John had been baptizing people for repentance in the waters of the Jordan. But then Jesus comes to be baptized… one who did not need repentance. John, awkward at baptizing one whom he felt should baptize him, consents at Jesus request. Then something unique happens. Heaven was opened, the Spirit of God descended like a dove and a voice from Heaven said “This is my son”! Here is much more than a confirmation of what John had been saying, that the Messiah was coming and had indeed come in that man he had just baptized. Here is the trinitarian revelation of who Jesus was, of who God is, and of how we were to relate to Him. As Matthew tells us of the beginning and the developments of Jesus ministry, he welcomes us into the mystery of God’s incarnation in this unlikely Messiah.
This is the theme of the coming 3 Sundays in OiC, as a part or the semester theme “Get up and Follow – Matthew tells about Jesus”
