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Now
when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was
praying, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily
form like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son, with
you, I am well pleased” Luke 3:21-22 (ESV)
Jesus chose to be baptized along with other people by
John the Baptist. There are several thoughts on why Jesus chose to be baptized.
One is that “this was the first public declaration of His ministry.” (1)
He chose to be identified with “those who were repenting of their sins”. (2).
His heavenly Father confirmed his decision to do this.
When we pray, do we expect answers from God? Yes, we do.
Can we expect answers to be forthcoming quickly? Not always. God sometimes must
withhold His answers until we are ready for them. It is during these times He equips
us with what we need in order to receive the answer we seek.
This event in Jesus’ life came eighteen years after He
was in the temple where He listened to the reading of God’s word. When Mary and
Joseph found him there, He told them, He had to be about His Father’s work. God
chose to wait for His Son identify with the common ordinary people before He blessed
Jesus with the words at the end of our focus text.
(1) Life Application Bible (NIV), Tyndale House Inc.,
Zondervan Publishing House, ©1991-page 1797
(2) IBID
I can feel the presence of God when I read this scripture in your post, its such a powerful scripture, and your questions and reflections are very thoughtful. Blessings and Peace to you. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteShayndel: Thank you for your beautiful thoughts. I could not do any writing without the LORD's help and guidance. About a year ago, I felt led to add speaking to my writing ministry. Just recently, I was able to get permission to lead a Bible Study at a local retirement community. Yesterday was my first time there. God was present and they were attentive to the lesson I took. I chose the book of Philippians. I am scheduled for once a month. I have been taking Bible studies to a local nursing home for about a year.
DeleteThank you so much. I am reading about it, during my perosnal Bible Study.
ReplyDeleteAritha: You are most welcome. This aspect of Jesus' life, His prayer life is vital to His ministry. It is also vital to our present-day ministries as we serve and live for Him.
DeleteI love it that Jesus was baptized, even though he never sinned.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I expect to get answers when I pray! They rarely come as quickly as I'd like, but sometimes God surprises me. That's always fun.
Jeanette: The fact that Jesus chose to be baptized has always intrigued me. Yes, He was sinless, however he was both God and man. He may have felt He needed to do this in order for people to identify with Him.
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