"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And as he was coming out of the water immediately he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased . . . Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the good news of God and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the gospel." --Mark 1:9-11. 14-15
This week, we considered the story of Jesus' baptism once again. We noted that this was a momentous decision that Jesus was making, leaving Nazareth for the long journey to the Jordan (a similar passage to the one Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem for Jesus' birth) to join the large crowds of people being baptized by John. His life was taking a powerful turn; though he would eventually come back to Galilee, it was not to resume his old activity. Instead, his ministry would begin and his life would take on new shape and purpose.
We remembered that Jesus was around 30 when he was baptized. Eighteen years have passed since the scene of twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple with the teachers. What has he been doing all of this time? Perhaps:
--working with Joseph in the carpentry business.
--serving as a carpenter himself. He may have helped rebuild Sepphoris, a nearby city destroyed by the Roman army after a revolt.
--continuing to grow and mature in his faith and his humanity.
What do you think moved Jesus at this particular time to take such a turn in his life? Was he exploring God's path, plan for his life? Did he go to join himself to the rest of God's people; to be in relationship with others? Did he know when he went to the Jordan that he would soon begin his ministry?
We discussed some of the ways and times that our lives can take on new direction (see the picture above).
Among the similarities are:
--Jesus engages a deeper sense of purpose and vocation.
--He makes a decision to develop new relationships.
--He "leaves home" as he has known it.
--He decides he will live a different lifestyle, with new priorities.
-- He dedicates his time and attention in ways that impact the lives of others and often put them first.
I kind of thought that jesus wasnt planning to have that turning point of his life he just found people being baptized and thought this is my time to change my life. I think he thought of that turning point last minute.I do not think he was planning to start his ministry at that time but when he saw the heavens thats when he knew. Josephine
ReplyDeletePerhaps Jesus wasn't alone in making this decision? We've stated previously that Jesus asked many questions as a kid, so who's to say he stopped as he grew? He may have asked something along the lines of,"What should I do?"--Donovan
ReplyDeleteI think that Jesus may have had an idea of what he wanted to do (which was go into ministry) before he saw the heavens. But then when he saw the beautiful, shining heavens he knew that he was going to go forward with ministry. He then knew that it was time to make a big change in his life. Taylor
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