Acts 10: 34-38
”Jesus
came from Galilee to John
at the Jordan to be
baptized by him."
For several Sundays, we have been following the highlights of
the life of the Incarnate Word since that very moment when he came to dwell
among us. From his epiphany to the poor shepherds at that glorious Christmas
night to his epiphany .to the magi which we
celebrated just last Sunday, our liturgy has specially set these significant
occasions in a manner more conducive not only to joyful celebrations but also
to fruitful reflection and prayer. Today, Jesus comes out to the open to be
baptized. This Sunday is then another big event. (In fact, in the Eastern
Church, the significance of the Lord's
baptism ranks even higher than that of the Lord’s epiphany to the magi.) With
today's feast of Christ's baptism, we are invited to meditate, recall and
rediscover the significance of our own baptism.
1. Was it necessary for Jesus to be baptized?
We begin our reflection with this question,
and we discover that this would lead us back to the basic understanding of
baptism taught to us in our catholic catechesis. Among others, we learn that
baptism has a two-fold theological meaning as a sacrament:
a. First, baptism
is the sacrament of rebirth. Every man is born in sin. The sin we
acquire by birth is what we inherit from our first parents. We call it original
sin. By original sin, we have lost that original dignity God bestowed on us
upon creation. Genesis tells us that by the disobedience of our first parents,
paradise was lost Sometimes, it would puzzle us so much why all of us should
suffer from the sin of only two people, Adam and Eve. But this is precisely,
the message the Bible wants to impart and teach. Adam and Eve stood in behalf
of humanity. The fact that we
have lost that paradise which God so designed for us vividly shows that the
first sin was a sin not only of Adam and Eve but also of humanity. So, by
original sin, we practically become strangers to God’s domain and aliens to
God's kingdom. That is why Jesus himself made it precise and clear: "Unless a man is born through
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom
of God" (Jn 3:5). This, then, sums
up the ontological exigency of baptism. By baptism, we are reborn. And with such rebirth, our original dignity is restored. We become
Christians and worthy heirs of God's
kingdom. (Note, it is here that it is quite redundant to say “born-again
Christians,” since no one becomes a Christian unless he is born again. In other simple words, to be a
Christian is to be born again so, to say born again-Christian is the
same as saying “born-again born-again,” or “Christian-Christian, which
is ridiculous and is indicative of a very
poor theology.
b. Second, baptism is the sacrament of incorporation.
Not only is one born anew by baptism. He
also becomes an indispensable member of Christ's body, the Church,
wherein Christ himself is the head and we are
the parts. That is why baptism is also called the sacrament of initiation. Just as in any group or association in any people
and culture no one becomes a member without having been initiated, so too, no
one can ever be a member of the Christian
community or become incorporated into
Christ's church without having been initiated by baptism. This makes the ecclesiological exigency of baptism. So, the
Church of Christ is the family of the
baptized: All members are brothers and sisters of Christ, sons and daughters of the Father, sharing the
same rights and privileges, duties and obligations as children of God; and
indeed, calling him "Abba,
Father!" (cf Rom 8:15).
These two aspects of
baptism give us a clearer understanding on the
dimensions of the sacrament. The aspect of rebirth is the personal
dimension of baptism, while the aspect of incorporation is the social dimension of the sacrament. Of course, these are
two aspects of one and single reality. Yet,
they are that distinguishable. And as we distinguish
them, we can rightly proceed to answering our fundamental question: Was
it necessary for Christ to be baptized? ;
2. By the concept of
rebirth, it was never necessary for Christ to be
baptized. No amount of good reason can ever tell us that a sinless God has to be baptized. Much less was the case at
the Jordan. John was not even performing a
baptism of rebirth but simply a baptism of repentance. That is
why even John himself, being cognizant of the sinless
one approaching him, would protest: “I need to be baptized by you,
and yet you are coming to me?"
Sinless as he is, Jesus had no need of repentance. He had no need of rebirth,
either.
However, the answer
of Jesus seems to suggest a particular necessity in line with the concept of incorporation.
Before the righteous protest of the Baptist, Jesus would insist: "Allow
it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” This
"righteousness" refers of course to the will of God. But such seems
to be embodied by the imperatives demanded by culture and religion. Jesus was a
Jew and he had to behave according to the cultural and religious standards of
his people. The will of God enunciated by the prophets of old tells that
someone greater than Baptist would take the role of the Ebed Yahweh to
fulfill the messianic function, for his people. By submitting himself to
baptism, he not only affirms this role, but also confirms that he is one like
them, that he manifests the same cultural identity with his people, that he
shares the same religious affiliation with the Jewish family. By the waters of
Jordan, he makes his identity and consciousness with the Jews, even as he
himself already confirmed this long before by his circumcision. In short, he
deems it fit to be incorporated to the Jewish community, to be a member of the
Jewish body.
3. Christ’s baptism is
therefore pedagogical. By having him baptized, he teaches us the great sense of
belongingness. At the Jordan, he sets an undying example of how it is to be
incorporated. With this, he stresses the irreplaceable importance of the social
dimension of faith. But this is just the beginning of it. We must be reminded
that Jesus himself talks about a certain baptism, which he has to undergo. This
baptism is no other than his death. "There is a baptism with which I
must be baptized, and how great is my
anguish until it is accomplished" (Lk 12:50) The Jordan and Calvary:
events seem to pose some significant similarities. Just as it was of no strict
need for Jesus to be baptized at the Jordan, Jesus could have also saved us by
not necessarily resorting to Calvary. Their necessity simply comes in, in view
of a particular fulfillment, i.e., “to fulfill all righteousness.” But
such fulfillment refers to the very acts demanded by the ecclesiological
imperatives of the Jewish people. Thus, John baptizes the One who himself makes
the waters holy. And Jesus extends his arms
on the cross to fulfill and sanctify the real baptism of blood. After all, if Jesus becomes one with his people by the
waters of Jordan, he even gives them the truest meaning of oneness and friendship
by the blood of Calvary.