Jesus' baptism
(From the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 3, verses 1-22)
John was the son of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. John and Jesus were cousins.
When John became a grown up, he left his parents' home to live on his own. He lived outdoors along the shores of the Jordan River, a place were no one lived because it was so wild. While John lived in that wild place, he and God became good friends.
God told John that the Messiah would come soon. God asked John to help get the people ready for the Messiah.
"We all have to start living the way God wants!" John told the people who came to see him. "Share what you have with those who have nothing. Treat each other fairly."
John told people to repent – to see what they were doing wrong, to stop doing it, and to ask God to help them do better. The people let John baptize them in the Jordan River. When he poured water all over them, it felt like their old ways of living were being washed away and that they had a new chance to live the right way.
People felt good when they were with John. They began to wonder, "Maybe John is the Messiah, God's Chosen One." But John told them, "No, I'm not! Someone is coming soon who is much greater than I am. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit! When the Messiah comes, God's very own power, the Holy Spirit, will wash over you. God will give you power to live completely new lives."
John went on to say, "The Messiah is so special that even I am not worthy to do something simple for him, like help him untie his shoes."
All the things that John said about the Messiah got the people wondering. "Who is the Messiah? What will he look like? What will he be like? How will we know when we've met him?" They began to get excited! The Messiah was coming! Yes!
Then one day Jesus came to the Jordan River and asked John to baptize him, and John did.
After Jesus was baptized, he was praying and suddenly heaven opened and the Holy Spirit came down on him like a beautiful white dove. And a voice came from heaven – it was God's voice! "You are my Son, the Beloved. I am so pleased with you!" The Messiah had finally come.
Questions to ponder:
John and God became really good friends. I wonder if you have a really good friend. I wonder what you like to do with your really good friend. I wonder what it's like to have God as a really good friend.
John baptized people in the Jordan River. I wonder if you have ever been in a river. I wonder what that felt like.
On the day that Jesus was baptized, God spoke. I wonder what God's voice sounds like.
I wonder what God said to you on the day you were baptized.
I wonder what you say to God.