The Baptism of Jesus
21One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.g”
The Ancestors of Jesus
23Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.
Jesus was known as the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Heli.
24Heli was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
Levi was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Jannai.
Jannai was the son of Joseph.
25Joseph was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Amos.
Amos was the son of Nahum.
Nahum was the son of Esli.
Esli was the son of Naggai.
26Naggai was the son of Maath.
Maath was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Semein.
Semein was the son of Josech.
Josech was the son of Joda.
27Joda was the son of Joanan.
Joanan was the son of Rhesa.
Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the son of Neri.
28Neri was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Addi.
Addi was the son of Cosam.
Cosam was the son of Elmadam.
Elmadam was the son of Er.
29Er was the son of Joshua.
Joshua was the son of Eliezer.
Eliezer was the son of Jorim.
Jorim was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
30Levi was the son of Simeon.
Simeon was the son of Judah.
Judah was the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Jonam.
Jonam was the son of Eliakim.
31Eliakim was the son of Melea.
Melea was the son of Menna.
Menna was the son of Mattatha.
Mattatha was the son of Nathan.
Nathan was the son of David.
32David was the son of Jesse.
Jesse was the son of Obed.
Obed was the son of Boaz.
Boaz was the son of Salmon.h
Salmon was the son of Nahshon.
33Nahshon was the son of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the son of Admin.
Admin was the son of Arni.i
Arni was the son of Hezron.
Hezron was the son of Perez.
Perez was the son of Judah.
34Judah was the son of Jacob.
Jacob was the son of Isaac.
Isaac was the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the son of Terah.
Terah was the son of Nahor.
35Nahor was the son of Serug.
Serug was the son of Reu.
Reu was the son of Peleg.
Peleg was the son of Eber.
Eber was the son of Shelah.
36Shelah was the son of Cainan.
Cainan was the son of Arphaxad.
Arphaxad was the son of Shem.
Shem was the son of Noah.
Noah was the son of Lamech.
37Lamech was the son of Methuselah.
Methuselah was the son of Enoch.
Enoch was the son of Jared.
Jared was the son of Mahalalel.
Mahalalel was the son of Kenan.
38Kenan was the son of Enosh.j
Enosh was the son of Seth.
Seth was the son of Adam.
Adam was the son of God.
Truthfully, the Baptism of Jesus has always confused me. From other Gospels we know it confused John The Baptist too as John tried to refuse to do it. Jesus insisted on it saying it was to fulfill prophecy, but I can’t find a mention of it. The moment obviously meant something to Jesus because he recounts to his disciples and many of them reference it in their writings. So let’s start with a lesson about reading the Bible.
The Bible was authored by the God the created the universe and holds it into existence. This God knows, and accepts responsibility for knowing, all of mankind from the beginning of time and for all time. We don’t have to understand all of it! Some people come across things they don’t understand and quit reading it. I think if they are honest with themselves, they used that as an excuse to quit reading something they didn’t want to read in the first place. But the point is, let’s have a little humility and expect to not understand everything! Let God speak to you when he wants to with whatever he wants to and let him be silent when he wants to be silent. He may be listening to hear from you! Just let faith work a little.
If you want to know more about reading the Bible and how to handle things like this, go back to the beginning of this journey by clicking the link below.
Having said all that, I do think there is something here about Jesus’ experience and his relationship with us. Jesus seems to experience everything about being human. We can relate to this guy! I’ve even sometimes wonder if Jesus needed this moment because in his humanity he was a little confused. Perhaps I’m being ridiculous and some would say blasphemous (sorry God if I am), but I just don’t know. The entire moment and Jesus talking about it later with his disciples seems so…human.
And yet, we have the Holy Spirit descending on him in “bodily form”, and God audibly speaking to Jesus, and then there is this long ancestry that ends with “Jesus was known as the son of Joseph”. Read this in light of John’s Gospel where he clearly says Jesus was already alive when the universe was created, and now Jesus seems so…God.
Lord Jesus, inspire me with your humanity. Change me with your divinity. Speak to me through your word, in spite of my humanity. Thank-you for living within me, giving me some confusing share in your divinity. And yes Lord, I’m not even close to understanding my own prayer so I hope in means something useful to you!
Yeah, I think I got it. You’ll have to do a lot better than that to confuse me! 🙂
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