SERMON/HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD - YEAR B 8TH JANUARY 2024

SERMON/HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD - YEAR B 8TH JANUARY 2024

Isaiah.55:1-11; Isa.12; Mark 1:7-11

“ _Come; buy wine and milk without money_ ” (Isa.55:1)

The Mystery of Christ’s Baptism

Today we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord by John the Baptist. To better understand the mystery of this sacred event in history, there is need to reflect briefly on the baptism of John the Baptist. John was a voice crying in the wilderness, calling the people to repentance, in preparation for the Messiah. This repentance was not without a process; the process for obtaining repentance was through baptism.

To gain forgiveness of sins, the people needed to come to John to be baptized. This baptism of John comprised of three components: confession of guilt, a plea for forgiveness and a desire to make a new beginning. So, anyone coming to John for baptism should be ready to enumerate his or her wrong deeds, should regret them as offences against God, thereby seeking the mercy of God and should make a firm resolve to live a better life henceforth.

If this is the understanding associated with John’s baptism, it becomes disturbing that Jesus came to John to be baptized. We may want to ask: Did Jesus come to be validly baptized or to make a caricature of John’s baptism? If the latter was the case, Jesus would simply have been nullifying or negating the necessity of baptism for salvation. The fact is, Jesus truly approached John to be validly baptized. But then, what sin(s) did he confess? If he is truly the Messiah, then he should not be associated with sin. Did he also ask God for forgiveness (since he had no sin)? If yes, was that not an empty prayer? Is he teaching us to say what we do not mean in prayer? Lastly, what new beginning will he embark upon after baptism since as the Messiah, He is expected to have brought New Life to humanity? So you see that on face level, Jesus’ baptism cast some aspersion on his Divinity.

It becomes easy to understand why John was reluctant to baptize Jesus. One principle we have to bear in mind in reading the gospels is that because Jesus is God, whenever he underwent some passages of life, the events do not define him rather he redefined the events. By this, Jesus went about giving man New Life by redefining and making efficacious the different rituals/stages associated with human life. For example, when Jesus died, he redefined death from being an end to life to being a transformation into eternity.

It therefore became necessary that Jesus should enter into all the existential conditions of human life. Any part of human life that Jesus did not enter into, it would not be transformed, it will not have a new meaning and will not be able to contribute to the salvation of man. So incarnation did not stop at Jesus simply being born by Mary truly and fully man; incarnation extends to Jesus transforming the different phases of life that man passes through.

With the above understanding, we see that the three components of John’s baptism did not apply to Jesus as they did to others. By virtue of His baptism, Jesus blessed the waters of baptism and made it more efficacious for man’s salvation. Little wonder John said: “I baptize you in water as a sign of your conversion, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt.3:11).

Through baptism, Jesus clearly and intimately identified with sinful humanity. By queuing up with sinners, he showed himself a true Shepherd who allows himself to smell like the sheep. He loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon his shoulders and bore it down into the depth of the rivers of Jordan. By his baptism, he stepped into the place of sinners. In a unique way, Jesus satisfied the three components of John’s baptism. He confessed sins; not his sins but that of humanity. He pleaded for the Mercy of God; not for himself but for mankind so that we are not condemned in our sins. Having obtained for us the Mercy of God, He gave us New Life.

This New Life is perfectly captured in the definition of baptism by the Catechism of the Catholic Church: _Baptism cleanses us of original sin, makes us Christians, Children of God and members of the Church_ . Jesus is the true Jonah who said to the crew of the ship, “Take me and throw me into the sea” (Jon.1:12). We can confidently say therefore that the baptism of Jesus prefigures his passion and death.

Today’s gospel tells us that when Jesus stepped out of the water, immediately the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven saying: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased”. This incident testified to the divinity of Jesus and to the salvific essence of his baptism. The voice attested to who Jesus is, and not just what he can do, teaching us how to relate with Him. God is pleased with Jesus for allowing himself to be humiliated in baptism for the salvation of men. Did scripture not say: He who humbles himself will be exalted”?

The decent of the dove and the voice from heaven prefigures the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The lesson before us today is this: just as Christ became man for our sake, so also was he baptized for us to be saved. We too who have been baptized are called to share in the mission of Christ – the mission of living for others. By virtue of our baptism, we are priests, prophets and kings and so are hereby commissioned to make disciples of all nations. Ensure that you are not making a caricature of your baptism.