✝️ New Testament
The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:13–17
John the Baptist was a bold prophet who lived in the wilderness, dressed in camel's hair and eating locusts and wild honey. He preached to great crowds: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" He baptized people in the Jordan River as a sign of turning from sin to God. People came from all over Judea to hear him.
One day, Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John. John was stunned. "I need to be baptized by You," he said, "and yet You come to me?" Jesus said, "Let it be so now — it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.
As Jesus came up from the water, the heavens opened. The Spirit of God descended like a dove and rested on Him. And a voice from heaven declared: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." In that glorious moment, the Holy Trinity was revealed — the Father's voice, the Son in the water, the Spirit as a dove. Coptic children are baptized as babies, receiving the same Holy Spirit who descended on Christ. Our baptism unites us with Jesus and makes us children of God.