Today, we’re going to begin a new study series based on the things Jesus taught his disciples and the crowds that came to him. First, a little background. Jesus is now 30 years old and has been working as a carpenter/stone mason with his father Joseph for years. But now something new is happening in Judea; Jesus’ cousin John has begun preaching, teaching, and baptizing people, earning the nickname John the Baptist. People are excited, thrilled, and frightened in equal measure. There hasn’t been a prophet in Israel since the prophet Malachi 400 years earlier. And look at the last prophecy Malachi has given: “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5-6)
All Jesus’ life has led up to this point, for Jesus has been aware of his calling as God’s Son since he was born. But God the Father has instructed Jesus to wait until the prophet foretold by Malachi appears. Now word has reached the village of Nazareth that something amazing is happening. We find the story in Matthew 3:1-12.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts* and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
Word has already reached Jesus that John has been spending lots of time with the Essenes in their desert location. Now John has moved into ministry. John is living on locusts and wild honey. Locusts are considered clean according to Jewish dietary laws, and they are a common food source in the region. Why does the Bible mention John’s diet? This information indicates that John was trying to live as pure a life as possible. For years, people have shrunk back when considering John’s diet; however, these days, many commercially prepared foods contain insect powder. An AI search reveals the following: Many foods currently contain powdered insects, often without consumers realizing it. Insect powders, such as cricket and mealworm powder, are increasingly used in various food products due to their high protein content and sustainability benefits. Such foods include protein bars, chips and crackers, baked goods, and even smoothies and shakes.
Now Jesus has traveled from Nazareth to the Jordan River near Bethany beyond the Jordan. This location is traditionally identified as Al-Maghtas, situated on the eastern bank of the river in modern-day Jordan, across from Jericho. God is moving Jesus to come to John for baptism as a form of anointing for service.
Matthew 3:13-17 The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
Notice something. Even though Jesus knows He is the Son of God and that he has been called to preach and teach, he still submits himself to John for baptism. John is horrified, for he first sensed Jesus while both of them were in their mother’s wombs, and he knows Jesus is the Son of God. But God has instructed Jesus to come to John as a form of submission. In a way, being willing to undergo baptism is also a test, for if Jesus refuses to submit himself to John in baptism, any further ministry will be worthless.
So, John and Jesus enter the water, John immerses Jesus, and then God sends the Holy Spirit descending like a dove and resting on Jesus. In addition, God calls from heaven, proclaiming, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
Why is God’s approval so necessary? The human side of Jesus needs reassurance that he is doing the right thing, that he has been called and set apart. The divine side of Jesus needs this reassurance because he knows he must undergo severe testing before he will be allowed to enter into ministry.
What a magnificent thing for God to say! “…my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” How many of us have longed for our earthly parents to say something similar, and how few of us have heard them say such things? One of the fundamental messages in the Smalley/Trent book The Blessing is that many of us have never received blessings from our parents because they never received blessings from their parents and therefore have no idea how to give them.
But here’s the most wonderful thing: God wants to say the same thing about each one of us, that each of us is His “loved son/daughter, who brings Him great joy.” Many times, we look at ourselves and doubt whether or not we give joy to anybody. We are acutely conscious of our failings, and we’re honest enough to doubt that God can possibly take joy in us at all. Yet, God tells us in Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.’”
How can a holy and righteous God possibly rejoice over sinful people, even to the point of singing songs over them? The difference stems from the gap between human love and divine love. Most of our love is conditional: I’ll love you, IF… But God’s love is unconditional; He already knows our failings and yet He loves us anyway. We struggle to believe such a thing is possible because we know we fail routinely. But Jesus has come to free us from our sins, to deliver us from the consequences, and to perfect us into the Image of God, if we will only believe in Him.
As you look in the mirror today, remember that the person who looks back at you is loved unconditionally, completely, and eternally. 1 John 3:1 tells us, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.” Want to know God? Confess that you are a sinner and nothing you can do is good enough for you to earn your way into heaven. Then thank God that through His merciful gift of Jesus Christ, your sins have been forgiven because Jesus has sacrificed himself for those sins. Now promise God that you will live for Him and not for yourself.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners and there’s nothing we can do to make up for those sins. Please forgive us for our sins. Thank You that Jesus has paid the price for our sins by dying for us at Calvary. Help us to live for You from this moment onward. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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