Today marks the end of the Christmas season, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Today we read in Mark 1 about Jesus coming to John the Baptist to be baptized in the Jordan river. John the Baptist says of him, “I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Why did Jesus need to be baptized? It’s a good question, and I suppose the correct answer is that Jesus didn’t NEED to be baptized. John preached a baptism of repentance. Jesus, of course, had no need to repent. Yet He went to John anyway so that John could baptize him. Why?
I think that Jesus got baptized by John for the same reason that He did everything else in His life; so that God would be glorified. He didn’t HAVE to heal all those people; He didn’t HAVE to feed the multitudes; He didn’t HAVE to raise Lazarus from the dead. He did it all so that God would be glorified. After Jesus was baptized, a voice came form the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus did everything to glorify God. As Christians, we are called to imitate Him. Will everything you do today glorify God?
Father, give us the grace this day to live as Jesus did; to glorify you in all that we do and say and think. Thank you for the opportunities you will give us today to give you glory. Amen.
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