The Desire of Ages Chapter 11: The Baptism
Summary
TLDRThe script from 'The Desire of Ages' details the story of Jesus' baptism by his cousin John the Baptist. Despite their shared lineage and circumstances of birth, they had no prior acquaintance. Jesus, living a sinless life in Nazareth, and John, in the wilderness, were both secluded. John recognized Jesus' purity and divine presence, leading to his baptism, which signified Jesus' identification with sinners. The heavens opened, the Spirit descended like a dove, and a voice from above confirmed Jesus as the beloved Son of God, marking the beginning of His mission to redeem humanity from sin.
Takeaways
- 📣 The message of the wilderness prophet spread widely in Galilee, reaching peasants and fishermen, and finding a genuine response in their simple and earnest hearts.
- 👣 Jesus, recognizing the call, left His daily work in Nazareth to join the people going to the Jordan for baptism, marking the beginning of His public ministry.
- 🔗 Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins with parallel yet separate lives, living in seclusion and without direct contact to avoid accusations of conspiracy.
- 🌟 John the Baptist was aware of Jesus' sinless life and believed Him to be the Messiah, but he lacked absolute certainty, waiting in faith for divine confirmation.
- 🛑 John hesitated to baptize Jesus, questioning how a sinner could baptize the sinless and why the guiltless needed a rite of repentance.
- 🙏 Jesus insisted on being baptized to 'fulfill all righteousness,' demonstrating His identification with sinners and setting an example for humanity.
- 🕊 During the baptism, Jesus experienced a divine affirmation, with the Spirit descending like a dove and the voice from heaven declaring Him the beloved Son of God.
- 🛡 Jesus' baptism and subsequent life served as an example of suffering and patient endurance, showing the path of righteousness amidst conflict and misunderstanding.
- 👑 The voice from heaven confirmed Jesus as the Son of God, despite the world's sins being laid upon Him, affirming His divine nature and mission.
- 📜 The Holy Spirit, through the words 'Behold the Lamb of God,' revealed Jesus as the sacrificial offering for the sins of humanity, a concept rooted in Old Testament prophecies.
- 🙌 The divine acceptance of Jesus at the Jordan signifies God's love and acceptance of humanity, offering hope and the promise of salvation to all who believe.
Q & A
What was the significance of the message that spread throughout Galilee in the script?
-The message signified the announcement of the coming of the Messiah, which stirred the hearts of the people, including peasants and fishermen, and prompted Jesus to leave his daily work and follow the call to the Jordan.
How were Jesus and John the Baptist related, and what was the reason for their lack of direct acquaintance?
-Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins, related by the circumstances of their birth. However, they had no direct acquaintance because they lived in different regions and under different circumstances, with Jesus in Nazareth and John in the wilderness, to avoid the accusation of conspiring together.
What was John the Baptist's understanding of Jesus' identity before Jesus came for baptism?
-John the Baptist knew of Jesus' sinless life and believed Him to be the Messiah, but he did not have positive assurance. He was waiting in faith for a sign that would confirm Jesus' divine character.
Why did John the Baptist initially hesitate to baptize Jesus?
-John hesitated because he felt unworthy to baptize Jesus, who he recognized as sinless. He questioned how he, a sinner, could baptize the One who needed no repentance and why Jesus would submit to a rite that symbolized the confession of guilt.
What was the purpose of Jesus' baptism according to the script?
-Jesus' baptism was not for His own guilt but to identify with sinners, taking the steps and doing the work that humanity must do, setting an example for them.
What vision did Jesus see after being baptized, and what does it symbolize?
-Jesus saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. This symbolizes the Holy Spirit coming to rest on Jesus, affirming His divine mission and character.
What did the voice from heaven say, and what was its significance?
-The voice from heaven said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' This declaration confirmed Jesus as the Son of God and served to inspire faith in the witnesses and to strengthen Jesus for His mission.
How did John the Baptist react to the heavenly vision and the voice from heaven?
-John the Baptist was deeply moved and recognized the token which God had promised. He knew that he had baptized the world's Redeemer and, filled with the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God.
What is the meaning of Jesus being referred to as 'the Lamb of God'?
-The term 'Lamb of God' refers to Jesus as the sacrificial offering for the sins of humanity, paralleling the biblical story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac and the divine provision of a ram in his place.
What does the script suggest about the relationship between Jesus and humanity in the context of prayer and divine acceptance?
-The script suggests that Jesus, as our representative, has made us accepted in the Beloved. His prayer and the glory that rested upon Him are a pledge of God's love for humanity, showing that our petitions can find acceptance in heaven.
What hope does the script offer for the most sinful, needy, and oppressed?
-The script offers hope that even the most sinful, needy, and oppressed can find access to the Father through Jesus, who has prepared a home for all in the mansions of heaven.
Outlines
🌿 The Call to Baptism and Divine Recognition
The first paragraph describes the widespread news of the wilderness prophet's announcement, which resonated deeply with the simple folk of Galilee. Jesus, recognizing His call, bids farewell to His mother and journeys to the Jordan, following the footsteps of His countrymen. Jesus and John, though cousins and related by birth, had no direct acquaintance due to their separate lives in Nazareth and the wilderness. John, aware of Jesus' sinless life, believed Him to be the Messiah but lacked certainty. Jesus' request for baptism surprised John, as he felt unworthy to baptize the sinless. However, Jesus insisted, stating it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness. Upon baptism, Jesus experienced a divine revelation, witnessing the heavens open and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove, signifying His divine nature and mission.
🙏 Solitude and Prayer for Strength
The second paragraph delves into the loneliness and spiritual burden Jesus faced throughout His life and ministry. Despite being divine, Jesus chose to live a life of solitude, bearing the weight of humanity's sin and suffering. His mission was misunderstood by His family, His disciples, and even by John the Baptist. Jesus' prayer on the riverbank, after His baptism, was a plea for strength to overcome human unbelief and the power of Satan. The Father answered His prayer directly, sending a dovelike form of light and a voice from heaven, affirming Jesus as His beloved Son, providing both a public confirmation of His identity and a source of strength for His mission ahead.
🕊 The Prophetic Symbolism of the Lamb of God
The third paragraph explores the symbolism of Jesus as the 'Lamb of God,' a reference to the sacrificial lambs of the Old Testament, which pointed to the coming Savior. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Isaiah, prophesied about the suffering servant who would bear the iniquities of all. However, the people of Israel failed to grasp this lesson. God's love is the source of the gift of reconciliation, and Jesus' baptismal experience, including the voice from heaven, is a testament to humanity's acceptance in God's eyes. The glory that rested upon Jesus is a symbol of God's love for all, signifying the power of prayer and the reconnection of earth with heaven. The narrative concludes with the assurance that through Jesus, even the most sinful and needy can find a home in heaven, as He has prepared a place for all who believe.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Baptism
💡Wilderness Prophet
💡Messiah
💡Repentance
💡Sinlessness
💡Redemption
💡Divine Character
💡Righteousness
💡Lamb of God
💡Heavenly Vision
💡Salvation
Highlights
The message of the wilderness prophet spread throughout Galilee, reaching peasants and fisher folk, who responded earnestly.
Jesus recognized the call to follow the footsteps of his countrymen to the Jordan for baptism.
Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins with closely related circumstances of birth but had no direct acquaintance.
John was aware of Jesus' sinless life and believed Him to be the Messiah, though without positive assurance.
Jesus' many years of obscurity raised doubts about whether He was the Promised One.
John was told in a revelation that the Messiah would seek baptism from him as a sign of divine character.
John recognized Jesus' purity of character, unlike any other man, and His holy presence.
Jesus requested baptism, leading John to question how he, a sinner, could baptize the Sinless One.
Jesus instructed John to fulfill all righteousness by allowing the baptism to proceed.
After baptism, Jesus saw the heavens open and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
Jesus' baptism was not a confession of guilt but an identification with sinners, setting an example.
Jesus prayed on the river bank, beginning a new era of His life's conflict as the Prince of Peace.
Jesus' coming was to establish a kingdom opposite to what the Jews desired, leading to misunderstanding and opposition.
Despite taking on humanity's fallen nature, Jesus was declared the Son of the Eternal by the voice from heaven.
John recognized Jesus as the world's Redeemer after witnessing the heavenly vision and hearing the voice.
The words 'Behold the Lamb of God' signify Jesus as the sacrificial offering for the sins of the world.
The sacrificial system was misunderstood by many, missing the true meaning of God's love in providing atonement.
Jesus' prayer and the divine response demonstrate the power of prayer and God's acceptance of humanity.
The glory that rested upon Christ is a pledge of God's love for us, signifying our acceptance in the Beloved.
Jesus has reconnected earth with heaven, allowing humanity to find acceptance and power through prayer.
The voice from heaven affirms Jesus as the beloved Son, embracing humanity and offering hope for our redemption.
Jesus has opened a way for the most sinful and needy to find access to the Father and a home in heaven.
The open door set before us signifies that no one can shut off our access to God through Jesus.
Transcripts
The Desire of Ages
Chapter 11: The Baptism
Tidings of the wilderness prophet and his wonderful announcement, spread throughout Galilee.
The message reached the peasants in the remotest hill towns,
and the fisher folk by the sea, and in these simple, earnest hearts found its truest response.
In Nazareth it was told in the carpenter shop that had been Joseph's, and One recognized the
call. His time had come. Turning from His daily toil, He bade farewell to His mother,
and followed in the steps of His countrymen who were flocking to the Jordan.
Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins, and closely related by the circumstances
of their birth; yet they had had no direct acquaintance with each other.
The life of Jesus had been spent at Nazareth in Galilee; that of John, in the wilderness of Judea.
Amid widely different surroundings they had lived in seclusion,
and had had no communication with each other. Providence had ordered this. No occasion was to
be given for the charge that they had conspired together to support each other's claims.
John was acquainted with the events that had marked the birth of Jesus. He had heard of the
visit to Jerusalem in His boyhood, and of what had passed in the school of the rabbis. He knew
of His sinless life, and believed Him to be the Messiah; but of this he had no positive assurance.
The fact that Jesus had for so many years remained in obscurity, giving no special evidence of
His mission, gave occasion for doubt as to whether He could be the Promised One. The Baptist,
however, waited in faith, believing that in God's own time all would be made plain.
It had been revealed to him that the Messiah would seek baptism at his hands, and that a sign of His
divine character should then be given. Thus he would be enabled to present Him to the people.
When Jesus came to be baptized, John recognized in Him a purity of character that he had never
before perceived in any man. The very atmosphere of His presence was holy and awe-inspiring.
Among the multitudes that had gathered about him at the Jordan,
John had heard dark tales of crime, and had met souls bowed down with the burden of myriad sins;
but never had he come in contact with a human being from whom there breathed an influence so
divine. All this was in harmony with what had been revealed to John regarding the Messiah.
Yet he shrank from granting the request of Jesus. How could he, a sinner,
baptize the Sinless One? And why should He who needed no repentance submit to a rite that was
a confession of guilt to be washed away? As Jesus asked for baptism, John drew back,
exclaiming, "I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?"
With firm yet gentle authority, Jesus answered,
"Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." And John, yielding,
led the Saviour down into the Jordan, and buried Him beneath the water. "And straightway coming up
out of the water," Jesus "saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him."
Jesus did not receive baptism as a confession of guilt on His own account. He identified Himself
with sinners, taking the steps that we are to take, and doing the work that we must do.
His life of suffering and patient endurance after His baptism was also an example to us.
Upon coming up out of the water, Jesus bowed in prayer on the river bank. A new and important
era was opening before Him. He was now, upon a wider stage, entering on the conflict of
His life. Though He was the Prince of Peace, His coming must be as the unsheathing of a sword. The
kingdom He had come to establish was the opposite of that which the Jews desired. He who was the
foundation of the ritual and economy of Israel would be looked upon as its enemy and destroyer.
He who had proclaimed the law upon Sinai would be condemned as a transgressor.
He who had come to break the power of Satan would be denounced as Beelzebub.
No one upon earth had understood Him, and during His ministry He must still walk alone.
Throughout His life His mother and His brothers did not comprehend His mission.
Even His disciples did not understand Him.
He had dwelt in eternal light, as one with God, but His life on earth must be spent in solitude.
As one with us, He must bear the burden of our guilt and woe. The Sinless One
must feel the shame of sin. The peace lover must dwell with strife, the truth must abide with
falsehood, purity with vileness. Every sin, every discord, every defiling lust that transgression
had brought, was torture to His spirit. Alone He must tread the path; alone He
must bear the burden. Upon Him who had laid off His glory and accepted the weakness of humanity
the redemption of the world must rest. He saw and felt it all, but His purpose remained steadfast.
Upon His arm depended the salvation of the fallen race, and He reached out
His hand to grasp the hand of Omnipotent Love. The Saviour's glance seems to penetrate heaven
as He pours out His soul in prayer. Well He knows how sin has hardened the hearts of men, and
how difficult it will be for them to discern His mission, and accept the gift of salvation.
He pleads with the Father for power to overcome their unbelief, to break the
fetters with which Satan has enthralled them, and in their behalf to conquer
the destroyer. He asks for the witness that God accepts humanity in the person of His Son.
Never before have the angels listened to such a prayer. They are eager to bear to their loved
Commander a message of assurance and comfort. But no; the Father Himself will answer the petition
of His Son. Direct from the throne issue the beams of His glory. The heavens are opened, and upon the
Saviour's head descends a dovelike form of purest light,—fit emblem of Him, the meek and lowly One.
Of the vast throng at the Jordan, few except John discerned the heavenly vision. Yet the solemnity
of the divine Presence rested upon the assembly. The people stood silently gazing upon Christ.
His form was bathed in the light that ever surrounds the throne of God.
His upturned face was glorified as they had never before seen the face of man. From the
open heavens a voice was heard saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
These words of confirmation were given to inspire faith in those who witnessed the scene,
and to strengthen the Saviour for His mission. Notwithstanding that the sins of a guilty world
were laid upon Christ, notwithstanding the humiliation of taking upon Himself our fallen
nature, the voice from heaven declared Him to be the Son of the Eternal.
John had been deeply moved as he saw Jesus bowed as a suppliant,
pleading with tears for the approval of the Father. As the glory of God encircled Him, and
the voice from heaven was heard, John recognized the token which God had promised. He knew that it
was the world's Redeemer whom he had baptized. The Holy Spirit rested upon him, and with outstretched
hand pointing to Jesus, he cried, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
None among the hearers, and not even the speaker himself, discerned the import of these words,
"the Lamb of God." Upon Mount Moriah, Abraham had heard the question of his son,
"My father, . . . where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" The father answered, "My son, God
will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering." Genesis 22:7, 8. And in the ram divinely provided
in the place of Isaac, Abraham saw a symbol of Him who was to die for the sins of men.
The Holy Spirit through Isaiah, taking up the illustration, prophesied of the Saviour,
"He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter," "and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity
of us all" (Isaiah 53:7, 6); but the people of Israel had not understood the lesson.
Many of them regarded the sacrificial offerings much as the heathen looked
upon their sacrifices,—as gifts by which they themselves might propitiate the Deity.
God desired to teach them that from His own love comes the gift which reconciles them to Himself.
And the word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan, "This is My beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased," embraces humanity. God spoke to Jesus as our representative.
With all our sins and weaknesses, we are not cast aside as worthless. "He hath made us accepted in
the Beloved." Ephesians 1:6. The glory that rested upon Christ is a pledge of the love of God for us.
It tells us of the power of prayer,—how the human voice may reach the ear of God,
and our petitions find acceptance in the courts of heaven. By sin, earth was cut off from heaven,
and alienated from its communion; but Jesus has connected it again with the sphere of glory.
His love has encircled man, and reached the highest heaven. The light which fell
from the open portals upon the head of our Saviour will fall upon us as we pray for help
to resist temptation. The voice which spoke to Jesus says to every believing soul, This is My
beloved child, in whom I am well pleased. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God,
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear,
we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2. Our Redeemer has opened the way
so that the most sinful, the most needy, the most oppressed and despised,
may find access to the Father. All may have a home in the mansions which Jesus has gone to prepare.
"These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David,
He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; . . . behold,
I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." Revelation 3:7, 8.
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