‘ἐγὼ ἐβάπτισα ὑμᾶς’

‘ἐγὼ ἐβάπτισα ὑμᾶς’ (“I have baptized you”). The evangelist records John the Baptist’s words as if he were physically present, using the past tense to indicate the conclusion of a series of events that have reached their fulfillment, signaling the start of something new. The conjunction ‘δέ’ introduces a comparison, highlighting the distinction between what John has done and what is yet to be accomplished.

When John says that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit, the evangelist shifts the narrative into a new dimension. Whereas John’s baptism is tied to the physical element of water, Jesus’ baptism is characterized by the presence of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing a new kind of transformative experience. John recognizes that Jesus’ baptism will be of a different nature, focusing not on external purification but on the deeper, spiritual renewal of the individual. Although Jesus does not perform the same physical act of baptism as John, He initiates a profound encounter with God that reaches the very core of human existence.

By introducing the notion of baptism through the Holy Spirit, the evangelist is highlighting both the nature of the baptism and the significance of the one who performs it. The Holy Spirit is not a new figure but has been active throughout human history, present with the prophets and the people who witness the coming of the Messiah.

The preposition ‘ἐν’ (in) conveys the medium or substance that enables the baptism. Just as water was the element through which physical baptism occurred—immersing individuals in and out—so too the Holy Spirit becomes the essential element for this new baptism. The word ‘ἐν’ suggests a sense of immersion in the Spirit, not merely an external or symbolic association with it.

This baptism, enacted in the Holy Spirit, parallels the idea of transformation through immersion, much like being submerged in water. The phrase ‘ἐν τούτῳ νίκα’ (in this, conquer) captures the idea of an act made possible through the presence of an intermediary. Similarly, the Holy Spirit works as an intermediary, operating within the baptismal process initiated by Jesus. This continuation of Jesus’ mission, building on John the Baptist’s work, reflects the essence of His ministry—bringing spiritual renewal through the active presence of the Holy Spirit.

This discussion raises an important question: why is the presence of the Holy Spirit necessary for Jesus to fulfill His role as the Messiah? Couldn’t Jesus simply continue preaching the good news, generating transformation through His message alone? The inclusion of the Holy Spirit underscores a broader synergy, linking Jesus’ visible actions with a deeper, spiritual reality that transcends mere words and rituals.

Through baptism in the Holy Spirit, Jesus engages with an aspect of divine presence that speaks to the immaterial, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions of human life—elements that cannot be accessed through the physical senses alone. This baptismal experience in and through the Holy Spirit constitutes an event that, while real and transformative, resists full documentation or physical description. It is an experiential reality, a manifestation of God’s presence that cannot be denied, yet exists beyond the reach of ordinary human recording.

9 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις ἦλθεν Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου.

In preparing readership about the events that will take place the evangelist creates anticipation about the occurrence as well as the significance of the events with foretelling what is going to happen. However, in reiterating that the previously aired anticipation has been fulfilled ‘και εγένετο’  the evangelist reinforces the centrality of his theme. ‘Εγένετο, ήλθεν, εβαπτίσθη’, signified what was anticipated to happen. Jesus is attributed with his place of birth, namely, Nazareth, in order to escape any other potential suspicion about his identity.

Jesus becomes ‘baptised’ by John the Baptist. This event in itself generates several questions about its necessity when Jesus is also identified as the ‘Christ’. In going through an immersion with water Jesus undertakes a literal as well as symbolic role with ‘being’ the Messiah. The ritual of baptism could be avoided for someone who is not associated with a ‘sinful life’. Yet, the experience of baptism is affirming a wider reality about the very identity of the one who is willing to get baptised. Hence, Jesus is not qualifying his role as the Messiah by simply proclaiming it but also by fulfilling the rites that could only belong to the sinful kind. Hence, an association with Baptism is an association with the nature of the people that seek salvation and liberation from the tyranny of the secular life and its demands.

10καὶ εὐθὺς ἀναβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος εἶδεν σχιζομένους τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ὡς περιστερὰν καταβαῖνον εἰς αὐτόν·

The evangelist is interested in the fast pace of events that can be hardly described for their weight of significance. The word ‘ευθύς’ denotes something that occurred ‘straight away’. It happened immediately and without delay. The emersion out of the water signifies the fast sequence between the actual occurrence of immersion in water and the corresponding sequence of events that occur within the heavenly realm. Jesus comes out of the water and as soon as this happens Jesus recognizes the Spirit in the form and likeness of a dove. A description of the ‘dove’ carries a resembling function rather than a self-definitive description for what this bird was like. 10 καὶ εὐθὺς ἀναβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος εἶδεν. In seeing the Spirit Jesus recognizes a manifestation that takes place whilst the announcement is made for his own wider recognition.

11καὶ φωνὴ ἐγένετο ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν· σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν σοὶ εὐδόκησα.

The pronouncement comes from an unidentified place that originates from heaven but can be heard throughout the physical local in which the event is occurring. The affirmative statement is carried through an actual articulation of a message where God speaks not through the prophets, as He had done in the past, but directly to the one who is the Messiah and only Son.

The human-like voice is described because the message can be understood in human language terms. It is Jesus as well as the surrounding community that testify that Jesus is indeed the Christ. In qualifying a relationship of sonship, God establishes His identity as the ‘Father’, whilst the Holy Spirit remains a separate entity to the Father that affirms the overall credibility and significance of the event. Hence, the truthfulness of Jesus as the Messiah is demonstrated through an activity that integrates the physical and the divine, the physical and the spiritual, the limited and the unlimited.

God does not need to speak in a human-like form. However, He does for the purpose of affirmation. In identifying with Jesus as a separate entity to Him, God remains a Father but also that God-head entity from which Jesus comes out from. The Father establishes his role as a ‘Father’ because the significance of sonship mitigates human awareness of a man’s man-like manifestation. The proclamation of sonship does not serve the purpose of God’s own need for approval for Himself. Such act would be meaningless as an act of self-affirmation is made for some outward cause. Hence, it is the act God’s pronouncement over Jesus and His identity as the Messiah that establishes the identity of Jesus. Such wide demonstration of evidence qualifies for the natural and supernatural and casts away all other doubts for who Jesus really is. Hence, the sequence of events and physical act of their occurs removes away any sense of doubt that that could negate the constitution of who Jesus really is.

Απαντήσεις σε κοινές ερωτήσεις που αφορούν το βάπτισμα και τις τελετές μας.