Wow - way to skip a HUGE amount of time...
I know it says a lot of people followed and listened to God...but I have to imagine that a LOT more people thought he was an absolute nut job!
Do you think God's purpose for having Jesus be baptized by John was to be a model for everyone else - or was it just the event that he needed to make Jesus' identity and ministry public?
John did seem like a little bit of a nut job, eating locusts and dipping them in honey. How accessible was honey in the desert anyway? Knowing he was a little weird, and then having people go in the water probably seemed a little off to some.
ReplyDeleteThis story shows that God was going to use other people in Jesus's life to help him preach to the world.
So I find it a bit strange that this children's bible leaves out the one story about Jesus as a little boy. There are very few stories about actual children in the bible and I would assume that kids would be interested in what Jesus did when he was their age.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, the story of the baptism of Jesus is a mystery. John was actually Jesus's cousin and his birth was also a bit of a miracle. There were prophesies about him that there would be a voice calling in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord.
My theory on why Jesus got baptized was a symbol of him being fully human. Taking on our condition completely. The baptism also seems to be an unlocking of Jesus's ministry. Before it, he's a normal dude. After it, God is with him and he performs miracles. I'm not sure the role the baptism played in it but it definitely serves as a marker.