In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Mark 1:9 (NASB) Jesus grew up in Nazareth, where He had lived since He was a young boy. Matthew 2:22-23: “But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Nazareth was a small town in Galilee halfway between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. It was despised and avoided by many Jews. Nazareth was a crossroads for trade routes and had contact with many cultures. If John’s baptism was for repentance from sin, why was Jesus baptized? Through Jewish history even the great prophets needed to confess their sinfulness and need for repentance. Jesus did not need to admit sin – He was sinless. Although He did not need forgiveness, He was baptized for the following reasons: • To begin His mission to bring the message of salvation to all people. • To show support for John the Baptist’s ministry. • To identify with our humanness and sin. • To give us an example to follow. We know that John’s baptism was different from Christian baptism in the church because Paul had John’s followers baptized again. Acts 19:2-5: “He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 05:17:09 +0000
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