Page 33 - Life of Christ - textbook (3)

the Roman emperor Tiberius (Luke 3:1). Tiberius had a two -year co-regency with Augustus, his
adoptive father, before Augustus died. That would put John’s ministry starting between 26 AD and 28
AD. He was between 30 and 32 when he began preaching. Matthew’s Gospel pictures John preaching
in the wilderness of Judea calling people to repentance and baptism and announcing the coming of the
Messiah.

Jesus departed from Nazareth to be baptized by John and
was gone probably for several weeks (maybe 3 months)
and the next time He encountered His mother was at the
wedding in Cana. Joseph is not mentioned again in the
Gospels and perhaps is no longer living. We do know that
he trained Jesus in his trade of a stonecutter and
carpenter. We also know that Joseph was a devout
follower of the customs of his faith with observance to the
Passover and Jewish feasts. This implies that Joseph made
certain of good spiritual training for the children in his
family. We also know that he lived long enough to have
several other children. Mary had given birth to four other
boys and two girls. James was the elder half- sibling,
followed by Joses, Simeon, and Jude (Judah) and Jesus’
half-sisters were, according to tradition, named Salome
and either Anna or Mary, but their names are not
mentioned in the Bible. Joseph proved his integrity and
willingness to be obedient to God’s direction and
guidance.

John had a message for those who came to hear him and
be baptized: water alone could not change them; they
needed genuine repentance. This was true of all people,
Headwaters of the Jordan River at Caesarea Jew and Gentile alike. His baptism required a pure heart
Philippi symbolized by washing with water. The Jewish people
often spoke of “repentance” as a regular act each time a
person sinned. John preached a special kind of repentance – a turning from sin to God. John thus
expected from his own people the kind of repentance they expected of Gentiles who had converted to
Judaism.

Jesus’ baptism In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Jesus’ baptism marks His
inauguration as the servant Messiah and the initiation of His public ministry. The Spirit is the agent of a
new beginning, and the endorsement of the heavenly Father was a stamp of approval. Jesus was
anointed by the Spirit of God as Messiah and the “Servant of the Lord” as described centuries earlier by
the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 11:2, 42:1, 61:1)

Matthew introduces a conversation between John and Jesus in which Jesus explained His true motive
for receiving baptism, which was to “fulfill all righteousness”. John acknowledged his inferiority to
Jesus, as stressed in John’s Gospel but never mentions that John baptized Jesus nor John’s preaching
toward repentance. John served as a witness to Jesus that He had received the abiding Spirit, and that
He was the Son of God.

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