New 1

Matthew 3:13-15

Our oldest child is now a senior in high school but I remember well his first day of school. It was a big production – giving him his first backpack, making certain he had nice clothes, getting up early, having a good breakfast, and of course the photos. What was the big deal? He was still our son and little had changed from that last day of summer to the first day of school. What was important was that he was beginning a very important part of his life, a new stage in his experience.

There are many interpretations of baptism. Some see the sacrament as a symbolic washing away of sins. Yet, in Matthew we have Jesus being baptized by John. What was John’s response? What did Jesus say?

It is obvious that Jesus did not need to have any sins removed through baptism. Jesus was and is the perfect Son of God, sinless and pure. Yet he was baptized.

At first John tries not to baptize Jesus because John obviously saw the rite as a cleansing and knew it was not necessary. But Jesus insists and it is done.

So, what was the purpose of this baptism? The ritual in this case was an anointing, a marking, a commemorating of a change in what is. Jesus was no different after the baptism than he was before, but the act marked the beginning of his ministry. He was stepping out into a new way, a different part of his life.

The baptism of Jesus was marking a time when things would be new for Jesus. He was no longer just the carpenter’s son. He was stepping into his role of Messiah.

We may not need to be baptized anew, physically and outwardly, but we may need to re-awaken our spirits and re-commit ourselves to the service of God. As the season of the year changes and we are faced with the dying of summer, let us allow our old ways to die and bring on a new way of obeying God. Let God create a new spirit and new attitude in you.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What old thinking our attitude do you need to wash away?