Rachel Workman: 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[g] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Repent and believe, That's about as easy as it gets.
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12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[g] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
It
is hard to think of Jesus being anything but pleasing to his Father.
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John Burnett:
9 In
those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in
the Jordan. 10 Immediately
coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens[a]opening,
and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came out of the
heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
12 Immediately
the Spirit *impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the wilderness
forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and
the angels were ministering to Him. In order for Jesus to be the
perfect sacrifice for our sins, he had to be tempted like we are. In
verse 13, not only was Jesus tempted by Satan himself, he was tempted after
spending 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. He was hungry and weak yet
when Satan offered Him something to eat, he remained sinless and faithful to
His calling of being the spotless Lamb to take away the sins of the world.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
14 Now
after John had been [b]taken
into custody, Jesus came into Galilee,[c]preaching
the gospel of God, 15 and
saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [d]is
at hand; repent and [e]believe
in the gospel.” This is one of the simplest descriptions of what it
takes to be saved. We have to repent of our sins and believe in the
gospel. When we believe we are given the Holy Spirit who grants us the
grace of repentance. We cannot and will not repent without the Holy Spirit
calling us to and granting us repentance. Salvation has nothing to do
with anything that we do, it has everything to do with what Jesus did including
His death, resurrection, and gift of the Holy Spirit.
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Allen Michaels: 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by
John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the
water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a
dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I
love; with you I am well pleased.”
Why
did Jesus, the Sinless One, submit himself to John’s baptism? John preached a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3). In this
humble submission we see a foreshadowing of the “baptism” of his bloody death
upon the cross. Jesus’ baptism is the acceptance and the beginning of his
mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allowed himself to be numbered
among sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s will. Out of
love he consented to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins.
Do you know the joy of trust and submission to God?
12 At once the Spirit
sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the
wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals,
and angels attended him.
God
tests his servants to see if they are fit to be used by him. God tested
Abraham to prove his faith. Jesus was no exception to this testing. Satan
will try his best to induce us to choose our will over God's will. If he
can’t, he will then try to get us to make choices that will lead us away from
what God wants for us. Jesus was tempted like us and he overcame not by
his own human strength but by the grace and strength which his Father gave to
him. He had to renounce his will for the will of his Father. He
succeeded because he wanted to please his Father and he trusted that his Father
would give him the strength to overcome the obstacles that stood in the way.
The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit to be our strength and guide and our consoler
in temptation and testing. God the Father is ready to give us all that we need
to live in his way of love and righteousness. Do you rely on the Lord for
your strength and help?
Jesus
Announces the Good News
14 After John was put
in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The
time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe
the good news!”
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Tomorrow's reading for Mark 1:16-20
16 As
Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew
casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come,
follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At
once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When
he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John
in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called
them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and
followed him.
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