Matthew 3:13

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. -- Matthew 3:13-17.

GOLDEN TEXT. - This is my beloved Son, in whom. am well pleased. -- Matthew 3:17. TIME. --When Jesus was about thirty years old, or about A. D. 26. In the year 780 after the building of Rome. PLACE. --At the river Jordan, probably at the ford near Jericho. HELPFUL READINGS. -- Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23; John 1:15-18. LESSON ANALYSIS. --1. Jesus and John; 2. Jesus Baptized; 3. Jesus Anointed.

INTRODUCTION.

The great event of John's ministry was the baptism of Christ, not "a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins," but "to fulfill all righteousness." Nor can the Christian regard it otherwise than as. great epoch in the life of the Lord. These circumstances unite to give it importance: 1. With his baptism his ministry begins; 2. At his baptism he is anointed as the Christ; 3. At his baptism he is formally acknowledged as the Son of God; 4. God declares that he is well pleased with him in view of his act of obedience. From this time Nazareth is no longer his home, his old earthly relations have passed away, he is the Lord's Anointed, and his whole life is given to his work.

I. JESUS AND. OHN.

13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee.

Matthew has made no mention of Christ for the period of the residence at Nazareth, extending from the return from Egypt until now. The childhood and early manhood of the Lord is passed in silence. Luke mentions one incident that occurred at the age of twelve and declares that he lived in submission to his parents, an example to all children which ought to be diligently heeded.. royal child, with. wisdom at twelve that astonished the doctors of the law, and. consciousness, at least in part, of his great mission (see Luke 2:49), still he remained "subject to them," thus teaching by example all children to honor their parents. His home, until his mission began, was. town on. Galilean hill overlooking the valley of Esdraelon, the battle-ground of Palestine. Conjectures concerning his childhood and early manhood are vain, save that we know that his life was pure and sinless, that his home was. humble one, and that he wrought at the carpenter's trade along with Joseph, thus setting the example of honest industry. He may have visited Jerusalem many times at the great annual feasts but we have no testimony that he was there more than twice, once as an infant,. second time as. boy, before he entered upon his ministry. His earthly education was amid the quiet, yet lovely, scenes of his Galilean home, among plain and simple common people, not conspicuous for true, spiritual piety, and despised by the proud dwellers of Jerusalem. He had retained his home in Nazareth, with his parents, where he lived till he was now about thirty years old (Luke 3:23), the age at which the Levites began their ministry, and the rabbis their teaching. He left Nazareth, and came to Bethabara for the purpose of being baptized, thus commencing his ministry. The name Nazareth means. branch. It is. small city in Lower Galilee, about seventy miles north of Jerusalem, and nearly half-way from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. It was situated among the hills which constitute the southern ridges of Lebanon, just before they sink down into the plain of Esdraelon.

Galilee.

Galilee means. ring or. circle, and was probably first given to. small "circuit" among the mountains of Naphtali (Joshua 20:7), where were situated the twenty towns given by Solomon to Hiram, king of Tyre (1 Kings 9:11). The name may have contained originally an allusion to one or more of the circular plains of those mountains. It came afterward to be applied to the whole northern portion of Palestine north of Samaria, and which, according to Josephus, was very populous, containing no less than 240 towns and villages.

To be baptized.

His object in leaving Nazareth was to be baptized. As John was six months older than Jesus, and probably began his public ministry at the age of thirty, the same age that Christ was now, he had probably begun preaching about six months before. During this period the fame of his ministry had extended all over Palestine and We know that not only they of "Jerusalem and Judea round about Jordan" were baptized, but that the Galileans had come in great numbers. Most all the apostles of Christ, if not all, were called of those who had been John's disciples and were baptized by him. Yet they were Galileans. It is likely that Jesus journeyed with. group of Galileans who descended to Bethabara to hear and obey the great preacher.