Jesus’ Baptism is an Epiphany

Last words are usually important. For some, their last words are spoken on their deathbed while others’ last word is expressed in their will. The will might surprise the deceased’s heirs in any number of ways. One or more children might be left out altogether or a prized possession – jewelry, a piece of furniture, a beloved antique, etc. – might go to someone who least desired the item. Sadly, others die without last words (or words that no one was there to hear) and without a will.

Jesus had both last words and, in a certain way, a last will. That last will would be the New Testament ultimately authored by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles and their associates. Jesus’ last words were not those uttered from the cross but the various things He said to the Apostles after His resurrection until His ascension into heaven. Most of what Jesus said to the Apostles in those forty days prior to His ascension were not explicitly written down. But those words that were recorded and that were expressed just before Jesus ascended certainly carry significant importance. Matthew’s Gospel gives a clear account of Jesus’ last words in what is often called the Great Commission: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:18-20). These certainly sound like marching orders for the Apostles and ultimately the Church. But we also see delegation of power and authority. The Father delegated all power to Jesus and Jesus delegated authority to the Apostles to teach His commandments and the power to make disciples.

We might think that becoming disciples is mostly our choice. Yes, there is a matter of choosing to follow Jesus or not. It is in our power to accept or reject the graces and terms of discipleship, but is it simply up to us as to whether or not we become disciples in the first place? We can look at the Apostles to answer this question. Jesus made it clear to them that “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you” (Jn 15:16). Likewise, we hear Jesus say “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20). Thus discipleship stems from divine initiative.

But didn’t Jesus delegate power to the Apostles to make disciples? How can that power be delegated to mere men – the Apostles and their successors – but remain a divine initiative? Ultimately, the answer lies in the Holy Spirit. Quite simply, baptism confers the Holy Spirit. This is seen in Jesus’ own baptism where the Holy Spirit descends upon Him in the form of a dove. Given that Jesus is the eternal Word who has been in perfect loving communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit from all eternity, He hardly needed to receive the Holy Spirit because He lacked a relationship with either the Father or the Spirit. Nor did the reception of the Holy Spirit make Jesus holier or make up for anything lacking in His human or divine nature. Likewise, the voice of the Father at Jesus’ baptism, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Lk 3:22), did not make Jesus something He already wasn’t: He is the Son from all eternity and He is already thoroughly pleasing to the Father. What the descent of the Holy Spirit and the declaration of the Father signify in Jesus’ baptism is the divine power delegated to the Apostles and their successors: making “disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Despite Jesus’ own words, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:16), some insist that baptism is unnecessary and symbolic. They will point to those whose faith preceded their baptism or the Good Thief. Nevertheless, Peter refers to Noah and the flood, saying “This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1Pet 3:21). We can also say that Jesus’ baptism prefigures our own where we became pleasing sons and daughters of the Father by adoption and we received the Holy Spirit.

—Fr Booth