Jesus’ Baptism: A Sign of Mission and Unity

Today’s solemnity is popularly known as “Three Kings.”The gospel speaks of wise men, sometimes called magi. It does not speak of kings; it does not say there were thrJohn’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. Jesus did not need to be baptized as a sign of repentance or conversion. He is the Son of God before His conception through the Holy Spirit. He totally belonged to his Father and no sin could have power over him. His baptism is the occasion to get God’s approval for his person and his mission. The early Church needed to be shown that Jesus’ association with John was friendly and that like John, his disciples should give due recognition to Jesus, and not hold on to the belief that John was the one to come. The announcement of the baptism of Jesus is needed for the people and especially for the believers in the early church.ee. These details were added over the centuries by popular stories. The true name of today’s feast is “Epiphany of the Lord,”which means manifestation of Jesus to the world. The Gospel tells us that the magi had to travel. They had to travel to meet Jesus. This makes their story our own story. We too are travelers in this life. After seeing Jesus, they had to travel more and go home by another route. There is no moment in life when we may believe we have reached the end of the road. To accept Jesus in life is not a moment to say, “I am saved, I belong to Jesus. It is accepting Him as a companion on the road, making sure one does not get ahead of Him by jumping to human conclusions or lag behind and losing track of Him when there is a bend or choices.