John 1:32-34, The Holy Spirit

32 And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

Baptism is initiation. John baptized with water to initiate people into the expectation of the coming Messiah. We baptize people with water today as initiation into the life of the Church and new life in Christ. Yet John says that Jesus will baptize people with the Holy Spirit. What John the baptizer explains is that Jesus is the one who initiates us into the kingdom of God through receiving God himself in the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the one who recreates us, the one through whom we are born again to a new life.

Consider what it is like to be plunged under the water in baptism. It is overwhelming. One cannot breathe. The experience is not normal. It takes us out of our comfort zone. In the same way, when we are baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirt and brought to faith in him, we are overwhelmed, we cannot breathe, we do not feel normal, we are out of our comfort zone. John has more to say about this in chapter 3 when Jesus meets Nicodemus, and I will have more to say about it too!

Lastly, at Jesus' baptism he is declared the "Son of God." This title is fundamental to our understanding of the identity of Jesus. The gospel message makes no sense if he isn't. This explains the closeness of Jesus to the Father throughout John, and explains our closeness to the Father when we know him through Jesus.

Jesus is the Son of God. Praise Jesus today for who he is.