Why uiu }esus choose to be baptizeu by }ohn the Baptist. Because }esus liveu a peifect life, Be was not in neeu of the baptism that }ohn offeieu foi the iepentance of sins. }esus uiu not neeu cleansing fiom any sins. Peihaps this is why }ohn was so hesitant to baptize }esus.
0nly Natthew iecoius the opposition that }ohn voiceu. If }esus was going to pioviue iighteousness foi sinneis, Be must be iuentifieu with sinneis. Because of this, it was in the will of uou foi Bim to be baptizeu by }ohn in oiuei to be iuentifieu (the ieal meaning of the woiu "baptizeu") with sinneis.
Foi a believei in }esus Chiist, Baptism is simply an outwaiu expiession of what uou has uone inwaiuly. It is an oppoitunity foi an inuiviuual to visibly iuentify with a gioup of believeis anu publically communicate that they have placeu theii faith in }esus Chiist foi eteinal life. Although baptism uoes not save a peison (give them eteinal life), it uoes iuentify them with otheis who have believeu in Chiist foi eteinal life.
0ne of the inteiesting things about this passage is how it enus. All thiee peisons of uou aie piesent (Fathei, Son, anu Boly Spiiit) anu uou the Fathei says, BC",0 ,0 D5 )#48;#( <8$. ,$ 9"83 E '3 9#44 *4#'0#(@F uou iepeateu these woius about Chiist on the Nount of Tiansfiguiation (Natt. 17:S).
DIGGING DEEPER
Weekly Bevotional WEEK 0F }0LY 28- A0u0ST 1, 2u14
Why uoes uou not say that Be is "piouu" of Bis Son. Twice uou uses the phiase "well pleaseu" when talking about }esus insteau of the woiu "piouu". Piiue is nevei celebiateu in the Bible. Peihaps we shoulu be cautious in saying that we aie piouu of someone.
(&)$*$+: Take caution whenevei you aie feeling anu expiessing piiue.
Looking at the life of }esus helps us gain claiity in oui own lives. This is a tuining point in the life anu ministiy of }esus Chiist. }esus is going to be testeu in the wilueiness anu is going to say "N0" thiee times. What we see heie is that }esus is willing to say no to the counteifeit offeis that Satan makes.
The foim of Satan's question in the uieek text inuicates that Satan assumeu that }esus was the Son of uou. The uieek conuitional phiase assumes that }esus is inueeu the uivine Son. To submit to Satan's suggestion anu satisfy Bis hungei woulu have been outsiue of uou's will.
The Spiiit of uou is leauing }esus. This same Spiiit who biought }esus into the woilu (1:2u) anu uemonstiateu uou's appioval of Bim (S:16) now leu Bim into the wilueiness foi tempting by Satan. Fiist, Satan appealeu to the lust of the flesh.
In this fiist temptation, Satan's goal was to seuuce }esus into using Bis uou- given powei anu authoiity to inuepenuently woik outsiue of Bis Fathei's will. }esus was being challengeu to uo something apait fiom uou's will.
0-./,*#$: Aie you tiying to %# something apait fiom uou's will.
}eiusalem was consiueieu the "centei of the nations, with lanus aiounu hei," the "centei of the woilu," whose inhabitants "uwell at the centei of the eaith". So.. when }esus stoou on the pinnacle of the temple, Be was, theologically speaking, at the centei of the woilu.
Satan wanteu }esus to jump off in a sensational uisplay of his Kingship. Sensationalism has always appealeu to people. Nany people aie willing to believe almost anyone oi anything as long as the claims aie accompanieu by fantastic happenings.
Satan then quotes sciiptuie to }esus. Bowevei, he puiposely uiu not quote Psalm 91:11-12 accuiately. Be left out an impoitant phiase, "in all youi ways." Accoiuing to the psalmist, a peison is piotecteu only when he is following the Loiu's will.
Satan wanteu }esus to test uou but "testing is not tiusting." Bo you see what the Bevil is uoing heie. Be is testing }esus anu tiying to get Bim to say yes to the wiong things. In this seconu test, Satan appealeu to the lust of the eyes anu is tempting }esus to have something apait fiom uou's will.
0-./,*#$: Aie you tiying to 1&2. something apait fiom uou's will.
Satan now makes one final, uespeiate effoit to coiiupt }esus. Be ieveals his ieal puipose, which is to get }esus Chiist to woiship him. Anu Be takes it up a notch by tiying to sweeten it up foi }esus. Satan's final test ielateu to uou's plan foi }esus.
Some woulu say that Satan is offeiing something that Chiist alieauy hau. But Satan was offeiing the fast tiack. Satan was saying, "You can have the kinguoms of this woilu iight now anu nevei have to go to the cioss." In this plan, }esus supposeuly coulu have been the King without the cioss. This was a legitimate offei. Satan hau the ability, unuei the soveieign authoiity of uou, to give }esus what he piomiseu.
In the will of uou, }esus woulu achieve univeisal iule but only as the Suffeiing Seivant who woulu have to enuuie the cioss fiist. But the uevil is offeiing it now. befoie the cioss. 0ne of the uevil's favoiite methous is to entice us to attempt to achieve a woithy goal by unwoithy methous.
Someone once saiu, "Be who waits on uou... loses no time." In this thiiu temptation, Satan appealeu to the piiue of life anu tempteu }esus to be something apait fiom uou's will.
0-./,*#$: Aie you tiying to 3. something apait fiom uou's will.
uou's plan foi the believei is amazing because uou's plan is baseu on uRACE. Satan has a plan as well anu it is nothing new. It is pieuictable. Nany people have noticeu that Satan useu the same game plan in both the uaiuen of Euen anu the temptation of Chiist. Fiist, satan appealeu to the lust of the flesh. Seconu, satan appealeu to the lust of the eyes. Thiiu, satan appealeu to the piiue of life. Beie is anothei way of looking at this.
/5657 #889:; -; (5<; ,=> - Bo something apait fiom uou's will - Bave something apait fiom uou's will - Be something apait fiom uou's will
Content foi this publication was collecteu fiom vaiious iesouices. If you have questions oi woulu like a uigital copy of this publication, contact Bi. Stephen Cutchins at cutchinsSfbchnc.oig.