Unexplainable Jesus: 10 Days To Rediscovering The God You Thought You KnewSample

A common belief at the time was that the coming of Messiah was linked to Israel’s repentance. John’s call to repentance is Messianic language. 

Luke portrays for us the extent of John’s ministry by including these tax collectors and soldiers. They were the biggest sinners of the lot of Israel—both considered sellouts to Rome and no longer true Jews. Some scholars believe these soldiers may not have even been Jews at all, but Roman mercenaries. 

Since John’s revival toward repentance spread like wildfire, many wondered if he might be the Messiah. He immediately squelched any such thoughts. 

Have you ever sat through a sermon and felt the urge to nudge the person next to you thinking, “This word is so meant for you—I sure hope you’re listening!” never thinking for a second as to how the admonition might apply to your own thoughts, habits, or choices? 

Jews believed that the advent of the Messiah meant the liberation of Israel, with no foreign oppression, no injustice, and peace and prosperity. They eagerly welcomed unquenchable fire on the Romans and on Herod, their puppet king. This was the best news they’d heard all day. Just tell us what to do, John! We are eager for the Messiah to arrive! In the midst of this expectation, however, Jesus enters, humble and meek, submitted to the will of God. 

I often wondered why Jesus needed to be baptized. While Jesus Himself was sinless, He knew that His mission was to take on all of the sins of the world. Jesus repented on behalf of all the sinful people He would save. Rather than the attitude of Israel to look around at the person next to them and say, “I sure hope they are hearing this message,” Jesus humbly came submitted to the will of His Father to become the sacrifice for our sins. 

The baptism of Jesus was a sign of obedience to His Father to fulfill His mission as the Savior of the world. Israel’s mission—and subsequently ours today—was to repent of our sinfulness and believe we need Jesus’ saving grace to become the righteousness of God to a world desperate for hope. 

Do we look around in search of others who appear more sinful than ourselves, or do we humbly submit ourselves to the cleansing power of Christ in desperation? 

To continue exploring the book of Luke and dig deeper into the culture and customs of Israel during Jesus’ life, please see www.ericawiggenhorn.com  

If you want to discover more about the life of Jesus, pick up your copy of Unexplainable Jesus  at www.moodypublishers.com