Jesus was baptized by John. Jesus was tempted by the Devil.
That's so weird.
Baptism is a sign of people repenting of their sin and wanting to die to self and live a new life. So was Jesus repenting when he was baptized by John? No. In the bible it says that Jesus was tempted in every way like us and yet without sin. He faces the temptation of the devil himself and he doesn't give in. I don't think he gave in before either. So why was he baptized? Baptism is a religious ceremony. Jesus was sinless and he was baptized by a sinner, and a mere man, his cousin, John. As Jesus began his spiritual journey he submitted to a sinner in a religious context. He did this to show us how to start our journey. If Jesus began by submitting to a religious sinner, you can submit to a religious sinner to begin your journey too. Baptism is a beginning.
Jesus, the son of a holy, holy, holy God allowed Satan to come into his sight, into his presence, without drop-kicking him. I mean, that's what you'd expect when good meets evil right? Major battle duel, Dragon-ball Z style! But that's not what happens. Jesus lets Satan talk. He lets Satan tempt even. This is like the judge letting the guilty inmate tease and insult him for a while. This is weird. So why did Jesus do it? He did this to show us that temptation can be overcome. Trust me, He didn't like it. But He did it for us so that He could commiserate with us and so that we could feel like we can talk to him about temptation.
That's so weird.
Baptism is a sign of people repenting of their sin and wanting to die to self and live a new life. So was Jesus repenting when he was baptized by John? No. In the bible it says that Jesus was tempted in every way like us and yet without sin. He faces the temptation of the devil himself and he doesn't give in. I don't think he gave in before either. So why was he baptized? Baptism is a religious ceremony. Jesus was sinless and he was baptized by a sinner, and a mere man, his cousin, John. As Jesus began his spiritual journey he submitted to a sinner in a religious context. He did this to show us how to start our journey. If Jesus began by submitting to a religious sinner, you can submit to a religious sinner to begin your journey too. Baptism is a beginning.
Jesus, the son of a holy, holy, holy God allowed Satan to come into his sight, into his presence, without drop-kicking him. I mean, that's what you'd expect when good meets evil right? Major battle duel, Dragon-ball Z style! But that's not what happens. Jesus lets Satan talk. He lets Satan tempt even. This is like the judge letting the guilty inmate tease and insult him for a while. This is weird. So why did Jesus do it? He did this to show us that temptation can be overcome. Trust me, He didn't like it. But He did it for us so that He could commiserate with us and so that we could feel like we can talk to him about temptation.
Let's say you have a disgusting ingrown toe-nail. Who are you more likely to go talk to about it? Mom, who has perfectly manicured nails and has never, to your knowledge, had any such issue, or Dad, whose toes bear the scars of past ingrown toe-nail issues. You're more likely to go to Dad because he can identify with you.
Many times we don't want to take our sin to Jesus because we think, "He's too holy; He wouldn't understand." But he does. He was tempted so that He could understand. So when you're tempted, when you've been tempted and you've fallen into sin, come to Jesus. He won't judge you, He'll forgive you. He'll redeem you. He'll change you. He'll give you hope and new life.
