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Luke emphasizes that Jesus was praying when the Holy Spirit descended on him at his baptism. The Spirit, having been active in Jesus' birth, now empowered him for his ministry. As a rite of initiation, his baptism declared that Jesus was a member of the true, spiritual Israel. As a rite of cleansing, it indicated that, though sinless, he identified himself with sinners. The voice from heaven proclaimed that he was the Son of God. The descent of the Spirit on him showed him to be the Messiah or Christ (Messiah is based on the Aramaic and Christ on the Greek for “Anointed One”).