15 As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ,
¹⁶ John answered them all, "I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,
²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."

• (v.15) John's mission as Jesus' forerunner was so powerful that the people at that time began to believe that he was the promised Messiah they had expected for generations.
• (v.16) John pointed out that his baptism used water to get rid of sins, but there will be one whose baptism will be with the power of the Holy Spirit, which is more than just an act of cleansing. This was a very important announcement of the coming of Jesus with His mission as the Savior.
• (v.21) Jesus went right in to be baptized like one of the people before Him; He was praying and the Heaven was open. An extraordinary event was happening here: Jesus has just reached the boundary which had been set by sins, and His prayer has re-established the connection between Heaven and Earth.
• (v.22) The Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove, which is a symbol of love, life, and union with God.
• The Father was pleased with what Jesus has just done; His beloved son has restored the relationship between God and His people, enabling each human being to come back to the loving Father.

Jesus has come to restore the relationship between the humanity and God which had long been divided by the boundaries set by sins. He has baptized us with the Holy Spirit to enable us to cross these boundaries and come back to God.

1. Once baptized by Jesus through the Church, my relationship with God has been restored. However, I still have the freedom to choose between God's way and my own. Which one am I choosing?
2. Realizing that I have been baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit, how am I going to cross the barriers set up by sins to come back to God who has been loving and waiting for me?

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A synthesis by the Vietnamese Christian Life (Dong Hanh) Community