“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” (Mark 1:9-11)
John the Baptist preached that people should repent of their sins in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus came to him to be baptized, not because He needed to repent. Despite John’s description of His might and His exalted estate, Jesus was the essence of humility. He came to earth as one of us. He was baptized in order to identify with us fully in our sinful state but also to demonstrate His obedience to the Father in all things.
And when Jesus was baptized, the Father proclaimed Him to be His Son. This proclamation confirmed to John, and to us, that Jesus has a unique relationship with the Father. Jesus is equal in divinity, status, and power. And yet that same statement is made of every one of us who is baptized into Christ. We are sons of God. We are pleasing in God’s sight because when God sees us, He sees Jesus. And though we are not equal to Jesus terms of power, status or divinity, we have His righteousness. This is the greatest news we can hear for it sustains us with strength and perseverance that enables us to keep on going in the midst of a world filled with sin, evil, pain and strife. We are one with Christ.