanding, we are not to forget that Jesus’ commitment, all through his life, was marked by simplicity and humility, without grandeur. It is through humility that the Lord wished to reveal Himself.

Baptism among Christians is not intended for salvation; it is rather an initiation similar to what Jesus underwent. The Christian baptism is a rite in which one breaks away from sin, (rejecting Satan and his works) as witnessed by the community, and it adheres to the Good News of Jesus by means of the baptized person’s commitment to put into life the new values taught in the gospel.

The early Christians who lived in Israel were baptized by submerging themselves in the waters of the Jordan river. In other places, the people would take a bath in the river or in the pond. Through the centuries, this custom has vanished and nowadays, only a small amount of water is poured on the head of the new Christian. The Orthodox Christians and other groups still practice baptism by immersion.