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A New Identity


In the winter months of 27-28 AD, John the Baptist came out of the Judean wilderness. Crowds gathered to the desert lands where the river flowed into the Dead Sea. This was a movement like no one had ever seen before.

At a ford of the Jordan, John cried, "Repent for the kingdom of God is near!" When he ended each sermon, he would walk to the river's edge and stand in the shallow water. Hundreds came forward to be baptized. John would place a strong hand on everyone who came forward, then the people would humble themselves and bow their knees in the muddy river until they could hear the rush of water in their ears.

Toward the end of that winter, as the crowd began to thin, Jesus came, almost unnoticed, and was baptized.

One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." (Luke 3:21-22 NLT)

As we read this, we can't help but to ask, "Why?" Why would Jesus, the only one who has walked this earth and lived without sin, why would he go forward for baptism?

It's a mystery. I truly don't think we can perfectly explain why. But I think there are strands that we can tie together to help us begin to grasp part of the reason.

Maybe Jesus wanted to show his support of John's ministry. John prepared the way. Now, it was time for Jesus to begin his ministry.

Jesus was baptized, not for repentance, but for the complete consecration of being completely ready to share God's kingdom with the world.

And Jesus never thought of himself as separate or isolated. He identified with people. Jesus is showing us how to be human--how to live. He is baptized because we have a need for repentance--we need to change our hearts and lives. And Jesus is demonstrating the urgency to commit to the kingdom of God.

Some people view baptism as a new beginning. One thought I had this week was that this scene sounds very similar to the creation story. The Spirit is hovering above the waters. God speaks. Maybe we should view this baptism of Jesus as the beginning of the new creation. Jesus is about to create something new. A new family. A new humanity. A new way of life.

In this story, Jesus is revealed as God's chosen one.

But that's not all. We also have a place this story. Because we are chosen. To become Christian is to receive a new identity. That means we no longer allow others--family, friends, co-workers, society--to tell us who we are. Jesus now claims us and instructs us as we become new. Baptism celebrates becoming that new person.

At Jesus' baptism, God says, "This is my beloved Son." For us, baptism means that God has also chosen us as daughters and sons. We are baptized into a new family. So the most important thing about us, our true identity, is that we are now sons and daughters of God.



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