Ordinary Time

January 7, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

Water purification was practiced in Judaism before Jesus’s birth. Proselyte baptism was common. Beyond purification, it was also an act of dedicating one’s life to God. John, however, offered a baptism of repentance. He linked the rite to prepare for the coming Kingdom of God*. John’s hesitancy to baptize Jesus was also his recognition that Jesus was the source of the Kingdom of God. Purification and repentance carry the same connotation as we recognize we are not in alignment with God and need to correct our course.

For me, baptism was the beginning of my journey in service to God, which requires continuous self-examination and rededication to maintain my alignment with God.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for setting the example for our life with God and our commitment to fulfilling all righteousness. Amen.

*See The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible–Baptism

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.