You want to do what now?

Chapter 3 of Matthew starts out with a sermon. Now being a pastor's daughter, I have heard plenty of those in my life time. I can probably count on one hand the number of Sunday morning services that I have missed. I say that not to be prideful or boast in what I have done, but to commend the people in my life who have made me realize how important God is.

Now back to Matthew. John the Baptist starts to preach in the wilderness. The book of Matthew doesn't tell us anything about the origin of John but we know from latter gospels that he was a  cousin of Jesus. They would have grown up together and imagine how cool that would have been.

The first encounter that we have with John the Baptist is as a young man dressed in camel wool, a scraggly beard and eats locust and honey for food. I personally don't have any children yet. But if my son came in dressed like that I would think that there was something wrong or he was going through some sort of crisis.

John talks about all of things that he knows about Jesus, the coming Messiah. This would have been quite a lot considering that John was a son a priest and every Jewish male would study the Torah in order to be better equipped for being a man in Jewish culture.

John would have grown up reading the prophecies of a Messiah that would save his people. I personally think that is why John spoke with such conviction and passion that was unparalleled in his day. I wonder if he remembered leaping with joy while in his mother's womb as an unborn child, unable to contain his excitement.

Then comes what is my favorite part of the story. Jesus shows up at the Jordan River. And John's immediate response is surrender. But the Jesus does what His father would do in the same situation. He gets John up and says that is not why I have come. It is I who needs to be baptized. It is I who will take on the job of a servant. It is I that will die the most embarrassing way a person can die. That's always been the plan. I just haven't told anyone about it yet.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew that His life would fulfill all of the prophecies from the Old Testament. And yet He came know the cost. And it all started in the Jordan river.

"And a voice from heaven said, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.""
Matthew 3:17