The Baptism of our Lord

Early in my retirement, my wife and I were privileged to receive an invitation from the Bishop of the Protestant Christian Church of Bali to serve one of its English-speaking congregations on that Indonesian island. For three months, we lived among the Balinese people near Kuta Beach (on the Indian Ocean) and served the congregation in Nusa Dua.

For three months we experienced a very different culture from our own. We learned of the openness and gentleness of the people of Bali, particularly the Hindu population (which predominates in Bali).

One of the remarkable people we met was a Balinese man by the name of Ketut Lasia. Ketut had grown up in a Hindu family who, by his own admission, were simple rice-farmers. Ketut wanted no part of farming; he wanted to be a painter. At age 18 he moved from his family and moved to the home of a painter in his village. From him, Ketut learned how to do Balinese paintings. He also "eavesdropped" on conversations that occurred between his Hindu teacher and friends of his teacher (who were also Christians). The conversations did not begin to make sense to Ketut until years later when he met a Dutch pastor who began to plant the seed of the gospel in Ketut.

In 1967 Ketut heard for the first time God's call to him. Another year of conversations resulted in Ketut's request for baptism in 1968, a decision which resulted in Ketut's complete isolation from his family and friends. Ketut now considered how he might honor God and proclaim the gospel. He was led to the decision to use his artistic ability to paint individual scenes from the gospel accounts, and to do so in a Balinese context, as though Jesus had lived and taught in Bali. In this way, painting became Ketut's means for telling of Jesus and proclaiming the Good News.

During our stay in Bali, my wife and I were able to visit Ketut in his home in Denpasar. His "studio" was located in his home, and there he had displayed the many paintings he had done that told the story of many aspects of Jesus' life. Particularly impressive to us were his paintings of Jesus' birth, baptism by John, last supper and crucifixion. With Ketut's permission, I took digital photos of his paintings.

On the Eve of the Baptism of our Lord, it seemed a good time to share Ketut's Balinese rendition of Jesus' baptism. I hope his rendition provides you with new insights into the Biblical account of Jesus' baptism.