The dove flew over the head of the Messiah

The story of Jesus' baptism by John is found in all three of our synoptic gospels. It is also implied, though not explicitly stated, in John's gospel. Other non-canonical gospels have their own interpretation of it as well (the Gospel of Philip and the Gospel of the Hebrews, for example). Jesus' baptism is considered to be the first reliable piece of information we have about the life of the historical Jesus. One of the reasons scholars trust this is so is the simple fact that his baptism for the remission of sin would later prove embarrassing to a church that had started to say that Jesus was sinless. One can even see this embarrassment within the history of the development of the gospels.

In Matthew, John at first resists Jesus' request to be baptized but then Jesus says that it is fitting and right and that John should just let go of his reluctance. In John's gospel we never hear about Jesus actually being baptized by John, and it is John who sees the Spirit come down out of the sky like a dove and hover over Jesus, and it is John who proclaims that Jesus is God's son. Other non-canonical gospels will go even further to make sure that Jesus didn't really need to be baptized, he just did it for propriety's sake.

How quickly the tradition began to spin the story away from what must have been a profoundly meaningful and pivotal event in Jesus' life towards something that wouldn't conflict with the emerging doctrine about Jesus. Today I want to focus on what this historical event might have meant to Jesus. There is a certain amount of speculation in all this, but I don't think we will get any farther a field than the Gospel of John did, and probably a good deal closer to historical reality.

First, let us remember that back then, as it is today, baptism was an outward sign of an already present inner reality. It bore witness to the reality, it did not create it. Those who came to be baptized by John at the Jordan River had already repented of their sins before they entered the water.

There is a text from one of the Dead Sea Scrolls that attests to this understanding. In this excerpt we read about the role of the spirit in the rite of baptism and about how the work one does to acquire an upright and humble spirit is what atones for our transgressions:

Before I go any further I need to stop and say something about the whole sin and repentance thing. . . .

Repenting of one's sins is a loaded concept today.

To repent = to turn around.

To sin = to miss the mark.

The metaphor is of an archer who shoots an arrow at a target and misses. The archer does not throw the bow down, condemn it, stomp on it and destroy it! Rather, the archer reaches in for another arrow, sets it in the bow, corrects the aim, and shoots again.

It seems to me that repentance could be thought of as simply a ritualized way of learning from one's mistakes, doing it better, and moving on.

What do we do when we realize we've made a mistake?

Our mistake is most often that of living as if we were separate or disconnected from one another and/or from God. The truth is we are deeply connected to each other and to all life; we belong to God and to one another regardless of the struggles we may be experiencing at the time.

The Buddha, on his path to enlightenment, confronted his own challenges, difficulties and temptations. They are personified in the character called Mara who was a tempter of Buddha for years. One day the Buddha, who was sitting beneath the bodhi tree while Mara tormented and tempted him, touched the ground with his finger, and the Earth Goddess spoke and said, "This is my beloved son, he has a right to this spot." Upon hearing this Mara and her armies were instantly dispersed. Later that day Buddha achieved enlightenment.

What might Jesus' own enlightenment experience have been like? What personal demons did he have to overcome? How did he arrive at his teachings on loving one's enemies, forgiving one another, sharing food and friendship so completely, etc. when his early life must have been so painfully difficult? We must all, at some point in our lives, wrestle with our identity and purpose, transcend our past and choose our own path and calling. Jesus was no exception, in fact, he had a lot to overcome.

Jesus most likely grew up in the conservative, rural village of Nazareth, treated like an outcast because he was an illegitimate child. Even as a young boy he must have felt the shame of the townspeople. More than that, he must have grown up with an intense and probably unfulfilled longing for the love of a father. As author Stephen Mitchell writes,

The legends of Jesus' miraculous birth, which are so familiar to us, had not been invented yet. All the townsfolk knew was that Mary gave birth to a son whose parentage was unknown. I do not know what the Aramaic equivalent is to the derogatory slur "bastard," but Jesus probably knew it all too well. Mitchell goes on to speculate about the impact this may have had upon Jesus at his baptism:

Seen in this light, Jesus' baptism must have been a profound revelation of unconditional love, that realization of inestimable worth and sacred belonging that we all have hungered for at times in our lives. It is difficult for me to imagine Jesus embarking on the ministry and mission that he did without such a realization. How does an illegitimate son from Nazareth come up with a parable like the Prodigal Son without having first experienced the grace of coming home? The illegitimate son had to become the beloved son.

The revelation of who we are, of unconditional love, of our purpose in life and our inherent goodness, our connection to and belonging in the world, is so important. It is often a life-transforming event that marks a new beginning, the start of a new journey. For Jesus it fueled his ministry and his teaching, and it sustained him throughout his journey.

Jesus' teachings centered on the Kindom of God; his practice enacted it. Both embodied his belief that the Kindom was present in the here and now of life. I think of Jesus' baptism as the sign and symbol that Jesus realized he had entered God's Kindom, he belonged in the Kindom, and the love that lived within him infused him with the courage and the passion to make that Kindom visible in his life and teachings and accessible to all people wherever they were on their own journey.

We too, are invited into our own experience of ourselves as God's beloved. There are no mistakes you have made or could make that would bar you from the welcoming embrace of God. There is no tragedy or pain that can separate or disconnect you from God or from the human community to which you belong.

Once we know that we are beloved by God, once we have experienced being unconditionally welcomed into God's Kindom, once we have embraced our belonging here and now in the world - we are called to treat others like the beloved of God that they are, and to extend to them our love, our support, our welcome into this Kindom. That's what Jesus did. That's what Buddha did. That's what I hope and pray we shall all do.

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes one who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."