The Significance of the Baptism of Jesus in the Gospels - Essay Example

The Significance of the Baptism of Jesus in the Gospels Introduction There has been an argument with regard to why Jesus had to be baptized, yet it is known that baptism is a sacrament for forgiveness of sin. So why did Jesus need to be baptized even though he did not have sin, either the original sin or any committed sin? There have been many explanations and this question has fascinated many, both accomplished theologians and even ordinary believers and even skeptics of the Christian faith. One of the reasons why Jesus saw it appropriate and even necessary to be baptized was to set an example of human beings, who are trapped in sin and need redemption through the sacrament, that is, the sacrament of baptism. To understand this, it is necessary to understand that the mission of Jesus on earth was to save mankind from sin and return him to God. To be able to do this, it would be necessary for him to not only die on the cross, but to also set an example for human beings (McDonnell, 1996). Because humans need the sacrament of baptism, he had to set an example to human race that baptism was not just a mere ritual, but a process that was necessary for any believer who wants to have a committed relationship between himself and God. As (OCollins, 2002)He therefore did not do it because he had sins that needed to be forgiven through this sacrament, but because it was an example for human on the path they must follow in their quest to have a working relationship with God, from whom they had been separated by their own sins. When for instance John hesitated to baptize him arguing that he (John) was the one who was in need to be baptized by the messiah, Jesus said that it was necessary for him to “fulfill all righteousness”. This can be seen in Matthew 3:15 and what Jesus was to set the precedence for all other humans. The precedence in this case is the fact that if he did not get baptized, it may also mean that some people will not see the significance of being baptized. As a result, even though he did not need to be baptized, he had to fulfill the scripture, which is the guidance to the path of salvation, a salvation that Jesus wished for every human who ever lived on earth. Secondly, he had to fulfill Isaiah’s scripture which identified John the Baptist as the one who had come to level the path for messiah. Because his relationship (in context of the gospel) and John had already been set whereby John was predicated as Jesus’ predecessor, it was only necessary that this was done so that it would be clear that Jesus was the messiah for whom the john had come to level the paths. Again here, it is necessary to note that the baptism was at the beginning of his active ministry. As a result, his baptism was not so much for his repentance, but for the fulfillment of scriptures so that it would be clear that he was the one who was coming to take over the ministry from John the Baptist (McDermott, 1993). It is also necessary to note that this was a public thing and he was baptized while not only his disciples watched, but also as a multitude of people watched. Needless to say, this was a good way to start his active ministry. The fact that the triune was witnessed at the baptism, that is, the voice of God the father and the holy spirit coming down on Jesus in the form of a dove was also very significant for this occasion and showed that this was an occasion that was more than just a repentance ritual. Of course, John the Baptist did not know what the turn of events would be during the baptism of Jesus and thought it would be a normal baptism and that is why he was hesitant to baptize Jesus. Jesus on the other had must have know that this would be a bigger event where the trinity would come together to mark the start of his active ministry of gospel and the salivation of human race. It must be noted that Jesus had said that himself, the Spirit and God the father always agree on everything so that they are never at disagreement on any issue. As a result, the baptism was a necessity for the trinity to come to the table once again. To further indicate that the baptism was not for repentance bit for other purposes, the voice of God the father was there to declare Jesus not only as his only son, but also one in whom he is well pleased (OCollins & Kendall, 1997). In other words, God was saying that this is not a forgiveness sacrament, but it is a family reunion as my son goes to an important mission. If it had been a forgiveness sacrament, the words of God the father could have been different. It was to act as a precursor to his crucification, death and eventual rising from grave. It is necessary to note that Jesus never needed to be crucified or to even be baptized. Baptism was not necessary for him because he had neither the original sin nor the committed sin. In the same way, he never needed to die in the cross, apart from only saving the human race from sins. Just like he died on the cross not for his sins but for the sins of men, but for the sins of the human race, his baptism was also for the sake of human beings. Specifically, it can be argued that his baptism was a precursor of his eventual death. To understand this, one may need to understand the ritual of baptism. When mere humans who have professed their faith in Christ are baptized, it is an indication of death of their past life and the start of a new life, a life of commitment and devotion of the person to Christ and a life of righteousness. This is why baptism of Jesus Christ was a sign of things to come. It reflected that he was to die and then rise from the dead, but instead of for his sins, it would be for the sins of mankind. For instance, by being baptized in the river Jordan and being dipped in the river, this was an indication of death, and by him coming back to the where, it was a sign of coming back to life. This was very important because he was to later die on the cross and then be raised from his grave. Baptism of Jesus was to act as a critical beacon to his ministry, the ministry for which he was purposely born to carry out. Before his baptism, he was just mere human, a son of a carpenter and a carpenter himself. It is necessary to remember that during his baptism, God repealed himself and proclaimed that “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased” at the same time, during this even, the holy spirit come down as form of a dove and in this particular instance, the trinity was complete, that is, God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. Jesus in his teachings claimed that the three are always one and that they agree on everything (OCollins, 2014). Although they had already agreed on the mission of Jesus on earth, it was also necessary for the 3 of them to conference together and commission the start of Jesus active work of preaching the gospels, a process which would culminate to his financial part of his mission, to die for the sins of death. Jesus was adamant to be baptized, even when John was hesitant to baptize him because John thought that Jesus was superior to him and therefore he did not deserve to even tie his shoe laces. Jesus’ baptism can be seen in several ways. First, it was an act of humility, just as he had humble himself to not only be given birth by a human, but to be born in one of the poorest families, he had to humble himself to John because John had been anointed by God to baptize people. As McDonnell (1996) says, after Jesus was baptized, his life could not be private anymore. He now could not go back, his mission had begun. It was the mark between his past life as just a common citizen, and the mission years had now started. It was an indication that the work must come last now and that his mission should come first from then henceforth. It was a transition from the normal life to a life of active missionary work which would finish the work he had started. Even though he did not have sins that needed to be washed through sacrament of, it was necessary for him to go through baptism because he had chosen to become a human being and so he had to go through the same things that human have to go through. This can also be argued that it is why he chose to be born in a poor family, so that he could go through the same struggle that an average human, or the majority of humans, go through. For his mission to be complete, he had to do what any human should do, go through what every human should go through and baptism was one of the things that human have to endure on their journey to heaven. As a result, even though he did not need to be baptized because he had not sin, this was not only important but also necessary for the success of his mission. Reference list: McDermott, B. (1993). Word Become Flesh: Dimensions of Christology. New York, NY: Liturgical Press. McDonnell, K. (1996). The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan: The Trinitarian and Cosmic Order of Salvation. New York, NY: Liturgical Press. OCollins, G. (2002). Interpreting Jesus. New York, NY: Wipf and Stock Publishers. OCollins, G. (2014). The Tripersonal God: Understanding and Interpreting the Trinity. New York, NY: Paulist Press. OCollins, G., & Kendall, D. (1997). The Bible for Theology: Ten Principles for the Theological Use of Scripture. New York, NY: Paulist Press. Read More