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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Our world continues to writhe in response to the global Coronavirus COVID-19 scare, with fresh news coming out almost hourly. I wonder how each of you are emotionally responding today, where-ever you live, and how your community is responding?
May I remind you my friends, Coronavirus is a FLU. It’s not smallpox or diphtheria or HIV or the Ebola virus. It’s a new version of the FLU! I’m not minimizing it, but we know how to stay safe from the flu, and even how to fight it if we get it. Let’s be wise my friends in how we process all the news, some of which is very frightening.
Fear is a powerful emotion isn’t it? Often people turn to God, as wave after wave of fear washes over them, isn’t that true? Would you consider with me that behind the terrible economic news and the fearful disruption of normal life for almost everyone, there is possibly a global spiritual ‘great awakening’ happening with this Coronavirus COVID-19, as maybe millions of people are crying out to God for His help in this global ‘pandemic of fear’?
Could it be that more people will reach to God in desperation, and find Him and trust Jesus in these days, than at any other time in history? May I urge you to be ready and available to speak the hope of Jesus to those who are fearful around you? I hope the resources we have on this “Walking with Jesus” website, especially the verses I gave you yesterday, can help you do this.
One month from this weekend will be Easter. May I invite us, therefore, to walk together in the footsteps of Jesus, through the pages of the Gospels, from today to that great weekend… the weekend which makes it possible for those in fear in 2020, to find hope and eternal life in Jesus Christ?
As you perhaps know, four books of the Bible tell us the story of Jesus’ earthly life. They are the first four New Testament books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
With the exception of Luke 2:41-50, where we find the story of Jesus as a boy, going to Jerusalem with His earthly family for the Feast of the Passover, these four authors are silent regarding Jesus’ life from the time they settled in Nazareth, following their refugee days in Egypt (Matt. 2:19-23) until His baptism as an adult by John the Baptist. Luke 2:52 summarizes these years with this one simple statement: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Please don’t rush past this statement friends. It means Jesus developed as all young boys do, because He was human! But because He was also the Son of God, these developmental years were likely very different for Jesus than for any other child or teenager.
God’s hand of favor and protection was upon Jesus as a boy, and evidently, He gained the respect of all in Nazareth who observed Him. From all outward appearances Jesus was like any other boy, including the other sons Joseph and Mary had, who are named in Mark 6:3, James, Joseph, Judas and Simon.
You know how parents enjoy reminiscing about the unique stories of their children? How often did Joseph and Mary speak of the many miracles related to Jesus’ conception, birth and His young years? You know the Christmas story, so can you imagine the conversations they might have had? The angelic visits, the trip to Bethlehem, the shepherds, the Magi, their late night rush out of Bethlehem to Egypt, their time as refugees in Egypt and finally their return to make Nazareth their home. You will find all those stories and more in Luke 1 & 2, and Matthew 1&2. I wonder what your favorite part of the Christmas story is? Have you ever thought about this: what’s Jesus’ favorite part of the Christmas story?
Perhaps you’ve noticed Joseph is not mentioned in Jesus’ story after that Jerusalem visit in Luke 2:41-52. There is no explanation of when or why Joseph disappeared from the story, and it would not be wise or fair for us to speculate. But it is important, I think, for us to acknowledge by the time Jesus is an adult, and the Gospels once again resume His story, Joseph is not included, but Mary has birthed at least six other children, all having grown up as siblings with Jesus, as we see in Mark 6:3.
We have no record that any of them believed Jesus to be the Son of God until after His resurrection, Easter weekend. Two of them, James and Judas, later wrote books that are in our New Testament and bear their names. Judas evidently took the name “Jude”, perhaps so as to not be confused with the Judas who betrayed Jesus.
Dr. Luke, the Greek physician, learned of Jesus through his years with the Apostle Paul, and his extensive interviews. (Luke 1:1-4) Luke opens the adult story of Jesus with a specific point in time in history. In Luke 3:1 we read “In the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar – when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea…” We’re grateful to Dr. Luke for this. Roman history books tell us Tiberius was the Roman Caesar from AD14 – 37, thus Luke 3:1 would be the year AD29. In that verse we also see named several people who become famous, primarily because of their involvement in the life of Jesus as an adult.
Luke continues “The word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance…” and then we see Dr. Luke quotes Isaiah, the famous Jewish prophet, and the words he wrote 650 years before, which predicted “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord…”.
That quote from Isaiah 40:3-5 describes John’s role as the announcer, the fore-runner of Jesus, as Gabriel the angel had promised Zechariah. (Luke 1:13-17) We don’t know exactly how “the word of the Lord came to John…” but we do know John was “Filled with the Holy Spirit from birth”. (Luke 1:15) Thus we presume the Holy Spirit spoke powerfully to John, and John launched into his ministry of calling the people of Israel to prepare for a soon coming Messiah!
As the people responded with repentance for their sins, John baptized them, many of them, in the Jordan river. As Mark says it“John came, baptizing… and preaching a baptism of repentance…” Some years later, in order to be clear about the significance of John’s baptism, the Apostle Paul wrote “…John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” (Acts 19:4) So John’s baptism was one in which people acknowledged their sin and their longing for a Savior soon to come. It was NOT a baptism in which they received forgiveness for sin.
When asked by some if he was the long awaited Messiah, John the Baptist quickly responded with this clarity “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire…” (Matthew 3:11) Do you recognize John’s reference to what happened on Pentecost day in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Jesus, with tongues of fire and baptized them so they spoke in languages they had never learned, and communicated the truth about the resurrected Jesus? (Acts 2:1-12)
Would you now look with me at Matthew 3:13-15 where he gives us a very clear report of adult Jesus’ first appearance as the Christ “Then Jesus came from Galilee,to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter Him saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You…’. Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now, it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness. Then John consented.”
Friends, it’s important for us to realize this moment was a strategic, defining moment in history. It was the moment in which Jesus would begin His earthly mission. The mission of redemption for which God the Father had sent Jesus to earth. In this moment Jesus would be publicly identified, by God to all who were present, and all who would ever hear about this event.
In His baptism, Jesus was NOT acknowledging that He had any sin, but Jesus was acknowledging that He had come to take upon Himself the sins of the world and pay the full atonement price for their forgiveness! It’s very, very important we understand this!
Matthew reports this ‘defining moment’ in verses 16,17 “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My Son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.”
Friends, do you see in this one moment God the Father speaking and identifying Jesus as God the Son, and the Holy Spirit of God coming upon Jesus? This is a Trinity verse, all three persons of the Godhead… God the Father, Son and Spirit, all present and active in unique ways, in one verse.
While many people were likely baptized by John in the Jordan river that day, no one had an experience like Jesus, and for all who were watching, suddenly everything changed. While Jesus may have looked like any other man baptized by John that day, He clearly was not like any other person who has ever lived. This was“Immanuel”, God with us! (Matt. 1:23)
Let’s stand in the crowd on the river bank that day. What have we just witnessed my friends? See the water running down on Jesus, as He stands beside John the Baptizer. This moment needs to stand distinctive of all other moments in history. Jesus, God the Son, is among us and is beginning His mission of Redemption, standing in the Jordan river, announced by Almighty God and anointed by the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus walks up out of the river, we’ll follow Him… for the next 30 days, to Easter. Are you ready friends? In the face of the global pandemic of Coronavirus COVID-19 fears JESUS is inviting you and me to walk with HIM and let HIM and the power of God calm your fears and give you peace as you and Jesus build a very special relationship in these days.
And if you’ve never known Jesus, it will be my privilege to introduce you to Him in these days. He and I have been walking together for years. Nothing has more defined who I am or what my life is all about than my relationship with Jesus, and I invite you to join with me. It will be exciting my friends. Write me if you have any questions. . .
In closing I ask you this question: what happened in the Jordan river that day? What does it mean to you and me and our world today, 2000 years later? I invite you to respond to that question on the ‘engage’ tab in the APP or web site. Join the conversation with me!
Lord Jesus we thank You for this historic moment and what it meant to the people who saw it as eye witnesses and what it means to us, 2000 years later. We look very much forward to walking with You over these next 30 days.
Click to read today’s chapters: Matthew 1; Matthew 2; Matthew 3; Luke 1; Luke 2; Luke 3. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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