The Essential JesusSample

The Beginning Ministry of Jesus

I ONCE WATCHED A TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY about the life of popular singer Bob Dylan. It was fun to see footage of the scruffy-haired star singing his greatest hits, including "Blowin' in the Wind," "The Times They Are A-Changin'," and "Like a Rolling Stone," and many more. The part of the program that most interested me was his early career, especially the year when he made the transition from an unknown folk singer named Robert Zimmerman in Minnesota to a "discovered" rock star in New York City named Bob Dylan.

Of course, Jesus was far more than a rock star. In our next five readings, we'll examine a similar transition period in his life as he goes from being an unknown carpenter from Nazareth to a popular preacher and healer who attracted big crowds. Unfortunately, there is no television footage from those exciting days, but the Gospel accounts capture plenty of vivid detail.

First, we'll look at what amounts to Jesus' public debut, his baptism. John the Baptist created quite a stir by preaching an uncompromising message of repentance, and people were lining up to be dunked by him in the Jordan River. When Jesus' turn came, God spoke loud and clear, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) From the very beginning, it was clear that Jesus was more than a carpenter.

It's why the devil attacked him right away in the desert, as we'll see next. We sometimes think temptation comes when we do the wrong thing or allow ourselves to get into the wrong situation. That's true enough, but temptation can also come when we try to do the right thing; Jesus was in the middle of a forty-day spiritual retreat. Either way, we'll learn how Jesus dealt with temptation, which is incredibly helpful to know today.

Finally, as his ministry begins to pick up steam, we'll hear Jesus articulate his mission statement, examine the nature of his ministry, and watch as he begins recruiting his team. It's all exciting stuff.

One key theme that emerges from these early days of Jesus' ministry is his commitment to finding followers. In fact, throughout the Gospel accounts, we see Jesus giving the simple challenge, "Follow me." That little phrase packs tremendous meaning, both for his original hearers and us.

This Is My Son

PRAY: "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens" (Psalm 68:19). Spend some time setting your burdens before the Lord.

READ: Matthew 3:1-17

REFLECT: I wonder if John the Baptist was a fun person to be around. Think about it: he was a negative conversationalist (v. 2) and had a knack for offending people (v. 7). Not only that, he was a weird dresser and had strange ideas about food (v. 4). He probably had bad breath too. How could such an odd duck become such a popular preacher (v. 5)? The answer is simple: he had a unique twofold message that people were hungry to hear.

Repent! The first part of his message had to do with repentance. John told people they were sinners and told them what to do about it (v. 8). You wouldn't think that would be such a popular theme, but to people weighed down by sin, a call to repentance is a blessing. If you've ever been forgiven for something you've done wrong, you know what I'm talking about. Unconfessed sin has a way of eating us up from the inside out, but when we repent and finally get free of our guilt, we experience relief and joy. Perhaps those who think repentance is negative haven't tried it yet.

The kingdom of God is near! The second part of John's message had to do with Jesus; it's what he meant by saying, "the kingdom of God is near." John the Baptist was the first to publicly announce his younger cousin was the Messiah (John 1:29-34). That took a lot of humility (Matthew 3:11), but that was John's calling (v. 3).

This set the stage for a milestone event in the Gospel narrative (vv. 13-17). Although John didn't understand (v. 14), Jesus knew it was important for him to be baptized (v. 15) because it would become a unique demonstration of his divine nature (v. 17). How interesting that all three persons of the Trinity were involved: the Son was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended, and the Father spoke. Amen.

APPLY: Which part of John the Baptist's message applies the most to you now? To repent? Or that Jesus is near? Why?

PRAY: Lord Jesus, I don't understand many things, but I want to get closer to you. Please show me the things that stand in the way of that.