Why was Jesus baptized?

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ.

It’s an event that is recorded in all four gospels, so we know it’s important.

But there’s a question that has puzzled Christians all down through the ages.

It even puzzled John the Baptist, who performed the baptism.

Why was Jesus baptized?

 

The Problem

We all know what baptism does.

According to the Catechism:

The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes:

• forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins,
• birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit.

 

By this very fact the person baptized is

• incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and
• made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ [CCC 1279].

 

So, as you can see, it’s quite clear why Jesus would need to be baptized. He . . . hey, wait!

Jesus didn’t need to achieve any of those things!

Why, then, was he baptized?

Why did he insist on it, even when John the Baptist resisted?

 

The Answer

Here’s a short video to explain . . .

(Click here to watch the video on YouTube.)

What Now?

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