Jesus begins his ministry after his baptism
Bible Accent: John the Baptist
Saint for Today: St. Damasus
Puzzle
Jesus begins his ministry after his baptism
A man named John, son of Zechariah, received the word of God when he was in the desert. After that he traveled throughout Jordan proclaiming the forgiveness of sins through baptism. By doing this John was, “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,’” which had been prophesied by Isaiah.
When the crowds of people came to John to be baptized, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance.” The people in return asked John, “What then should we do?”
“Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even the tax collectors came to John, asking, “Teacher, what should we do?” John answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
When the soldiers came and asked, “And what is it that we should do?” John told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
John was so revered by the people that they thought he might be the Messiah that had been promised. But John said, “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
On a very special day Jesus himself came to John in order to be baptized. After Jesus had been baptized and was praying, the heavens opened up and the Holy Spirit came down to Jesus in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Now that he had been baptized, Jesus was able to begin his own ministry. But first the Holy Spirit led him into the desert, where he stayed for 40 days. Here he was tempted by the devil. Three times Jesus was tempted, and each time he resisted that temptation by quoting from the Scriptures.
Jesus left the desert and went into Galilee filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. He taught in the synagogues, and news of his teaching quickly spread throughout the area.
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
Matthew 3 and 4, Luke3
Q&A 1. Which prophet foretold about the voice in the desert?
2. What did John say the Messiah would baptized people with?
Bible Accent: John the Baptist
John the Baptist is an important figure in our religious heritage. His story is told in all four Gospels. Luke 1 tells us how Zechariah prayed God would bless him with a child, and an angel declared his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son that would be named John. The Gospel of Luke tells us John was “filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.” The most important role of John was as the person who let the world know the ministry of Jesus was about to begin, and that ministry began with the baptism of Jesus by John. Although John was the son of a priest, he was a very solitary man who dressed plainly and lived on a simple food diet. God chose this humble man to be the one to announce the arrival of his Son, Jesus.
Saint for Today: St. Damasus m
Damasus (305-384) was of Spanish origin, but had been born in Rome, where his father served as a priest. He eventually became a deacon in the same church. Although little is known about his ministry in the church through much of his life, he was chosen to be the Pope after the death of Pope Liberius in 366. Unfortunately a small, but violent minority favored a man called Ursinus as pope. These people caused considerable tension and opposition for Damasus, but he successfully defeated their lies and accusations in court. Damasus was a strong supporter of St. Jerome, and he encouraged others to follow the saint’s example of studying the Bible. He worked very hard to preserve religious relics and the gravesites of many martyrs. We honor him on December 11.
Puzzle
