Pope Benedict once said, having reached adulthood, Jesus began His public ministry by going to the River Jordan to receive from John a baptism of penance and conversion. What might seem paradoxical in our eyes actually happened. Did Jesus need penance and conversion? Of course not. Yet the One who is without sin put Himself among sinners to have Himself baptized, joined those who recognized they were in need of forgiveness and asked God for the gift of conversion. Jesus chose to join the ranks of sinners, to be in solidarity with them, expressing God’s closeness.  

The Baptism of John was instituted by God as to its rite, not as to its effect. It does not confer grace of itself. Its effect was repentance. There were four reasons why Jesus opt to be baptized by John: First and foremost, the Baptism of Jesus through John institutionalize the Sacrament of Baptism by Jesus in His own act. It is only through God alone a Sacrament could be instituted that nothing by man can accomplish. Second is to manifest Christ, to make Him known to all. It is the second of the three mysteries of Epiphany. John said, “… the reason why I came baptizing with water was that He, i.e. Jesus, might be made known to Israel.” (John 1:31) John is “more than a prophet”, he announced the end of the Old law and the beginning of the New law. The third is to accustom the people to the Baptism of Christ. St. Gregory said in his homily, to be consistent with John’s office as a precursor, as he had preceded our Lord’s birth, he might also by baptizing precede Jesus who was about to be baptized. Lastly, by persuading the people to do penance in order to prepare them to receive the true Baptism of Christ. As St. Bede said it is an instruction in the faith that would profit the catechumen not yet baptized and draw them to the knowledge of truth so do the ministers of the Church, after instructing the catechumen, rebuke their sins, and promise them the forgiveness of theirs sins in the Baptism of Christ.  

The baptism of John is not a carnal cleansing, but a spiritual cleansing preparatory for the full interior cleansing brought by Christ. Thus, those who received John’s baptism still had to receive Christ’s baptism – even those who explicitly believed in Christ at the time of their being baptized by John. (Notes from the Theology of Sacraments class, 2017)