Beginning with Baptism

“The Baptism of the Christ with Dove” by Daniel Bonnell

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said. At first glance, this invitation sounds so simple, doesn’t it? “Come, follow me.” Yet following Jesus is not easy, especially as our culture constantly floods our minds with information, grasping for our attention and leading us in different directions. So where do we begin to respond to this invitation?

All four gospels tell about Jesus being baptized by his cousin John, which happens at the outset of his ministry. Mark and John each write about it in chapter one, while Matthew and Luke launch into it immediately after the Nativity stories. Before Jesus performs any miracles, he is baptized. Before preaching any sermons or telling any parables, he is baptized. Before recruiting fishermen and tax collectors to help him lead, before defending the poor and the vulnerable, before provoking the anger of those in power, before attracting the attention of massive crowds of people – before all of it, Jesus is baptized.

Jesus’ ministry began with baptism and so does our Christian calling. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said. And so, as Christians, we begin to respond to Jesus’ call by sharing in Christ’s identity as a baptized one.