Baptism of The Lord

Discipleship Group Questions for January 9, 2005

Scripture:

Is. 42:1-4,6-7 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” 5 This is what God the LORD says — he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Psa. 29:1-4,9-10 Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. 3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.

Psa. 29:9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

Acts 10:34-38 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached — 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

Matt. 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Questions for Reflection:

1. On this Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. This was a pivotal time in Christ’s life. Before this event we know very little about His life. Don’t you find that rather curious? What must the life of God incarnate been like in those hidden 30 years? Please reflect on this and discuss in your group. Remember all we really know is that “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52)

2. John’s baptism was a baptism of “repentance” (see Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3, Acts 13:24, Acts 19:4), so why then did Jesus come to be baptized – He was neither a non-Jewish proselyte nor was He in need of repentance – for after all He was God incarnate. Please read the Matthew verses and reflect together upon the words, “it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”

3. Can you see any parallels between the Gospel reading and the Old Testament reading?

4. Jesus was baptized so that He could fully identify with fallen humanity. He identified with our sin and our desperate need for cleansing. This act of identification was in perfect harmony with everything else that our Lord had done – He humbled Himself and became man. Please look at the second chapter of the Book of Philippians and reflect together upon this fundamental reality.

5. This full identification with us was like a declaration of war against the evil one! Christ’s hiddenness had come to an abrupt end with this declaration. What also came with this declaration was the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly supernatural power began to erupt from Jesus. What does this tell you about your own ministry?

6. Please reflect upon the following statement, “What God is saying here is this: ‘this power – these miracles – this calling – these trials . . . are yours as you bend your knee and join My Son as He identifies through you with the least of these!’”

7. Please reflect upon the following statement, “Are you willing to enter more fully into your own baptism and in so doing to more fully identify with the lost i.e., those who don’t love and obey Jesus Christ?”