ISAIAH 11:2 – 3

“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—And he will delight in the fear of the Lord.”

We recall that day when the thirty-year-old Jesus of Nazareth appeared at the Jordan River where John the Baptist was baptizing people as a sign of cleansing from sin and being reborn.   This was quite unusual because there was no such baptism as part of the Jewish worship.  Their core ritual that cemented their unity with the people of God was circumcision. I assume all of these who came to John the Baptist for baptism were already circumcised Jews, like Jesus.

So, why baptism in water? I like to think of it as a sign of the renewing of the Holy Spirit. One can proceed through rituals as a matter of form without any real change in the heart and life. I believe those who came for baptism realized that they needed a power from on high that could energize and renew their lives.

I believe that is what was happening because even Jesus, the Lamb of God, submitted to Spirit baptism.  The Apostle John wrote, “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.”  That is, on Jesus Christ.

Matthew wrote, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.”  Matthew 3:16

Where would we be without the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord?  Even Isaiah realized that we humans cannot begin to understand how we can walk with God without the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, a wonderful experience, may we not forget the on-going ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Note the repetition, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.”  May that be our testimony as well now and forever.