Scripture Reading: Luke 3:15-22
John the Baptist came with a single message: "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mt 3:2). Those people who accepted this message and confessed their sins with sorrow, were baptized by him (Lk 3:3). With that message in mind, it is curious that Jesus would come to John and ask to be baptized. He did not have any sins of which to repent of (Heb 4:15).
At its root, baptism is an identification. Jesus came to identify with humanity and even though He was perfect in holiness, His baptism is an identification with a humanity which is sinful and needs to repent.
Our baptism is also an identification. In publicly declaring our faith in Christ as His follower, we proclaim our allegiance to Him. In baptism, we acknowledge our need to be cleansed of the darkness of our hearts ... and that Christ, alone, is capable of performing this washing.
On the one hand, we must not attach any superstition to the rite of baptism. There is no spiritual power in the water, nor in the ritual itself. It is symbolic of an inner reality of faith in Jesus Christ. On the other hand, baptism is an important ceremony because it is commanded by Jesus Himself (Mt 28:19) as the external sign of faith. Baptism does not bring salvation to any soul, but gloriously declares its wonder.
