2020: Second Sunday after Epiphany. Text John Ch.1 vv 29

The story of Jesus' baptism in our Gospel today is one of 5 events in His life involving the Holy Spirit that attest to his divinity: His Baptism, the Transfiguration when he appears to his disciples on a mountain with Moses & Elijah, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension. 
It comes in the Bible after the account of the birth of Jesus and is linked to the visit to the Three Wise Men who themselves attest to his divinity with worship and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Though we tend do think of these Magi as arriving at the birth of Jesus, other calculations claim that Jesus was arrived when Jesus was about two years old when they visited. 
Yet the Baptism itself comes when Jesus is aged about 30 and about to begin his Ministry. 
So far as I can tell, baptism as practised by John was a fairly new phenomenon, symbolising renewal and submission to God. It's not something we read about regularly in the Old Testament, though some commentators have linked it to the Biblical story of renewal of life on earth after the Flood i.e. sins being washed away; or again and the escape of the Israelites from Egypt via the waters of the Red Sea as they are renewed on their way to the Promised Land. The prophet Elisha tells the Syrian army commander Naaman to wash seven times in the River Jordan. 
I have wondered why Jesus needed baptism, since he had no sins to wash away and was in communion with God. John defers to Jesus and does not want to baptise him, knowing who he is. But Jesus insists and thus endorses John's work -- or that is how I read this story. 
Then to start the ministry in a practical way, Jesus( endorsed by John) attracts two disciples - Andrew and Simon Peter and his Ministry starts. 
There is no doubt that baptism has been an extraordinary spiritual experience. Most of us Anglicans do not have that experience since we were baptised and became members of the Christian faith when we were babies. But for adults it is a very special experience as Chrystal and I witnessed when we were on our pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2011 and Mark Battison baptised one of our party in the River Jordan. 
 I was a witness to the baptism of some men at a prison a few years ago with their families present. It was a moving experience for all of us. And we once watched a total immersion at a Baptist Church in Peterborough, which again was very memorable. 
So like the more conventional baptisms we know of today, the baptism of Jesus symbolised a new beginning for him and the start of his Ministry, divinely sanctioned by the Holy Ghost.  For our babies or young children today, it means, of course, dedication to God and admission to the Christian family. 
Perhaps all of us need to be re-baptised and have our Christian batteries re-charged. How about suggesting that to our clergy? 



