John the Baptist was puzzled when Jesus came to him for baptism. John preached repentance to the people, but Jesus was without sin and had no need to repent. Why did he ask to be baptised by John?

Jesus’ reply to John is, ‘Leave it this way for the time being.’ The Son of God has come into the world to share everything that we experience. Later, he will sit at the table with sinners, and first, he goes into the waters of baptism with us. As he came out of the waters of the River Jordan, Jesus saw the Holy Spirit coming down on him, and the voice of God the Father was heard: ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’ Filled with the Holy Spirit and encouraged by the words of his Father, Jesus was ready to begin his ministry of teaching and gathering disciples.

In our own baptism, we were freed from our sins, chosen by God as sons and daughters and filled with the Holy Spirit. The words that the Father spoke to Jesus are spoken to us, too: These are my beloved; my favour rests on them.