Baptism – Faith Unto Ages

Reflection: Why was Jesus Baptized? The Feast of Epiphany & Biblical Catechesis

My brothers and sisters, today I wanted to share some catechesis for the Holy Feast of Epiphany:

As we know, we celebrate the baptism of Jesus within the Jordan river. But why? Is not baptism used for the remission of sin? Was Jesus not sinless? Below I will answer the reasons why our Lord was baptized.

1. Christ was baptized to fulfill the Old Testament story of Exodus. How so? Because: Just as God called the Israelites out of the land Egypt through water (Exodus 12) to which they later passed through the Jordan to enter the promised land (Book of Numbers), so has Christ been called out of Egypt (Matt 2:15), to also later pass through the Jordan through His baptism to show that He is the fulfillment of Israel. Thus His words to John: “It is fitting to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt 3:15).

“Having therefore received a charge, and having been fully assured through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and confirmed in the word of God with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they (the apostles) went forth with the glad tidings that the kingdom of God should come. So preaching everywhere in country and town, they appointed their first-fruits, when they had proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons unto them that should believe. And this they did in no new fashion; for indeed it had been written concerning bishops and deacons from very ancient times; for thus said the scripture in a certain place, I will appoint their bishops in righteousness and their deacons in faith.”
- St. Clement of Rome (A.D. 96).