Here's the link to Matthew 3.
This is an interesting chapter that I have actually never really given much thought to. I seem to always have accepted that there was a "John the Baptist" and that he baptized Jesus. But when I read this just now, it really sunk in. First of all, John the Baptist is a very eccentric man, to put it nicely. He wears garments made of camel hair, he eats locusts and honey, he lives in the wilderness. He is basically the epitome of a dirty hippie, and he has given his life to bringing people to God. And John gets it. He tells people that they cannot rest easy in knowing they are sons of Abraham; they can't just think that their bloodline or their profession alone is enough to make a "straight path" for God. No, their lives must bear fruit. John says that the "ax is at the root of the trees," ready to chop down the plants in the vineyard that do not serve the purpose for which they were created. He's not necessarily condemning people, but he does want to shake their security to the point where they look at themselves and say, "Have I spent my life preparing a way for the Lord?"
Also, the whole event described in the second part of this chapter is just a little strange when you acknowledge that Jesus is God. I was initially like, "Hold the phone...Why did Jesus, the God of the Universe, get baptized by a camel-hair-wearing, locust-eating hippie?!" Well, Jesus got baptized NOT to become righteous in the eyes of God...because he already is completely righteous. But he was baptized as a symbol of his human submission to God. He did it to fulfill righteousness. After being baptized, the Holy Spirit anointed him, and thus began Jesus' public ministry. In the end, baptism doesn't do anything, but it is an important symbol of a change in our lives brought about by becoming renewed by God.
This is an interesting chapter that I have actually never really given much thought to. I seem to always have accepted that there was a "John the Baptist" and that he baptized Jesus. But when I read this just now, it really sunk in. First of all, John the Baptist is a very eccentric man, to put it nicely. He wears garments made of camel hair, he eats locusts and honey, he lives in the wilderness. He is basically the epitome of a dirty hippie, and he has given his life to bringing people to God. And John gets it. He tells people that they cannot rest easy in knowing they are sons of Abraham; they can't just think that their bloodline or their profession alone is enough to make a "straight path" for God. No, their lives must bear fruit. John says that the "ax is at the root of the trees," ready to chop down the plants in the vineyard that do not serve the purpose for which they were created. He's not necessarily condemning people, but he does want to shake their security to the point where they look at themselves and say, "Have I spent my life preparing a way for the Lord?"
- Thinking/praying point: Do I hang my hat on a false security? Do I say, "I got saved when I was a teenager, so I'm set for life," "I go to church, so it's all good," or "I pray before my meals, so God's got my back." We can say things like this until we are blue in the face, but the truth is that our lives must be a response to our love for God and God's love for us. Does my life bear fruit? I pray that I be transformed every day and arise every morning with a new desire to be fruitful for God's kingdom.
Also, the whole event described in the second part of this chapter is just a little strange when you acknowledge that Jesus is God. I was initially like, "Hold the phone...Why did Jesus, the God of the Universe, get baptized by a camel-hair-wearing, locust-eating hippie?!" Well, Jesus got baptized NOT to become righteous in the eyes of God...because he already is completely righteous. But he was baptized as a symbol of his human submission to God. He did it to fulfill righteousness. After being baptized, the Holy Spirit anointed him, and thus began Jesus' public ministry. In the end, baptism doesn't do anything, but it is an important symbol of a change in our lives brought about by becoming renewed by God.
- Thinking/praying point: In being baptized, did I truly submit to God in that moment? Did that moment represent that my life is on fire for God?
It's incredible that Jesus didn't consider it "below" him to allow John the Baptist to be the harbinger of the Holy Spirit "descending like a dove." Even John was like, "Ummm, shouldn't YOU be baptizing ME?" But Jesus knew better.
- Thinking/praying point: I pray that I will allow people into my life that I wouldn't normally. I hope I won't judge people too harshly, because God can be using them in my life for something amazing. I pray for humility and wisdom.
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