JANUARY 6, 2018: THE BABTISM OF JESUS (MARK 1:7-11)

7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;[a] with you I am well pleased.”

REFLECTIONS:

YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON

On the one hand, John the Baptist announces someone coming after him who is mightier than he and who will baptize the people no longer with water as the prophet has been doing but with the Holy Spirit.
On the other hand, when Jesus comes, he does not act like the "mightier than i" of John's description but as one who humbly submits himself to John's Baptism, just like others who are sinners. Jesus is mighty, but he does not "show of" his might; he is the Master, but he serves; he is the Savior, but he allows himself to be crucified. And that is why a voice from the heavens is heard at Jesus' baptism, affirming the Father's love and pleasure over his Son. In life, people praise us for our achievements or strength or influence. Humility or obedience or submission is seen as a sign of weakness. But the latter is the path that Jesus chooses because, paradoxically, it is the way to lifer, to glory.

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