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(The life of our Savior) John the Baptist starts his ministry. Chapter 3.1
(Matt. 3:1-6, Mark 1:1-6, Luke 3:1-6)
note: John 1:6-13 covers John the Baptist but we used that earlier in “Embarking on total Truth”
Click here for outline of our study
Recall in our last study when Jesus and his family went Jerusalem for the Passover festival, on their way home Jesus stayed behind for three days to talk to the religious teachers and scribes at the age of twelve. We don’t hear any more about Jesus until He is older (around 30 years old), Jesus and His earthly parents go live a quiet life in Nazareth. Jesus grow up learn the skills of a carpenter. Understand this is all God’s plan and it went the way it was supposed to.
Now we haven’t talked about John the Baptist for a while, so there has been some time that has went on since he was born and we can look back and see the study where Zacharias the priest was in the temple and heard the news about his wife Elizabeth was going to bear a child, a very special child. This was a short time before the Virgin Mary was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit with Jesus. So John the Baptist is around 27-30 years old when he shows up on the scene.
It’s important to know that while we don’t hear anything about John the Baptist for years and he just shows up preaching he was no doubt being filled with the Holy Spirit and being blessed by God with wisdom, knowledge and understand about the coming Messiah with His Ministry and Gospel.
Also John and Jesus never meet in this time; John was off all by himself in the wilderness basically getting close to God along with gearing up to take the region and religious leaders by storm.
This is the first time we are looking at the Gospel of Mark. He wrote his letter to the Gentile reader and the way he starts his Gospel is he starts it by saying the start of the Good News is John the Baptist.
Mark 1:1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. 2 It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written:“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.
3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’
Mark uses two passages from the prophets, the first part is from Malachi 3:1 and the second part is from Isaiah 40:3. Understanding the ministry of Jesus comes from the Old Testament.
4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.
John’s practice of baptizing those who came to him for repentance was such a characteristic of his that he became called “the Baptist”. What’s interesting is this was before the Lord came on the scene and people were fully recognizing that they needed to repent. Recall repent means “change your mind”. Turn back to God.
I recall where I worked a guy walked in with a black shirt on with red writing “I feel a sin coming on”. I think back to the way I use to think and really if we haven’t come to know Jesus we just think sinning is a thing that just doesn’t exist. It’s just life, the word sin is almost fairy tale, and it doesn’t mean anything.
That’s just what Satan wants us to keep believing, but someone or something in our life will nudge or move us towards the Truth and when we get a taste of it slowly but surely in time we will understand the damage sin does to our life.
5 All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John.
We know how social media can spread news fast about something or someone but I can only imagine how word of mouth was spreading like wildfire about this man that looked wild, telling people to repent and be baptized for their sins. The people and the leaders wanted to see for themselves.
And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.
John’s preaching touched people’s heart because it wasn’t like the Pharisees and Sadducees teachings at all in Jerusalem. It was different and it was from God! A person getting baptized in the Jordan River was an awesome event and songs through time have been sung with this river’s name in it. People to this day that travel over there take a small rock from this very river.
The Jordan River has been a land mark and has separated enemies, cities and people since the beginning of time. It flows from the mount of Hermon snow pack to the Dead Sea.
Matthew’s writing on this…
Matthew 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
Here is Luke’s writing on this scene…
Again recall and we see were Luke was a doctor and wanted to be perfect in his writings about the Good news, so Luke added stuff that the others didn’t and Luke wanted to nail down a concrete person/event that people could relate to and it was history of the time and the world that they could find if that person didn’t believe the message or things that were being spread about the Good News.
I underlined the difference were Luke went into major details about the time; this is the stuff that through time has again and again proven the fact that all believers know.
Luke 3:1 It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!
5 The valleys will be filled,
and the mountains and hills made level.
The curves will be straightened,
and the rough places made smooth.
6 And then all people will see
the salvation sent from God.’”
(The life of our Savior) From Egypt to Nazareth Chapter 2.4
Matthew 2:19-23, Luke 2:39
Our last study we went over Joseph and Mary getting out of town and fleeing for Egypt by the voice of God telling Joseph to leave, because Herod was going to be looking to kill the baby Messiah. Furthermore, Herod the Great killed all the male babies in that region where he thought the baby boy would be, being that the wise men didn’t return as he wanted to tell him exactly where Jesus was.
Sometime has went by, we aren’t sure how long exactly but we do know it’s before Jesus turning 12 years old, but in Matthew chapter 2:19 the Bible reads, But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said. 20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Childs life are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard (Joseph) that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,
The region of Galilee is about 65 miles north of Jerusalem.
23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Nazareth was a rather obscure town, not one that was considered a great town by any means. It was a small town way north of the big city Jerusalem.
Nazareth is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament writings, Matthew wrote in verse 23 that he lived in Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets. Not singular but plural. But there are several places in the Old Testament where it refers to the Messiah being despised. Not by one prophet but by many, just as Matthew has said by the “prophets”.
Something to take note of, Jesus was a fairly common name in these days, so by placing Jesus name “the Messiah” with a place, Nazareth an actually town, where He grown up helped people to know truly who they were talking about as well as all the things we are going to look at below.
David wrote a Psalm with the same parallels to the suffering Savior.
Psalm 22:6 David wrote “a reproach of men and despised by the people.”
Psalm 69:10, when I wept in my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
This chapter in Isaiah is subtitled “the suffering servant”
Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and forsaken by men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Isaiah 49:7 thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, to the despised One
Micah 5:1 now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek.
Nazareth held Roman garrison for the northern areas of Galilee. Therefore the Jews would have little to do with Nazareth and largely despised it.
It was like Matthew was referencing this town and the Messiah because they were looked at in the same way by almost everyone, as nothing good.
Jumping a little into the Bible a few studies ahead in John 1:46 Nathanael says when he hears of the Messiah, the One talked about by the prophets, Jesus of Nazareth.
Nathanael reply is priceless in a way…..
John 1:46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said come and see.
Just thinking about how I think as a human and how off I am in my silly short minded ways just as Nathanael was here. But the greatness that comes from reading this verse and saying to yourself as you read it, oh yes, something great can come from Nazareth.
Jesus of Nazareth is one of many names used in reference to Jesus of the New Testament. It is packed with meaning that held much relevance in His day and in ours. Jesus of Nazareth highlights both Has prophetic fulfillment as the divine Messiah and His human nature as One who lived among humanity.
Luke adds one verse about Jesus and His parents returning to Nazareth. Luke 2:39 when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to their own city of Nazareth.
Recall Luke had read all the other letters (Gospels) and wanted to cover different stuff than the other three writers.
(The life of our Savior) Flight down to Egypt. Chapter 2.3
Matthew 2:13-18
Click here for outline of study
So our last study we had the wise men told in a dream from God not to go back to Herod the Great as he had asked because he wanted to truly know where the baby Messiah was to do Him harm, even though he told the wise men he wanted to worship Him.
The very next verse (2:13) says when they had gone (the wise men); behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up!” Take the child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”
It’s interesting to me that as little as we know about Joseph and all the things he did in his whole role, we know he was faithful because the angel of the Lord went to him and Joseph in return listened. This was not the first time he listens to the angel of the Lord.
How many times do we hear that voice from the Lord, and how do we respond? What is our conscience telling us?
Joseph already had seen what God was doing and there was no hesitation.
Verse 14 of Matthew chapter 2 says that Joseph took the Child and His mother and left while it was still night. Joseph got the dream and left that same night. Must have been some message to get out!
We don’t hear about much details of the baby Messiah and His parents in Egypt other than they stayed there with the instructions from God until they were told, which was after Herod had passed away.
This was to fulfill what the prophet Hosea said in Hosea 11:1, which Matthew also records in verse 15, “Out of Egypt I called my Son.”
This was written by the prophet Hosea in regards to Israel being called out of the Land of Egypt in the time of Moses but Matthew writes it down here thinking about the old testament scripture in regards to the baby Messiah coming out of Egypt as well.
I want to back up just a little, recall how poor Joseph and Mary were. How could they travel from Bethlehem to Egypt? That is a distance of 429 miles. Just something to make note of, they didn’t have a car. On that note remember last study how I said we will see how much God was involved in this situation, this was a poor couple that need to get out of town, travel 400 plus miles with a child that had no money.
Recall the wise men giving those gifts/treasures to them, well there is no doubt that Joseph and Mary used these things to sell along the way to make it to Egypt, along with God making other things happen for His divine plan.
It is so important for us to see how much God is involved in situations like this, it might be easy for us to see Him in things that have to do with the life of Jesus but friends He is working and doing the same things in our lives as well. You can put that in the bank!!
Matthew 2:16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
First thing to make note of it wasn’t the wise men really, it was Almighty God that warned them not to go back to him. We see here that Herod’s wickedness which we looked at in our last study was in full force now. Hundreds if not thousands of baby boys were killed. What a sad scene, all these innocence baby boys killed by an evil man trying to kill the baby Messiah, all because he wanted all the power and control. The hearts of men are evil, only God can truly change a man’s heart.
Another thing to make note of the name of Jesus and the Christian faith has been tried to be destroyed by empires, nations and kings/rulers many times, but as God’s Word says, it will stand forever.
Matthew 2:18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”
This was a passage Matthew writes from the prophet Jeremiah 31:15 (recall, Matthew is wanted the Jewish reader to believe, so he is getting deep rooted stuff down for them to know about), Ramah was located about 5 miles north of Jerusalem, it was one of the towns that the Jerusalem people passed through in their way to Babylonian exile. Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife and grandmother of Ephraim and Manasseh, the two and most powerful tribes in the northern kingdom. If this is strange talk to you at this time just know that Rachel was a great mother of many great people and bloodline.
We no longer live by faith in ourselves!
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me and the life which I live in the flesh I live be faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
These words from Paul to the Galatian Church was simply ground breaking really and these words fly off the pages of our Bible’s the first time we read them and truly have these words pierce our hearts.
We live our lives by faith in Christ and what He did for us.
We live our lives with the example Christ gave us, His life which brought us words that we never heard before reading His sermon on the mount (just like the crowds that were gathering around), He showed us true love with the leaders of that time showed us greed.
We have a God that died for us, so that we can be made new and be saved to have eternal life in heaven.
Living by faith is trusting in Jesus, that He will and is taking care of us. We can be and act different by the way we treat others, with love and compassion.
The foes of Christ live by faith in themselves, which I sure we can all agree is very dangerous and at some point we were all there as well.
Faith in myself was destroying not only to me but also to others. The joyful life we now live is by living in faith. We don’t know fully what’s going to happen in our lives, good or bad, but when we are crucified with Christ and live by faith in Him, we have nothing to worry about.
That gives us more time to work on saving others!
How does a young man keep his way pure?
Psalm 119: 9-16
How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
There are many things we can do, but keeping it according to God’s word is a big step. But its more than just know God word, it goes deeper than that.
Rejoicing in God’s ways, meditating in God’s ways and having delight in God’s ways are things that can only truly happen once we have had the life of Christ and His sacrifice for us in bedded in our hearts.
The best way a young man can live pure is fully getting to know God. That my friends is living for the Word and with the Word and its a living and active thing, not a dusty book!
Luke Five and 32 