You are my son, the beloved, my favour rest upon you

The baptism of the Lord has always been a scripture passage that I have turned to in times of troubles and challenged. But it is also a passage that has baffled me for a while, particularly the part about the baptism of Jesus. The church teaches us that Baptism, is to remit sin especially original sin, restores us to communion with God and so that we are given this indelible mark that claims us a God’s children.

Yet why did Jesus actually needed to be baptised, since He is the divine, true God and True Man. Jesus did not carry any taint of original sin, nor would he have committed any sin, and He already is the son of God, and is in Communion with God. 

So this passage today in my reflections, has revealed 3 things to me. 

1. The heavens open

Jesus was sent by God the father to fulfil his ultimate covenant, to bring mankind back to communion with God. By His action in baptism, he affirms his obedience to God the father, which opened up the Heavens , not for himself, but for us mankind. It was a hint to the mission of Jesus here on earth, the building of God’s kingdom here on 

earth.

2. Baptism of Jesus

As the 2nd reading from the Letter of St Paul to Titus, “By means of cleansing water of rebirth that he GENEROUSLY poured over us through Jesus Christ … so that we be justified by His grace”. Jesus is the divine, and did not need the sacrament of baptism like us, but unlike our baptism, where the waters of baptism sanctifies and remits our sins, Jesus’s baptism sanctifies the water. It was by this action, that Jesus instituted the first sacrament that opens up for us the promise of ever lasting life with God.

3. You are my son, the beloved, my favour rest upon you

This is my favourite part. This is where God the father affirms his Love for Jesus and calls him “My beloved”. It is a beautiful phrase, to hear and know that I am the beloved of God. When you know you are God’s beloved, somehow the troubles of this world doesn’t seem to get to you as much. 

Many of us will not recall our own baptism, as we have been baptised as a baby. Yet this somewhat small and probably insignificant action by Jesus, actually speaks volumes of his ministry here on earth for our own salvation. 

Through the waters of baptism which Jesus has sanctified, we are recipients of the abundant graces of God and the promise of salvation. Through this sanctified waters, Jesus has claimed us to be God’s Children. Through His actions and by virtue of our own baptism, we are called to be like Jesus to build God’s kingdom here on earth, in our obedience to God the father. Finally, just as Jesus has claimed us as God’s Children and for us the rewards of eternal life, we too can claim a share to “ You are my son, the beloved, my favour rest upon you”

Amen