Temptation in the Wilderness - Luke 4:1-13 - July 10, 2022

 Luke 4.1-13 Temptation in the Wilderness

Good morning, turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter four, we are going to look at verses 1-13, that is on page 859 in the pew Bibles.

We are going to look at Luke’s record of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness this morning but before we look at Luke’s record I want to first read from the book of Hebrews to give us an idea of the purpose of this passage in Luke.

Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-16

…he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted…

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Let’s pray.

So understanding that Jesus had to be made like us in every respect, who was tempted in every way that we are tempted yet without sin, when we look at Luke four we can see that Jesus was indeed tempted in every way that we are tempted and that He also provided a strategy for dealing with that temptation.

So let’s take a look at the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness and consider the image of the whole conflict of the Christian life.

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11 and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

So here’s the Lord Jesus, fresh off His baptism, fresh from the voice from heaven, fresh from the  Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove, full of the Holy Spirit and led into the wilderness for forty days. 

The scholars believe that this wilderness was near the Dead Sea and was in fact a wilderness, a desert, a dry, rocky, desolate place. And there Jesus fasted for forty days alone and was tempted by the devil.

Here are some quick hit facts that we can learn from this passage: first of all, because we know that Jesus is without sin though He was tempted in every way just like us, temptation to sin is not sin. Jesus did not sin by being tempted.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

There is always a way out of temptation, we just need to be willing to look for it and avail ourselves of it when we are tempted to sin.

The second quick hit fact is that the devil is very real and very powerful. The devil is not just a concept or a symbol of evil, he isn’t a mythical figure, nor is he a little red imp with horns, a pointy tail, and a pitchfork. He is very real, he is powerful, though not omnipotent, and he wants you dead.

So as we consider the three temptations that the Gospels list for us we can keep those things in mind, Jesus obviously thought that the devil was a real entity, he was tempted but didn’t sin, and also shows us a way out of temptation, a way to fight it.

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ”

So in this first assault, what was it that the devil was tempting Jesus with? Is this really a matter of just getting something to eat? It says that after forty days He was hungry, what’s the harm in turning a stone into bread?

The answer to that question is found in Jesus’ response. (and you’ll notice a pattern in His responses) He quotes from Deuteronomy 8, I’d like to read His response in its full context, verses 1-5.

The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.

What was at stake for Jesus, what was the devil attacking? He was attacking Jesus’ trust in His Father to provide for His needs. 

Just as the Father provided manna in the wilderness for Israel, He could provide for Jesus. As the Son of God He could have turned a stone into bread but that would only be using His power to serve Himself which was contrary to God’s purpose.

What about the second temptation, what was under attack there?

5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ”

So what was the devil offering here?

Psalm 2:7-8 says, The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

If the nations were already Jesus’ heritage and the ends of the earth His possession, what was the devil offering? He was offering a way to take possession of the nations and the ends of the earth without the cross, without the agony of the scourge, without the nails, without the tomb. All Jesus had to do was turn from God’s will, turn from God’s plan and bow to Satan.

What was Jesus’ response? Deuteronomy 6 and I’ll add a little context to help us understand.

13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

So the devil now tries a new tactic. He says, “You’ve got Scripture, fine, I’ve got Scripture too!”

 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11 and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

What is the temptation here, what is the devil attacking? The devil twists the Scriptures to tempt Jesus to put God’s power on display in full view in the most public place there was. 

If Jesus was to jump off the top of the Temple everybody would see that the angels wouldn’t let Him fall to His death and everybody would see it, they would all see that He is Messiah and worship Him. 

So what’s the temptation? It’s the same as the other two, turn from the Father’s plan and it will be a lot easier for you, a lot better.

And how did Jesus respond? You guessed it, more Scripture! Deuteronomy 6:16-19,

16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. [Exodus 17] 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers 19 by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is an image of the conflict of the Christian life and what is constantly under attack is our trust in God.

Jesus was tempted over and over to depart from the will of God to stop trusting Him. 

The devil tried to motivate Jesus with a sense of entitlement, of pride, and of ease and celebrity, these are not uncommon to us!

John Calvin wrote, “The Son of God did not choose to undertake any contest of an unusual description, but to sustain assaults in common with us, that we might be furnished with the same armor, and might entertain no doubt as to achieving the victory.”

In every way Jesus was tempted to reject God’s will, to stop trusting Him, and in every case Jesus answered with Scripture. 

In Ephesians 6:10-18 it says,

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

The devil was asking Jesus, “Isn’t enjoyment better than hunger, isn’t honor better than shame, isn’t riches better than poverty, isn’t life better than death?” 

I think, if we’re honest, we would all be tempted to say yes to that question. 

But the truth is that none of those things are better if they are outside of God’s will. 

Jesus proved that hard doesn’t always equal bad, what matters is that we trust in the Lord whether we perceive our circumstances as good or bad, hard or easy. 

The victory is found in trusting the Lord. And He has already paid the penalty for all the times that we would fail.

Jesus trusted the Father even though it meant His death on the cross in our place. We must also trust the Lord no matter the cost for His glory alone.

Amen.

Jesus' Family Tree - Luke 3:23-38 - July 3, 2022

 Luke 3.23-38 Jesus’ Family Tree

Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 3.23-38, page 859 in the pew Bibles.

Though we are going to study a passage from the Gospel of Luke this morning I want to quickly remind you of the words of Paul from 2 Timothy 3.16-17 first. 

After we read from Luke it will be clear why.

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable, ALL Scripture…

23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Let’s pray.

All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable, ALL Scripture…

JJ van Oosterzee wrote, “This remarkable genealogical tree stands forth, a unique memorial of the faith and expectation of the Old Testament saints. To our imaginations, its boughs and branches had been vocal for centuries with the words: ‘Oh that Thou would’st rend the heavens,’ while tears of thankfulness and ecstasy water its root, and these names, which brighten, like stars of heaven, the history of Israel, seem moistened with the dew-drops of joy and ardent desire. Oh, not one single word of Holy Scripture was written in vain!” 

This is one of two recorded genealogies of Jesus, the other is in Matthew chapter 1. If you’re anything like me, when you come to passages like this you shift into speed read mode and coast over all these names or even skip these passages all together.

I know that’s true because nobody here has ever asked me about the differences between Luke’s genealogy of Jesus and Matthew’s. I can prove that it’s true of me because until this week I didn’t know there was a difference other than where they started and how far back they traced Jesus’ lineage.

Matthew begins with Abraham and draws the line all the way forward to Jesus through Joseph, while Luke starts with Jesus and goes backwards past Abraham and all the way to Adam.

There is a reason for this.

I want to point you to Matthew 1.16 and contrast that to Luke 3.23 and talk about the differences.

Matthew 1.16 …Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

Luke 3.23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as it was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli…

Matthew says that Joseph’s father’s name was Jacob, Luke says Heli. That’s not the only difference, half of the names are different, the number of names is different, the gender of some of the names is different as well. There has been significant debate about his over the centuries, scoffers even point to this as a contradiction in the Bible. But is it?

Some scholars say that lots of people had two names and that Matthew recorded one name and Luke recorded the other, at least some of the names. Some scholars suggest that Matthew recorded Jesus’ legal line back to king David and on through to Abraham as it would include brothers bearing sons for brother who had died or the line of the king going through nephews if a particular king didn’t have any sons… It gets really complicated. 

The suggestion is that Matthew has the legal line but Luke has the actual line. Matthew skipped over some names as they would be assumed by those who knew their history and to fit within his three sets of fourteen generations.

The truth of the matter is that these explanations are far too complicated to be the truth. 

One of the other marked differences between Matthew’s account and Luke’s is that Matthew included women’s names in his genealogy but Luke didn’t. I think that this is the difference that matters.

Matthew records a synopsis of the legal lineage of Jesus through Joseph back to David and to Abraham to establish that Jesus was indeed the Son of David the king as well as the Seed of Abraham.

Luke, however, parenthetically mentions Joseph but actually traces Jesus’ lineage through Mary. Heli was Mary’s father not Joseph’s. 

Being immaculately conceived by the Holy Spirit meant that He is the Son of God on His Father’s side and Luke’s record shows that He is the Son of God on His mother’s side as well. 

He is the eternal Son of God by human descent and by omnipotent act.

Another important connection here is to Adam, the first Adam.

Romans 5.12-19 says,

…just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous…

Adam was a type of the One to come, that’s Jesus, but where Adam failed Jesus triumphed. By the first Adam’s sin we were made sinners but by the Second Adam’s obedience, through faith in Him, we are made righteous.

1 Corinthians 15.42-49 says,

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam [that’s Jesus] became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Mankind has always borne the image of Adam, in our humanity and in our sin, but through faith in Jesus Christ all our sin is washed away so we can bear His image in His righteousness.

This genealogy serves as far more than just a historical record of Jesus’ connection to David and Judah, and Jacob and Isaac and Abraham and Adam, though it is that and that’s important. 

This genealogy points to the faithfulness of God to do what He promised, to be the Root and the Branch of David, and it also points to the humility of Jesus as the Son of God through Mary. This is her genealogy and she isn’t even listed. 

The miraculous begotten Son of Mary suffers Himself to be supposed the Son of Joseph. Jesus would have to endure the questions like, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s Son?” and, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11

Jesus is the eternally existent Son of God and the miraculously conceived Son of Man, fully God and fully man, the only One who could take the sin of the world upon Himself, though He was without sin, and pay sin’s eternal penalty, that the free gift of forgiveness and salvation and adoption by God could be ours through faith in Him.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Amen.

A Baptism Like No Other - Luke 3:18-22 - June 26, 2022

 Luke 3.18-22 A Baptism Like No Other

Good morning! We are continuing our work in the Gospel of Luke with chapter three beginning in verse eighteen, that’s on page 859 in the pew Bibles.

We have spent the last few weeks dealing with the remarkable character John the Baptist. In our study of the Gospel of Luke, this is it, this is the end. This is the moment when all our attention will turn from the Voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord to the Lord Himself. And we have this dramatic transition that happens at the baptism of Jesus.

Now as we look at our passage this morning, you may notice two things, one, that it is really short and low on details, and two, that it seems out of order chronologically speaking. I how you notice those two things, especially since I just pointed them out.

Let’s look at our passage and we can test whether or not you were paying attention just now.

18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison. 

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 

Let’s pray.

So did you notice that these two paragraphs are out of order? 

Jesus could not have been baptized by John if John was already in prison. 

Maybe you didn’t notice but Luke leaves out a lot of details about the baptism of Jesus that the other Gospel writers included. 

Well let’s get those things straightened out.

First things first, Luke’s purpose here in this passage, though it is not in chronological order, is to point to the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus and the beginning of the end of John the Baptist’s.

John the Baptist said in John 3:28-30, 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” 

The decrease of John’s ministry began with his imprisonment by Herod the tetrarch. John confronted Herod for marrying his own brothers wife, who incidentally was also his niece. (Herod’s family tree was more like a wreath.)

Herod, wicked as he was, was also morbidly curious about John and his message.

Mark records in his Gospel in chapter six, 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

Soon after this John would be beheaded in prison. But this wouldn’t happen for around two years after the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River which is recorded in the next paragraph in Luke 3. 

Though they are out of chronological order, Luke’s purpose was to move on from the ministry of John and focus solely on the ministry of Jesus beginning with His baptism. 

So let’s look at that.

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 

Matthew records another great example of the humility of John when Jesus came to him to be baptized in Matthew 3:13-15

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

Can you imagine being in John’s position? I’ve had the privilege of baptizing a number of people in the Name of Jesus and it’s always humbling, but to be asked to baptize Jesus Himself? I can’t even imagine!

Doctrinally speaking there is another item of great interest here and that is the presence and work of the Trinity at Jesus’ baptism.

Now if you’ve ever used a concordance or even an internet search for the word “trinity” in the Bible you won’t find it, there is no chapter and verse that uses the word. 

However, the teaching of the reality of the Trinity is all over the Bible beginning at creation and is perhaps never closer to the surface than in this event, the baptism of Jesus.

Here you have the Father speaking from heaven, the Son in the water, and the Holy Spirit descending on the Son in bodily form like a dove. 

What a beautiful picture of God who is distinct, yet three in one.

There’s lots of discussion to be had about that, especially when it comes to talking with our Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness friends who don’t believe in the Trinity, but that’s beyond our purposes for today.

All this is well and good and interesting, well, maybe, maybe not, but whenever I read this passage, or read about this event in the Gospels, I am always left with the question, why was Jesus baptized at all?

Think about it for a minute. John was baptizing people for repentance. 

The people came to John, were convicted of their sins, and were seeking to turn away from them in preparation for the coming of Messiah, and were baptized.

Jesus had no sin to repent of, he was perfectly sinless, He had no sin to turn from.

Some people say that Jesus was baptized to give us an example. Jesus was baptized and so we His disciples who have faith in Him and want to follow Him get baptized too.

Well, that isn’t quite right either. 

When a believer gets baptized they are symbolically looking back on the completed work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, embracing our spiritual death to sin and rising to new life as a new creation through faith in Jesus.

While there are certainly similarities between the believer’s baptism and the baptism of Jesus, such as through baptism we both identify with the church, the family of God, and through baptism we both are consecrated to the Father’s plan for us, there is no denying that no one has ever had a baptism like Jesus.

First off, as I already mentioned, Jesus was sinless, John was right in saying that he ought to be baptized by Jesus not the other way around, Jesus is Messiah, the Christ, no one who had ever been baptized, nor any who have been baptized since can rightly claim that they are Messiah.

When Jesus was baptized, as He told John in Matthew 3:15, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. This is not to say that he was not righteous before this moment, but it was an exercise in completing the observances and practices required.

To be baptized has always symbolized a change, a new start, and that’s exactly what Jesus was doing. He was moving from the quiet obscurity of growing up in Nazareth to unbounded publicity. 

His baptism was not for repentance but for a new direction, a direction that would lead Him to the cross.

When the Apostle John recorded the baptism of Jesus he wrote it this way in John 1,

29 The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Isaiah wrote about this event in Isaiah 11.1-3,

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

There is some debate about whether or not there was an actual dove and whether or not it was only John and Jesus that saw it, not that it really matters, we have all we need to understand.

This was the anointing of the Spirit, the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry for us as the atoning High Priest.

And finally there was the voice from heaven, the Father saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

This is an echo of Isaiah 42:1-3, Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench…

And also Psalm 2:7, The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”

This was not news to Jesus, He knew who He was. But the voice of the Father from heaven served as a seal and a consecration to Jesus as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

Only Jesus could truly say the words of Isaiah 61 about Himself, 

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of His public ministry of proclaiming Good News to the poor, binding up the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives, and through His death on the cross and resurrection form the dead He opened up the prison doors and set free those who were bound in sin.

In our baptism (and we get baptized because Jesus commanded us to) we look back on Jesus’ completed work and identify with the rest of the church family as belonging to Him, be made like Him in His death and raised again to new life through faith in Him.

— to be given a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that we may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that HE may be glorified.

Amen.