The proclamation of John the Baptist

Today’s gospel is a story of a very special encounter between the Lord Jesus Christ and his cousin, John the Baptist. Whether they ever met before as they were growing up, we really don’t know, as it is not written in the Bible. But their very first meeting was recorded during the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth in the hill country in Ain Karem where as Elizabeth told the Virgin Mary, “As soon as my ears heard your greeting, the infant in my womb leaped with joy!” As we all know, the Lord God blessed the barren Elizabeth so she and her husband Zechariah could bear a son who would usher in the coming of the Messiah.

While they are cousins, however it is more than obvious so that both had some kind of mystical bond that they had even if they were still inside the wombs of their mothers, they could feel each other’s presence. But in today’s gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ presents himself to be baptized by John and you can read this scripture passage from Luke 3:15-16, 21-22.

15 The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming, I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire.

21 After all the people have been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven. “You are my beloved Son; with whom I am well pleased!”

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This story begins with John the Baptist baptizing in the name of the Lord. But you may ask, why was this son of Zechariah a priest of a high station in the Jewish Temple now preaching in the wilderness? Some years back, I read an article that pointed to one thing… that when King Herod slaughtered the Holy Innocents in search for the newborn King of the Jews, Elizabeth was visiting her cousin the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bethlehem and was caught up with this drama and had to flee the soldiers of Herod. So they had to hide the baby John from the prying eyes of Herod’s soldiers, while the Holy Family fled into Egypt.

But now we have to fast forward to the beginning of the Galilean ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, who by now had already grown nearly thirty years of age. Meanwhile, for sometime now, John the Baptist had also been preaching in the wilderness… in Bethany or baptizing in the banks of the Jordan River proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and telling all those who cared to listen “Make way for the coming of the Lord…make straight his paths.”

Please take note that John the Baptist was already making a name out of himself and becoming very popular with the people for he preached the truth to the people. One time he told those who came out to be baptized by him “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”

This is why the people who came to him asked him if he was the Messiah who was to come? But John answered them saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming, I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire.”

Today’s scripture reading ends with our Lord Jesus Christ already baptized by John and praying towards heaven and as he prayed, the heavens opened up and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord in a form of a dove and a voice was heard in heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with whom I am well pleased.” God the Father is pleased because his only begotten Son had emptied himself of his divinity and had become human just like us for he had a divine mission… which is for the salvation of man.

As we have all learned from our Bible reading… the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ spells the end of the role of John the Baptist, who then is arrested by Herod and eventually beheaded. After the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, he too began baptizing those who came to him in repentance.

When they heard this, John’s followers asked him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.” John answered them, “I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.” We too must decrease before the Lord Jesus Christ.

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