Matthew 3

Jesus Baptized for You, Matthew 3:13-17

Why did Jesus go to John the Baptist to get baptized? Was it needed for Jesus himself? Or did he do it for a greater purpose? Father Jeremiah considers why Jesus was baptized and how that changes us today.

Image: Andrea del Verrocchio, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, no changes made. Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Baptism_of_Christ_%28Verrocchio_%26_Leonardo%29.jpg

Judgment, Repentance, and Peace, Matthew 3:1-12, Isaiah 11:1-10

John the Baptist came preaching judgment and repentance in light of the coming of the Messiah. How does this relate to the idea of peace? How does peace come out of a word of judgment and call to repentance? Father Jeremiah tells about this reality in his sermon today.

Image: St. John the Baptist icon, picture taken by Ted. No changes made. Used under license: CC BY-SA 2.0. Image location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/frted/10181902566

Changed by Jesus' Baptism, Matthew 3.13-17

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When Jesus was baptized, he transformed what baptism was about. His baptism was unexpected for John the Baptist, but to do what was necessary and needful, he baptized Jesus and saw the transformation of baptism into something new and even more glorious. This is what we participated in when we were baptized and what we participate in when we remember that baptism.

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay