In each of the gospels and in the speeches in the Acts of the Apostles the baptism of Jesus is portrayed as a decisive turning point in his life. In different ways they downplayed the role of John the Baptist (who was the Baptizer after all!) so the focus would stay on Jesus. At his baptism he claimed his identity as the beloved Son of God. Even though we probably slept through our own baptisms they were turning points for us even though we didn’t know it. At Baptism God claims us and names us as beloved children. Since we are the children of God we need to act in a way that reflects the identity we have as beloved of our Heavenly Father.
