In a curious way the baptism and temptation of Christ holds the core element of his pilgrimage of faith. He hears the loving voice of Abba affirming his call to be the messiah of God - a happy, consoling, encouraging moment! Yet, it lies beside his temptation in the desert where he has been driven by the Holy Spirit. Such an action presages Jesus' redemptive work accomplished on the cross as he becomes our 'escape-goat' bearing our sins away.
