Father Thomas Welbers' Homily

There is great diversity among the four Gospels in the things they emphasize about the mission and the meaning of Jesus. But there are two very basic and fundamental things all four Gospels agree on: Jesus ended his earthly mission by suffering crucifixion and death, and he began it by being baptized by John in the Jordan River.

Is there a parallel between Jesus’ baptism, the feast we are celebrating today, and his sacrificial death and resurrection? Of course, you know the answer to that question is yes, otherwise I wouldn’t even have thought to ask it. And so, what is that connection? How is the heart of Jesus’ life and mission – the very reason for his being here – encapsulated in this baptism by John in the River Jordan?

John himself gives the first hint when he says, “I need to be baptized by you.” In other words, John recognized his, and all of humanity’s, sinfulness and need for a deliverance from that sinfulness that we cannot provide for ourselves. His baptism spoke only of our sin and our desire for forgiveness, it could not make God’s forgiveness a reality. John’s baptism could only diagnose the illness but could not provide a cure. That was to be Jesus’ mission.

The second hint is given us by Jesus himself, when he says in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness.” In other words, Jesus’ submitting to John’s baptism is not a sign of his own sinfulness, but a sign that he connects with us in our sinfulness, that he, God the Son, is one with us without holding anything back.

The word baptism means a bath. It’s not just a pouring of a little water over the head of the person, like so many of the pictures of the baptism of Jesus show it. The proper image of baptism is like jumping into a pool – diving, or doing a belly-flop, or at least a cannonball – getting down totally into the water – immersion, no holding back.

What did it mean that he did this, immersing himself in John’s baptism? It meant that Jesus, God the Son, was one with the totality of humanity, not just the nice parts. He is one with our sinfulness; he is one with our suffering.

In the last two weeks, water has taken on a new meaning for us, hasn’t it? It’s a meaning that has always been there, but one that we have preferred to ignore. But now, in the devastating tsunami and in the flooding so much closer to home, we can no longer ignore water as death-dealing as well as life-giving. The need for water to sustain life and to cleanse is obvious. The people of Jesus’ day lived very close to the dangers of water as well – fishing and seafaring were common occupations and many lives were lost in storms and shipwrecks. For Jesus, immersing himself in John’s baptism meant that he was also taking on himself all the dangers and sufferings of humanity.

There’s something here that’s really important for you and me. It’s this: Jesus depended on John to launch his ministry. Today, he depends on you and me to continue his ministry. Today, he depends on you and me to allow him to be present again to those in need of healing and forgiveness.

For us, it’s important to experience what John experienced. It took great humility for John to allow the God and Redeemer of all Creation to humble himself before him. Can you and I have the humility to allow the God of all Creation to humble himself before us, as he does in this Eucharist and as he does in the person of the poor and needy whom we encounter, and recognize that in serving him, he in turn truly is serving us?

© 2005 Thomas Welbers