Friday, March 7, 2025

Listen to the Word

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, 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, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)

Matthew describes a beautiful Trinitarian scene at the baptism of Jesus: Jesus drips, the Spirit descends, the Father speaks.

When Christians are baptized, we are making a choice to publicly identify ourselves with Christ. We participate in a dramatic and symbolic act by which we declare to the world that we have chosen to follow Jesus, and that by that choice we believe that the old us has been buried and we have risen to live a new life with Jesus as Lord.

When Jesus was baptized, he was making a choice to publicly identify himself with us. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance – a repentance that our sinless Savior did not need. Jesus entered the waters of the Jordan River as an act of solidarity with broken people like us who DO desperately need repentance, declaring to the world that he is with us and for us.

Live the Word

Tell Jesus thanks for coming to rescue you. Confess your sin to him and ask for his cleansing.