Introduction
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord invites us to reflect on the profound significance of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River by John. In this moment, Jesus identifies himself fully with humanity, stepping into the waters of repentance — not because he is sinful, but to sanctify the waters for all who would follow him.
The Church Fathers and medieval scholastics recognized this moment as both the inauguration of the sacrament of Baptism and the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.
Liturgically, this feast serves as a hinge. It concludes the Christmas season, during which we come to see who God is for us and who we are called to be in Christ, and opens the door to Ordinary Time.
1st Reading – Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
Our first reading is the first of Isaiah’s four Servant Songs (the others are 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12). They create a prophetic portrait of the ideal Servant of God, whom God upholds and delights in.
Composed during the Babylonian exile, the Servant Songs offered hope in the midst of their suffering and displacement.
On this feast of the Lord’s Baptism, the Church hears this passage as a foreshadowing of Christ, the beloved Son upon whom the Spirit rests and through whom God’s saving mission unfolds.
Thus says the LORD: Here is my servant whom I uphold,
Only a few figures in Scripture are honored with the title “my servant” by God: Abraham (Genesis 26:24), Moses (Numbers 12:7), Caleb (Numbers 14:24), Job (Job 1:8), and, most frequently, David (2 Samuel 3:18).
In Isaiah, however, the “servant” is most often understood as Israel itself, God’s chosen people. For a community living in exile and questioning its identity and covenant, this title is a profound reassurance: Despite their suffering, they remain upheld by God
There is special comfort in this for Israel; the exile was a terrible and troublesome time for the Israelites, causing them to question their whole understanding of their covenant relationship with God. God had promised that David’s kingdom would be secure forever, but now David’s kingdom was in ruins. Had the Israelites misunderstood their relationship with God? Were they, in fact, God’s chosen people?
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Isaiah affirms that Israel’s hardship is not evidence of divine abandonment. God still delights in his servant and has a purpose for their trials.
This phrase echoes at Jesus’ baptism, proclaimed in today’s Gospel, and again at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5).
In Isaiah, the Servant Songs describe a figure who suffers deeply, which is why they were not originally associated with the hoped‑for Messiah; in Jewish expectation, the Messiah was not understood to be one who would suffer. However, after Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, the early Church returned to these texts to explore the mystery of a Messiah who saves precisely through suffering
upon whom I have put my spirit;
To receive God’s Spirit is to be empowered for God’s work. In Israel’s history, the Spirit equips judges, kings, and prophets for their mission (e.g., Judges 6:34; 1 Samuel 16:13; Micah 3:8).
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
This is the action the servant is empowered to take: to establish God’s justice, not only within Israel but for all peoples.
The Hebrew phrase here is la‑gôyim, literally “to the nations” or “to the Gentiles.” In Isaiah, gôyim typically refers to the peoples beyond Israel — those outside the covenant. Thus, the servant is empowered to establish God’s justice not only within Israel but among the nations beyond Israel’s borders, a vision that ultimately widens to embrace all peoples.
This would have been astonishing to the ancient Israelites. Their prevailing expectation was that God’s covenant and saving action were directed primarily toward Israel, God’s chosen people. This identity was not prideful so much as covenantal: God had chosen Abraham’s descendants, delivered them from Egypt, given them the Law, and established David’s kingdom.
Against that backdrop, Isaiah’s claim that God’s justice and salvation would extend to Gentiles was striking. It suggested that God’s purposes were far larger than Israel’s national restoration.
not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth;
The servant accomplishes this mission with remarkable gentleness. His justice is not imposed by force or spectacle. He does not compound the distress of an already suffering people, but rather brings healing and consolation.
His quiet steadfastness endures “until he establishes justice on the earth.”
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
The servant is also a teacher, a task traditionally reserved for prophets and priests (e.g., Isaiah 8:16; Jeremiah 2:8).
In Scripture, “the coastlands” often refers to distant or pagan regions; here, it symbolizes the far-reaching scope of the Servant’s instruction. Once again, we see that God’s saving word is meant for all nations.
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people,
God now speaks directly to the servant, emphasizing the deliberateness of his choice: I called you, I grasped you, I formed you, I set you.
The Servant’s mission is clearly determined by God, not the servant himself.
a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
This brings together the themes throughout the reading: the servant will bring forth justice and be a light to the nations, and here, this light will open the eyes of those relegated to darkness.
Specific instances of human suffering are listed, but they are probably intended to represent any form of darkness and confinement. The entire world will be rescued from every type of suffering.
In Christ, the Church sees this mission fulfilled — not only in physical healings but in the liberation of all humanity from sin and death.
2nd Reading – Acts 10:34-38
Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.”
In our second reading, Peter speaks in the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea. Cornelius is a Gentile, not a Jew, but he is a “God-fearer”: someone who reveres the God of Israel, prays regularly, and gives alms, yet has not formally entered the Jewish covenant through circumcision or full observance of the Law.
On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Peter’s speech highlights how Christ’s anointing marks the beginning of a mission meant not only for Israel, but for every nation.
Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered in the house of Cornelius,
Earlier in Acts 10, Cornelius received a vision instructing him to summon Peter from Joppa. When Peter arrived and heard of Cornelius’s vision, he recognized that God himself had orchestrated this encounter and began to proclaim the saving work of Jesus Christ.
Ordinarily, an observant Jew like Peter would not enter the home of a Gentile. That he does so here signals that something decisively new is unfolding in salvation history.
saying: “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.
Peter’s opening words reflect a new insight. Shortly before being summoned, he had received a vision in which God instructed him not to call any person profane or unclean (10:28). Although Peter had lived closely with Jesus, he is only now starting to fully grasp the radical scope of the Gospel.
Contrary to what many Jews thought, God’s choice of Israel as the people of God does not mean he withholds divine favor from other people.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,
Peter presumes that Cornelius and his family had heard the good news of peace God announced to the Israelites through Jesus Christ.
“Lord of all” makes explicit what Peter has come to realize: Christ’s sovereignty and saving power know no ethnic or religious limits. Inclusivity is the centerpiece of this reading.
what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power.
Peter further presumes that his audience has heard what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after John’s baptism: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.
As a Roman officer stationed in a small country, Cornelius would likely have been very aware of John the Baptist, whose preaching and execution disturbed both religious and political authorities.
The mention of Christ’s anointing echoes Isaiah 61:1, which Jesus quoted in reference to himself in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:18).
He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Peter makes a point of mentioning those oppressed by the devil, probably because those possessed by demons were considered to be the most unclean of the unclean. Despite this, Jesus did not relegate them to the margins of society as others did; he touched them and healed them.
By entering the home of Gentiles, Peter mirrors the ministry of Jesus himself, refusing to be governed by purity barriers that exclude.
At the conclusion of Peter’s speech, the Holy Spirit descended upon Cornelius and his household, manifested in the gift of tongues. Recognizing this as God’s unmistakable action, Peter orders them to be baptized. Thus, Cornelius and his household become the first Gentile converts, confirming that the Church’s mission is truly universal.
Gospel – Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to be baptized by him.
John tried to prevent him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by you,
and yet you are coming to me?”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then he allowed him.
After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
John the Baptist’s ministry prepared the people to receive the Messiah. Now, as that mission reaches its fulfillment, Jesus begins his public life by stepping into the waters of the Jordan to be baptized.
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
The journey from Galilee to the Jordan required hours of travel through rugged terrain and desert heat. The Jordan River lies at the lowest point on the earth’s surface, about twelve hundred feet below sea level, far from the centers of power or population. Its stark, secluded landscape underscores the hiddenness with which God so often accomplishes his greatest works.
Luke 3:23 tells us that Jesus was about thirty years old when this event occurred. There may be many reasons why he waited so long to begin his public ministry, but one likely factor is that Jewish teachers typically did not assume the role of rabbi until around the age of thirty.
John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?”
John’s reluctance is understandable. He had already borne bold witness to Jesus as the mightier one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). Knowing Jesus’ holiness, John recognizes the apparent reversal taking place.
Having no sin, Jesus had no need of John’s baptism of repentance. He submits to it freely, however, to affirm the importance of obeying all God’s commands — just as he had already submitted to circumcision, presentation in the Temple, and redemption as firstborn. In this act, God humbles himself, choosing to enter fully into the human condition and to accept the authority of others.
Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
In Scripture, righteousness refers to fully and faithfully carrying out God’s will. Jesus, who has come to do the will of the One who sent him (John 4:34), ensures that nothing in that plan is left undone.
Jesus’ baptism also demonstrates his solidarity with Israel and all humanity. He has identified with those whom he has come to save. By entering the same waters that the repentant are entering, he shows us that he has come to unite himself to sinners so that they may be restored in him to the Father. This moment at the outset of his public ministry foreshadows the way he will ultimately take upon himself the sins of the world on the cross.
“He allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.’ Already he is anticipating the ‘baptism’ of his bloody death.” [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 536]
Then he allowed him.
Only moments earlier, in Matthew 3:7, John had sharply rebuked the religious leaders as a “brood of vipers” (!). Now he yields in obedience to Jesus’ gentle command and baptizes the Lamb of God.
After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him,
Matthew gives no description of the baptism itself, but focuses instead on what follows.
All the verbs indicate that the events happened to Jesus; they were not accomplished by him or through him. Here, Jesus is the recipient of divine action, revealing the Father’s initiative in this moment of revelation.
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him.
Jesus possessed the fullness of the Holy Spirit from the moment of his conception, by virtue of the hypostatic union: the union of his divine and human natures in the one Person of the Son (CCC 464-469). The visible descent of the Spirit, therefore, does not bestow something lacking but manifests outwardly what is already true inwardly.
This theophany marks the solemn inauguration of Jesus’ messianic mission and signals the Spirit’s public action through him. It also serves as a sign for those who witness it, revealing Jesus’ true identity as the beloved Son of the Father.
It’s easy for us to overlook the staggering revelation of this moment because we are heirs to two thousand years of theological development. We know that Jesus is the Eternal Word who took upon himself our human nature, that he’s from all eternity God the Son, and that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Triune God. But to those who at that time didn’t realize the divinity of Jesus and knew nothing of the Trinity, the coming of the Spirit was truly spectacular.
The image of the Spirit descending like a dove recalls the Spirit hovering over the waters at creation (Genesis 1:2) and the dove sent out by Noah over the waters of the renewed world after the Flood (Genesis 8:10-12). Here, the same Spirit descends upon Jesus in the waters of the Jordan and thus signals another new beginning for the world: The broken, divided human family is about to be recreated in the one family of God through Christ’s Holy Spirit.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
A voice from heaven speaks. In Scripture, the designation “beloved son” often carries the sense of an only son (cf. Genesis 22; Jeremiah 6:26; Amos 8:10; Zechariah 12:10). This declaration makes clear that Jesus is not just one more among the adopted sons of God, or even the greatest of them. Rather, it reveals Jesus as the Son of God in the fullest sense: he is the Only-Begotten, who is utterly unique because he shares completely in the divine life of the Father (cf. Matthew 7:21, 11:27, 17:5; John 3:35, 5:20, 20:17).
This divine affirmation also echoes Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant from our first reading: Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him. This foreshadows the painful road the Son must travel: The servant will restore Israel and be a light to the nations, yet will accomplish God’s saving plan through profound suffering for our sins (Isaiah 53).
This all points to the heavenly voice as belonging to God the Father. Thus, the baptism of Jesus unveils the mystery of the Holy Trinity: the Son stands in the waters, the Holy Spirit descends upon him, and the Father speaks from heaven. For this reason, Christian baptism is conferred in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
Connections and Themes
The Anointed One revealed. At the Jordan River, what has been hidden for thirty years is now made known: Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah upon whom the Spirit rests.
In our first reading, Isaiah speaks of a Servant upon whom God places his Spirit, one who will bring justice not by force, but through faithful obedience and healing mercy. In our second reading, centuries later, Peter proclaims that this promise has come to fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth. God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and power, and the evidence of that anointing is unmistakable: Jesus goes about doing good, healing the oppressed, and revealing God’s compassion in action.
Our gospel reading shows us the moment when this identity becomes visible to the world. His baptism is not a turning point for his own sake, but a revelation for ours — so that we may recognize in him the One sent to heal, to restore, and to bring God’s justice to all.
The universal reach of God’s salvation. The mission of the Anointed One was never meant to be confined to one people or one place. Isaiah calls the Servant “a light to the nations,” and Peter, standing in the house of Cornelius, finally grasps this truth: God shows no partiality. The salvation proclaimed in Jesus Christ is offered to every nation, for the One anointed at the Jordan is Lord of all.
Jesus’ baptism embodies this truth. He enters the waters not because he needs repentance, but because he chooses solidarity with all humanity. In standing among sinners, he identifies himself with every person longing for healing and redemption.
Sunday Readings 