Baptism of the Lord

At his Baptism Christ Jesus enfleshes both our sinful fragility and our restored innocence in his nakedness and vulnerability as he stands dripping wet in the Jordan River. With us in our sinful flesh, he will restore us to God through his passion, death and resurrection. Today's scene is a kind of prelude to the dereliction of the cross. There Jesus will be somehow "liquefied"- blood streaming from his wounded body, blood and water flowing from his open side, a fountain of rejuvenation for us. 

The heavens are opened, the Father’s voice is heard, “This is my beloved Son.” Jesus our Savior, the Beloved Son of the Father, has come to cleanse and heal us and draw us into God's Fatherly love and tenderness- our belovedness.

The Baptism of Christ Piero della Francesca, c. 1448-1450,  Tempera on panel, 66 x 46", National Gallery, London.