Jesus Christ became the servant of the Jewish people to keep God’s promises, and became a servant of all peoples because of God’s mercy. The way that John chooses for people to show their repentance is baptism. Just as John is not the Christ, so his baptism is not the true baptism that forgives sins. As John says, the baptism that Christ will give is baptism with the power of the Holy Spirit and the fire of God’s love.
As the gift of God, Christ gives us more than any dream of a new Golden Age. While we work for a just and peaceful earth in this life, we can never forget the eternal vocation that Christ has given us. The risen Christ has gone to prepare a place for us. All times belongs to Him, and through the gifts of faith, hope and charity, through the sacraments that He gives us, all time becomes real to us.