In the wilderness, John the Baptist was a rugged figure, dressed in camel’s hair and eating locusts and wild honey. He had a powerful message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Crowds flocked to the Jordan River to hear him preach and to be baptized by him as a sign of their repentance.
One day, Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John was puzzled and said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus replied, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” So John consented.
As Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water, and heaven was opened. The Spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on him. A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
This event marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. It was a moment of divine affirmation, showing that Jesus was not just an ordinary man, but the Son of God, anointed and sent to bring salvation to the world.