Summary
Jesus
came from Nazareth to where John the Baptizer was baptizing, and Jesus was
baptized in the Jordan River. When Jesus
came up out of the water He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit was
descending upon Him as a dove. A voice
from heaven sounded out and told Jesus that He was God’s beloved Son and that
God was well-pleased with Jesus.
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
Have
you ever wondered why Jesus was baptized by John? After all, we just learned that the water in
baptism represents a turning from the ways of our old life. Certainly Jesus didn’t have old ways to turn
from – He was sinless! For Jesus, this
is largely a moment of identification and approval. John the Baptizer has been out in the
wilderness calling people to change and wait for the Messiah. Now, the Messiah was here. It was time for Jesus to identify with this
spiritual moment and receive the public approval from God. Certainly, Jesus didn’t need to repent. But those who repented needed to identify
with Jesus.
What
does it mean to you to realize that Jesus’ ministry began with the baptism of
the Holy Spirit and your ministry begins with the same moment? Does the fact that Jesus went through the
baptism of the Holy Spirit help you feel connected to Jesus?
Second Thought:
The
heavens are torn open. This picture is
similar to the event we have at Jesus’ crucifixion where the veil in the temple
is torn in two. Jesus’ ministry begins
with God – who was thought to live far separated from earth in heaven – tearing
down that barrier and speaking directly into the world. At the crucifixion we’ll see how God goes one
step further and through the tearing of the veil demonstrates that anyone can
have direct access to God. It is neat to
see at each end of Jesus’ ministry that God made a point to demonstrate just
how near He desires to come to humanity.
Have
you thought about this voice from heaven with respect to God drawing near to
humanity? How does this point teach us
about how closely God is willing to come to us?
Third Thought:
Jesus
receives God’s approval. The ministry of
Jesus is blessed by the voice of God.
With the Holy Spirit, Jesus embarks upon a journey to change the
world. This is also mirrored by an event
at the end of Jesus’ story. After the
resurrection – according to the Gospel of John – Jesus appears to His disciples
and breathes upon them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. He then tells them to go out and change the
world, too. They do. The point we can learn here is that those
with the Holy Spirit go out and change the world.
Do
you have the Holy Spirit within you? How
does thinking about this passage help you to understand the significance of
having the Holy Spirit within you? How
does this passage help you desire to be active in what the Holy Spirit is
calling you to do – that is, to change the world?
No comments:
Post a Comment