"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he got baptized in the Jordan by John. And right away, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the sky split apart and the Holy Spirit was coming down on him. And there was a voice out of the heavens: "You're my son! I love you! I'm pleased with you!" --Mark 1:9-11 (Spoken English New Testament)
Jesus was somewhere around thirty years old when he was baptized. In the years since his birth, he had lived for the most part in the Galilean town of Nazareth (in the north of Israel), raised as the son of Joseph the carpenter and of Mary. As an adult, he apparently also worked as a carpenter in that region, until the day he left and travelled to a place miles away, in the south, on the banks of the Jordan River. There, the prophet John had been baptizing people in the river, a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," telling them to get ready for the coming of God's Promised One.
In the gospel story, Jesus leaves life as he has lived it in Nazareth to join God's people in the water , and at a deeper level, to join them in the midst of their lives. And as he comes up out of the water, he sees "the sky split open" ("the heavens torn apart", NRSV translation) and God's Spirit coming down upon him. And a voice comes from the heavens: "You're my son! I love you! I'm pleased with you!"
The image of the "sky split open" or the "heavens torn apart" is a way of saying that, through the life of Jesus, God's children will never, ever be separated from God's love, no matter what. There will be no division between "heaven" and earth!
And the heavenly voice gives Jesus some new names, descriptions of his identity: "Son;" "Beloved;" "God's pleasure."
When Jesus returns to Galilee, he shouts to everyone who will hear: "The time has come! The Reign of God is nearly here! Change your hearts and believe in the good news!"(Mark 1:15 S.E.N.T.)
Jesus returns to familiar places, but not to life as he has lived it before. He is now ready to begin his ministry. His life has new purpose, and he lives that purpose out on a daily basis.
How do you think that Jesus' baptism might be related to our baptisms?
I think Jesus is related to our baptisms because the water is holy water so its like when the water touches you its like god touching you. So when Jesus got baptised it was like god communicating to him that he would always be there for him and to help him out.
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