“Jesus Begins His Ministry”

HOPE CHAPEL - Sunday, January 23, 2022

Youtube link...  https://youtu.be/wLfZFB7scVQ 
 
Teaching Series - “Doing Life with Jesus" 
Weekly Topic - “Jesus Begins His Ministry” 
Texts – Matthew 3-4:17, Mark 1:1-15, Luke 3:1-22; 4:1-44; John 1:19-34
  
Prior to Jesus making his debut at the age of thirty, his cousin John the Baptist had been diligently at work to prepare the way for the Messiah.  John may have heard the stories of Jesus’ conception, but he was still looking for the sign confirming who the Messiah was.  John the Apostle records in his Gospel what John the Baptist said about Jesus after he baptized him at the Jordan River, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ 31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”  32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:29-33).  



And so began Jesus’ ministry and the task of convincing everyone that he was not merely a man, but also the Son of God.
 
 
Jesus’ baptism served as a public declaration, the catalyst for his three years of ministry and as an act of obedience required by God.  It also provides us with a glimpse into the nature of the Trinity; it is an intimate moment between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit that was witnessed by those present.
 
“PUBLIC DECLARATIONS”
Matthew 3:13-17 – “13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”  15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
 
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
 
Here is the moment that identified Jesus as the Messiah after having lived many years in relative obscurity.  John felt unworthy to baptize Jesus, knowing what he did, but Jesus told him that it was necessary.  Why?
 
Jesus’ baptism was his way of telling the Father, “I’m committed!”  Jesus remained submitted to the will of the Father.  He understood the purpose for his humanity.  He knew what was to come.  And through his baptism, he demonstrated his willingness to die so that many could be raised to life through his sacrifice.
 
Jesus’ baptism also demonstrated that the moment had arrived for him to begin his ministry.  He was saying not only to the Father, but to all those who had been waiting for the Messiah, “I’m ready—the time has come!”  Even John the Baptist received needed confirmation as to the identity of the Messiah.  Family stories aside, here stood the Son of God, ready to fulfill his life’s purpose.
 
I also believe his baptism was a sign for all who would come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.  He was telling all who would choose to follow him, to also follow his example, “Do as I do—follow me!”   When John hesitated to baptize Jesus, Jesus told him it was necessary…in fact, it was required.  This was the beginning of a new covenant between God and man, and baptism would serve as the sign of an individual’s commitment to enter into that covenant relationship with him.
 
But why would God the Father require Jesus, God the Son, to be baptized?  Jesus understood it to be an act of obedience and didn’t waver in his loyalty.  And the Father and the Spirit responded with loving affirmation—the Spirit physically coming to him in that moment in the form of a dove and the Father declaring from heaven, ‘This is my Son.  And I am pleased with him.”
 
 
Can you imagine that moment for Jesus?  Such a ‘mountain top’ experience…followed immediately by time spent in a spiritual ‘valley.’  The devil doesn’t know everything, but he did know that Jesus was the Son of God…and that Jesus was an integral part of some scheme of God’s to defeat him.  So, after Jesus’ forty day fast, the devil seizes his opportunity.  He may never again find Jesus at such a weak point physically and chooses this moment to test to see if there are any ‘chinks’ in Jesus’ armour.
 
“TESTS” - Matthew 4:1-11
 
TEST #1 – Matthew 4:1-4 – “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.  3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
 
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
 
First, the devil wanted to test Jesus’ resolve to sacrifice his own comforts for God’s plan.  How weak had having a physical body made God?  He knew Jesus was beyond mere hunger and encouraged him to turn stones to bread…if he was really the Son of God. 
 
What harm could it do?  There’s no explicit rule against performing a miracle of this nature—why shouldn’t Jesus satisfy his hunger?  But, Jesus wasn’t about to put his physical needs above his spiritual needs.  He knew he needed to stay connected with the Father in order to fulfill his mission, so time with God needed to take precedence.  He rejected the suggestion and chose to remain hungry until God told him his fast was over.
 
 
TEST #2- Matthew 4:5-7 – “5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you.  And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
 
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
 
The devil’s next test was designed to gauge how insecure this new God-man was?  How easily could his ego and self-worth be manipulated?  This time, he cloaks his test as a scriptural promise.  If there’s one thing the devil isn’t in short supply of, it’s nerve.  Can you imagine quoting scripture to the Son of God? “Jump! And make God catch you.”  
 
This test was encouraging Jesus to test God—to force God to prove his promises and his love of Jesus.  At Jesus’ baptism, God had already declared that Jesus was his Son and that he was pleased with him.  For Jesus to seek further validation would have been self-serving and demonstrate a lack of trust in God.  Jesus recognized the error of this type of thinking and he rejected it.
 
 
TEST #3 – Matthew 4:8-11 – “8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
 
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
 
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.”
 
The devil was testing Jesus’ loyalty and his commitment to God’s plan.  He was offering him a shortcut to becoming ‘king.’ Jesus knew the road he was embarking on, what his future held, and the devil was offering him a way out.  The devil didn’t know what Jesus did, didn’t know that he had come to fulfill the role of the suffering king (Isaiah 53), so may not have realized just how tempting this test could have been. His suggestion that Jesus bow to him was the devil’s most overt attempt to have Jesus disobey an explicit commandment. 
 
By this point, Jesus had enough and told the devil to leave.  This last test hadn’t even been subtle or disguised and Jesus rejected the suggestion outright.  And after the devil was gone…and go he must because Jesus is God…angels came and attended to his needs.  He had passed these tests.  But don’t think of this as the only time that Jesus faced temptation.  Temptation would have been a regular part of Jesus’ earthly life, just as it is ours, but he never gave in and remained sinless. 
 
 
Now, having successfully passed the devil’s tests, it was time to begin his work as the Messiah.  The reception he received from people, however, was mixed.
 
“RECEPTIONS”
Nazareth, Jesus’ Hometown - Luke 4:16-29 – “When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
 
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”  22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
 
23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.  25 Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”
 
28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.”
 
Jesus already knows that those in his own hometown and even his family will not believe he is the Messiah, but he still chooses to go there and make his first pronouncement in the synagogue at Nazareth.  He begins with the passage in Isaiah that ‘the time of God’s favour has come’ and is now.  The Jews have been looking forward to the Messiah’s coming and this part of his message goes over well.  However, Jesus’ message takes on a tone of reproof and the mood swiftly changes.
 
He makes the startling claim that he, the one they will reject, is the very One that Isaiah was prophesying about.  Because they thought Jesus was just another guy from Nazareth, this claim to being the Messiah was considered blasphemy punishable by death.  No one claims to be God and gets away with it!  Luke then records how his rejection at Nazareth resulted in the second attempt on Jesus’ life.  They force him to the edge of town with the intent of killing him, but he escapes.  This was not the time or means by which he was going to sacrifice his life and so ‘passes right through the crowd.’  We’re not told how—were they momentarily blinded? did time literally stand still?—who knows.  But because it wasn’t in God’s plan, he left town unharmed and headed to Capernaum.
 
 
Capernaum – Luke 4:31-44 - “31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.
 
33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil spirit—cried out, shouting, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”  35 But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.  36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” 37 The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.
 
38 After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. 39 Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.
 
40 As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. 41 Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.
 
42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.” 44 So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.”
 
The people of Capernaum responded very differently to his teaching than his hometown had.  Both were amazed at the authority of his teaching, but while Nazareth rejected his words…after all they knew him—he wasn’t anyone special…the people of Capernaum’s belief resulted in Jesus doing many miracles.  Rather than wanting him dead, they wanted to keep Jesus to themselves.
 
But again, Jesus is not dissuaded from his mission.  Neither rejection nor acceptance could distract him from the work God had for him to do.  He needed to get the word out.  The promised Messiah had come…there were miracles to be done…lessons to be taught…people to be loved into God’s kingdom…and a cross that must be born.
 
 
Our takeaways?
·         Being a Christian means following Jesus’ example.  He is our teacher…we are the students.  Jesus was baptized, therefore we too ought to be baptized—publicly declaring our commitment to Jesus, readiness to follow and to die to self. 
·         We often use our physical needs as an excuse to skimp on our spiritual needs.  We get so busy making a life on planet earth, we forget our greater needs.  There is no legitimate excuse for not spending time with God or for disobedience; if something must be cut, let it never be the spiritual disciplines that cause us to grow in our relationship with God and in our likeness to his Son.
·         How often do we find ourselves doubting God’s love for us and playing the, ‘If you really loved me…’ game.  We want him to prove his love, by rescuing us from some predicament…often self-inflicted…but he has already revealed to us the measure of his great love when he sent his only Son.  Demanding that he prove his love over and over, shows up as ingratitude for the tremendous sacrifice he has already made on our behalf and a distrust of his promises.
·         Temptations come in all shapes and sizes…disguised as legitimate, or with no disguise at all…simply as a means of achieving a desired end.  The devil is a master of deception, even appearing as an ‘angel of light’ when he chooses.  Beware.  If something appears to be drawing us from a path that God has set us on, proceed with caution.  Pray to recognize the traps before it's too late and end up falling in.  God will forgive us when we disobey him, when we repent and ask him to, but how much better not to have to seek his forgiveness in the first place.
·         Jesus was not influenced by either rejection or acceptance.  As his followers, we are to carry on his work of introducing people to God’s truth.  When we come up against rejection, we are not to wear ourselves ragged trying to persuade others…there are times when the best action to take is to simply walk away.  Yet, at the same time, we are not to allow the acceptance by others to create a rut into which we settle, never venturing beyond what is comfortable.  We are called to be God’s Ambassadors…people must hear, but will not unless we share the Good News that now gives us incredible hope for each new day! 
 
For further study / inspiration….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k4GbvZUPuo (The Bible Project – Luke 3-9)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRX-r51_1TA (“We All Need Jesus” by Danny Gokey)
 
Sunday, January 30, 2022 – 2022 Theme - “Doing Life with Jesus – Jesus’ Disciples: A Motley Crew” – In-person and Online
 
Pastor Jane Peck, Hope Chapel
(Collingwood EMCC Church)
 
"Learning and Living the Way of Jesus!"