 |
Home | Mission Statement | Video Gallery | Audio Gallery | Photo Gallery | Daily Manna | Testimonies | | Links | Contact us |
 |
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb 10:25 |
 |
| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, September 21, 2026
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :John Baptizes Jesus Bible Verse :Matthew 3:13-17 (ESV) "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”" Message:
Most people reading the Gospel will find themselves sympathetic to John’s astonished question: “Do you come to me?” Why would Jesus Christ want to be baptized? He did not need to be cleansed of his sin, for he was without sin.
The only Gospel that gives any real explanation is John: “I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” (John 1:31) And indeed, how were people supposed to recognize this humble carpenter’s son as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the World?
John the Baptist was, we must remember, Christ’s herald. The sole purpose of his baptism ministry was to prepare for the coming of one greater than himself; his message was: “Make straight the way of the Lord” — prepare yourselves for the kingdom of God.
God wanted Jesus baptized — or, if you will, Jesus wanted John to baptize him — so that his arrival would be unmistakable. For reasons we will never know, he had spent most of his first thirty years incognito, for the most part simply being a human being. In short, if you will excuse the pun, he wanted to make a splash.
The Dove of the Holy Spirit by Sebastiano Bombelli, ca. 1703.
The Dove of the Holy Spirit
Sebastiano Bombelli, 1703.
There were at least two additional side effects for the benefit of the Jews. First, baptism was performed by the Jews only upon converts. A full-blooded, circumcised Jew, being born into righteousness, had no need of baptism: or so they thought. Baptism was for sinners. But if Jesus, whose bloodline was impeccable, underwent baptism, how could Jews who followed him do otherwise?
Jesus’ baptism symbolized, effectively, the end of the covenant of Moses. It was the “fulfillment of righteousness,” the moment at which the old covenant was replaced by the new.
Secondly, much of Judaic theology looked for Elijah to return and act as the herald of the Messiah. Although John the Baptist denied that he was actually Elijah (John 1:24-27), his preparatory work, his office as a prophet, was validated.
No explanation or commentary can add anything to the wonderful moment when Christ arises from the water of the River Jordan. He is met by a physical manifestation of both the Holy Spirit, as a visible sign, and God the Father, as an audible sign. Christ, the man, is the actual, physical Son of God. It is the moment when he is fully revealed to us.
The dove, among the Jews (as among many societies), was the symbol of purity of heart, harmlessness, and gentleness. For the Spirit to descend on Jesus as a dove signified the startling truth: the Messiah was far from the sword-wielding belligerent, the mighty general to unite the armies of Israel against their Roman oppressor, that the Jews were expecting.
Meditation : Prayer : May the Passion of Christ be ever in my heart. May your law and your goodness guide my every thought, O Lord. And may the power of your Holy Spirit flow through my words and my actions today, and always. Amen. |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
