Jesus - A Glimpse Of God Part 8

Jesus’ Baptism & Genealogy

 

Welcome back to our series, AGOG – A Glimpse of God. We are on Day 8 of our adventure, looking together at the life of the most amazing person in human history - Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Today we will look at the baptism of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and his genealogy!

Mark 1:9-11 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

John 1:24-34 Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Jesus’ baptism shows the commencement of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus is now about 30 years old. John the Baptist precedes all Gospel accounts of the start of Jesus’ ministry, and this is because repentance before God is the key to starting a new life in God’s Kingdom. As you know, we looked at John in our previous study.

Jesus comes to John the Baptist, and presents himself for baptism. John at first refuses to do it (Matthew 3:13-15). He knew that Jesus was the perfect Son of God who had no need to repent of sin.

But why did Jesus get baptized? Through his baptism, Jesus identifies with all sinners that He came to save. In replying to John’s initial refusal to baptize him, Jesus Himself gives the answer “…it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). This looks forward to the cross, because it is only through the baptism of suffering that Jesus endured on the cross, that God is able to fulfil all righteousness. The “us” referred to means Father, Son and Spirit. When Jesus came up from the water, the Father spoke from heaven and identified Him as the beloved Son of God, and the Spirit visibly came upon Jesus in the form of a dove.

Witness by The Father and the Spirit: Witnesses to this event are God the Father and God the Holy Spirit! God the Father spoke these words “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” God the Holy Spirit came down as a dove and remained rested on Jesus, God the Son! WOW! What a sight that must have been! Amazing!

Who is this Jesus? Jesus’ genealogies as recorded for us in the Gospels, Luke 3:23–38 and Matthew 1:1–17, show that Jesus the Son of God was also the Son of Man, born into the world, identifying with the needs and problems of mankind. Through the genealogies, we see down through the generations Jesus’ link to Adam and ultimately God. The phrase “the son of” generally means any remotely connected descendant or ancestor.

It is a reminder that Jesus, being Joseph’s legal son was part of a human family, tribe, race and nation. Jesus’ line goes back through the Old Testament from Joseph to King David to Judah, Jacob, Isaac and Abraham, to Methuselah to Noah and Adam. The genealogy, with its link to David, shows Jesus’ right to ascend to David’s throne (Luke 1v32-33). The genealogy shows Jesus’ total human-ness, and because he is linked to Adam, identifies with all humanity and not just Israel. But there is one difference between Jesus and all other humans. In Luke’s genealogy of Jesus, he doesn’t stop at Adam, as he would have for all other humans, but goes further linking Jesus to God.

He was the Son of Man as well as the Son of God. Adam has come into the world bearing the true image of a son of God, but, when Adam disobeyed God, that image was marred and scarred due to sin entering the world. All that is, except Jesus. The voice from God the Father ratified Jesus as the Son of God. Not a son of God as some may claim, but the one and only Son of God. The genealogy of Jesus Christ, points to the unbroken relationship between Jesus and God.

Come back tomorrow for Day 9 of our series AGOG, as we continue to look together that extraordinary man, Jesus Christ, through the Gospel accounts! We will look at Jesus’ Temptations! See you soon!

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