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The Life of Jesus: Baptism and Temptation. Text: Metzger, pp. 129 - 134. John the Baptist. All four gospels place the beginning of Jesus’ ministry shortly after the beginning of the ministry of John. The first disciples of Jesus came from the disciples of John.
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The Life of Jesus: Baptism and Temptation Text: Metzger, pp. 129 - 134
John the Baptist • All four gospels place the beginning of Jesus’ ministry shortly after the beginning of the ministry of John. • The first disciples of Jesus came from the disciples of John. • John was the first to publicly recognize the presence of the Christ: • John 1:29 … “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
John is compared to Elijah • Mark 1:6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. • 2 Kings 1:8 They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
John is compared to Elijah • Malachi 4:5-6 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
John is compared to Elijah • Luke 1:16-17 “…he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children… to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
John compared to Elijah • Matthew 17:10-13 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased….” …the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
John’s Message • Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” • Matthew 3:7-8 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
John’s Baptism • Mark 1:4-5 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
John’s Baptism • Baptism (immersion) was practiced as ritual cleansing by Jews for centuries • John’s was more like “proselyte baptism,” the inauguration of Gentiles into the Jewish religion. • It is as if John “excommunicated” all of Israel, then called them back to repentance.
John Predicts Jesus’ Baptism • Luke 3:15-18 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Sources for Jesus’ Baptism • Matthew 3:13-17 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.16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Sources for Jesus’ Baptism • Mark 1:9-12 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
Sources for Jesus’ Baptism • Luke 3:21-22 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.”
Sources for Jesus’ Baptism • John 1:29-34 … (John) saw Jesus … 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 … 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 … 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.”
Purpose of Jesus’ Baptism • If Jesus was sinless, then he needed neither repentance nor forgiveness. Why, then, His baptism? • Matthew 3:14-15 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
Jesus’ Temptation • Immediately after his baptism and announcement of God’s approval. • Forty days of isolation and deprivation preceded the event. • The synoptic gospels clearly regard this as part of God’s plan: • Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Three Temptations Matthew 4:3-10“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”4But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil … set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him,“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil ... showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him,“All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Meaning of Temptations • “If you are the Son of God…” • All involved a denial of His calling and a refusal to “empty himself” (Philippians 2:6) of divine privilege. • Hebrews 4:15 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.
Jesus’ Initial Preaching He echoed the message of John: • Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” • Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Introduction to the Periods of Jesus’ Ministry • First Year: Obscurity • Judea to Galilee to Judea • Second Year: Popularity • Mostly in Galilee, ends in Judea • Third Year: Opposition • Through Galilee to the northern provinces back through Perea to Jerusalem • Final Week