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26. The Baptism of Jesus
(Mt 3:13-17, Mk 1:9-11, Lk 3:21-23a, Jn 1:32-34)
At Bethabara (Bethany) beyond the Jordan. a
Probably January 27 A.D. |
Mt 3:13-17
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan
to John, to be baptized by him. 14But John would have hindered
him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
15But Jesus, answering, said to him,
“Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us
to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. 16Jesus,
when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the
heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove,
and coming on him. 17Behold, a voice out of the heavens said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” |
Mk 1:9-11
9It happened in those days, that Jesus came
from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10Immediately
coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting, and the Spirit
descending on him like a dove. 11A voice came out of the sky,
“You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” |
Lk 3:21-23a
21Now it happened, when all the people were
baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened,
22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove on
him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying “You are my beloved Son. In you
I am well pleased.”
23Jesus
himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old,
b c |
[Jn 1:32-34]
32John testified, saying, “I have seen the
Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. 33I
didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me,
‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the
same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen, and
have testified that this is the Son of God.” |
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27. The Three Temptations of Jesus
(Mt 4:1-11, Mk 1:12-13, Lk 4:1-13)
Probably January and February 27 A.D. |
Mt 4:1-11
1Then Jesus was led
up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2When
he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward. 3The
tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these
stones become bread.”
4But he answered,
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
5Then the devil took him into the holy city.
He set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6and said to him, “If
you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will put
his angels in charge of you.’ and,
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’”
7Jesus said to him,
“Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”
8Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly
high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their
glory. 9He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if
you will fall down and worship me.”
10Then Jesus said to him,
“Get behind me,
Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you
shall serve him only.’”
11Then
the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.
4:4
Deuteronomy 8:3
4:6
Psalm 91:11-12
4:7
Deuteronomy 6:16
4:10
TR and NU read “Go away” instead of “Get behind me”
4:10
Deuteronomy 6:13 |
Mk 1:12-13
12Immediately the Spirit drove him out into
the wilderness. 13He was there in the wilderness forty days
tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals; and the angels were serving
him. |
Lk 4:1-13
1Jesus, full of the
Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness 2for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate
nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry.
3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this
stone to become bread.”
4Jesus answered him, saying,
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word of God.’”
5The devil, leading him up
d on a high mountain, showed him all the
kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6The devil said to
him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been
delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want. 7If you
therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.”
8Jesus answered him,
“Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall
worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
9He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the
pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast
yourself down from here, 10for it is written,
‘He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you;’
11and,
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.’”
12Jesus answering, said to him,
“It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord
your God.’”
13When the devil had completed every
temptation, he departed from him until another time.
4:4
Deuteronomy 8:3
4:8
Deuteronomy 6:13
4:11
Psalm 91:11-12
4:12
Deuteronomy 6:16 |
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28. John's Testimony to the Delegation from
Jerusalem
(Jn 1:19-28)
At Bethabara (Bethany) beyond the Jordan. (Thursday? See No. 32, Note 8) |
Jn 1:19-28
19This is John’s testimony, when the Jews
sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20He confessed, and didn’t deny, but he
confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21They asked him, “What then?
Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22They said therefore to him, “Who are you?
Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about
yourself?”
23He said, “I am the voice of one crying in
the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24The ones who had been sent were from the
Pharisees. 25They asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are
not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
26John answered them, “I baptize in water,
but among you stands one whom you don’t know. 27He is the one who
comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not
worthy to loosen.” 28These things were done in Bethany beyond the
Jordan, where John was baptizing.
1:23
Isaiah 40:3 |
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29. "Behold the Lamb of God!"
(Jn 1:29-34)
At Bethabara (Bethany) beyond the Jordan. The next day. (Friday?) |
Jn 1:29-34
29The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him,
and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is
preferred before me, for he was before me.’ 31I didn’t know him,
but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to
Israel.” 32John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit
descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. 33I
didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me,
‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the
same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen, and
have testified that this is the Son of God.” |
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30. The First Disciples
(Jn 1:35-42)
John, Andrew and Peter. Also James.
At Bethabara (Bethany) beyond the Jordan. The third day (Saturday?) |
Jn 1:35-42
35Again, the next day, John was standing
with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as he walked,
and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard
him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned, and saw them
following, and said to them, “What are you looking
for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being
interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39He said to them,
“Come, and see.”
They came and saw where he was
staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.
e
40One of the two who heard
John, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
f
41He first
g found his
own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is,
being interpreted, Christ).
42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said,
“You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be
called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).
1:39
4:00 PM.
1:41
“Messiah” (Hebrew) and “Christ” (Greek) both mean “Anointed One”. |
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31. Philip and Nathanael
(Jn 1:43-51)
At Bethabara (Bethany) beyond the Jordan. The fourth day (Sunday?) |
Jn 1:43-51
43On
the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found
Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
45Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom
Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of
Joseph.”
46Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing
come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and
said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in
whom is no deceit!”
48Nathanael said to him, “How do you know
me?”
Jesus answered him, “Before
Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are
the Son of God! You are King of Israel!”
50Jesus answered him,
“Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig
tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!”
51He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell
you, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending
and descending on the Son of Man.” |
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32. The First Miracle
(Jn 2:1-11)
Changing Water Into Wine. At Cana in Galilee. Three
days later. (Wednesday?) h |
Jn 2:1-11
1The third day,
there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. 2Jesus
also was invited, with his disciples, to the marriage. 3When the
wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.”
4Jesus said to her,
“Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet
come.”
5His mother said to the servants, “Whatever
he says to you, do it.” 6Now there were six water pots of stone
set there after the Jews’ manner of purifying, containing two or three
metretes
apiece. 7Jesus said to them, “Fill the
water pots with water.” They filled them up to the brim. 8He
said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to
the ruler of the feast.” So they took it. 9When the ruler
of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn’t know where it came
from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast
called the bridegroom, 10and said to him, “Everyone serves the
good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is
worse. You have kept the good wine until now!” 11This beginning
of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his
disciples believed in him.
2:6
2 to 3 metretes is about 20 to 30 U. S. Gallons, 16 to 25 imperial gallons,
or 75 to 115 litres. |
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33. A Brief Visit in Capernaum
(Jn 2:12)
Later Capernaum will become the home of Jesus. |
Jn 2:12
12After
this, he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, his brothers, and his
disciples; and they stayed there a few days. |
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Footnotes
a)
It is now quite generally agreed that it was located on a ford of the Jordan
near the Sea of Galilee.
b) If Jesus was born
in December. 749 A.U.C., and was baptized in January. 780. He was a few
weeks over thirty years old.
c) Here follows in the
order of Luke: The genealogy of Jesus, Luke 3:23-38. See No. 3.
d) Luke transposes the
second and third temptations, but does not insist upon a definite order of
sequence. The “then” in Matthew, v. 5 seems to determine the order.
e) “The tenth hour.” 4
P.M. John counted the
hours from sunrise to sunset throughout, except In the one
instance, John 19:14. in which he followed strict Roman computation.
f) “One of the two”
was Andrew. It is assumed that John himself was the other.
g) “He first findeth
his own brother.” It is assumed that John found his own brother James. It
quite answers John’s method never to mention himself, nor to refer directly
to his mother and brother.
h) Assuming that the
bride of the wedding at Cana was a maiden and that In accordance with
“uniform custom” her marriage took place on a Wednesday, by counting hack,
we arrive at a Thursday for the day on which the committee of the Sanhedrin
called on John.
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