“I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God”
Christ was manifested to all, not at his birth but at his baptism. Before then, few knew him; almost no one knew he existed or who he was. John the Baptist said: “There is one among you who you do not recognise,” (Jn 1:26). John himself shared the same ignorance of Christ up until his baptism: “I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me: ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit”…
Indeed, what is the reason John gives for the Lord’s baptism? It was, he said, so he might be made known to all. Saint Paul says the same thing: “John baptised with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,” (Ac 19,4). This is why Jesus receives baptism from John. To have gone from house to house presenting Christ and saying he was the Son of God would have made John’s testimony extremely difficult; to have led him to the synagogue and designated him as the Savior would have made his testimony hardly credible. But that, in the midst of a large crowd gathered on the banks of the Jordan, Jesus should have received this testimony clearly expressed from the heavens above and the Holy Spirit should have descended on him in the form of a dove: this indeed confirmed John’s testimony without any shadow of doubt.
“I myself did not know him,” John said. Who made him known to you, then? “He who sent me to baptise.” And what did he say to you? “On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.” Thus, it is the Holy Spirit who reveals to all the one whose wonders John had proclaimed, by coming down to designate him with, so to speak, the touch of his wing.
http://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/Euchrist/HolyMass/gospels.asp?key=105
Year A - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world
John 1:29-34
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (NRSV)
Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Testimony of John the Baptist
John knew about the coming Salvation of the Human race, he was preparing the way for my coming and happily testified of me when he saw me entering the waters of the Jordan.
Thousands of years ago, the Israelites had eaten the Passover meal, the spotless lamb that would be their purification before the coming of the angel of death. This was a symbolic meal of the Holy Eucharist, which I would offer to the world as food for the journey of the soul. I myself was to be the sacrificial lamb, the Savior of the world.
He said: Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, but who could really understand at that moment that I was going to take the blame for all sins and be sacrificed as the Lamb of God? I would sprinkle and wash souls with my blood, I would nourish them with the food of life and everyone who would accept me could stand blameless before God the Father.
John was very excited with my appearance and He happily testified of me. He was born before me, yet he said that I was before Him, He knew that I was the Son of God. He declared that he was baptizing with water for repentance, but that my Baptism would be with fire and with the Holy Spirit. He demonstrated his humility by saying that he was not worthy to untie the sandals of my feet, and that he was not worthy to baptize the One who was offering Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. He was a humble man indeed, teaching a saying that everyone should put into practice: “I must diminish so that He may increase”.
My Baptism was a moment of Glory for the Holy Trinity. John gave testimony of the vision of the Heavens being opened and the Spirit of God descending upon me in the shape of a dove, my Father’s voice was heard saying: “You are my beloved Son; in You I am well pleased”.
Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary