Scripture Mondays: The Baptism of Jesus

And no, he didn't need to repent.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:9-11).

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Scripture isn’t just true and good. It is also beautiful. Here in the baptism of Jesus, we witness one of the most beautiful images in the Bible. Mark shows us a theophany, a vision of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the third century Origen wrote, “In the Jordan the Trinity was manifested to humanity. The Father bore witness, the Son received witness, and the Holy Spirit gave confirmation” (Thomas C. Oden and Christopher Hall, Mark, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture). Likewise Augustine wrote, “The Trinity appears very clearly: the Father in the voice, the Son in the man, the Spirit in the dove” (Oden and Hall).