Visio Divina • The Age of the Church
Baptism of Christ
Giotto di Bondone
1305
“And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'” – Matthew 3:16-17
Bondone’s painting of our Lord’s Baptism reveals a kind of a vulnerability in Christ: He is naked, below every other figure, and His hands are open as if to receive. Prayerfully consider the humility of Christ. He is God, completely sinless, and therefore does not need Baptism at all. He, in fact, should stand above all, but instead takes a humble posture in obedience to the Father. Jesus is the Father’s beloved Son, and in Him, in His Humility, we too, can be pleasing to the Father.
