The Baptism of Christ, Temptation in the Desert, Transfiguration and

Wedding at Cana!

Mr. Perrotti –Theology IIChapter 4 –Part 1

Baptism of Christ is described in the Gospels: Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34.

• In the course of time John the Baptist appeared in Judaea and proclaimed: 'Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is upon you!'

• "Everyone flocked to him from Jerusalem, Judaea, and the Jordan valley, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins

WHO WAS JOHN THE BAPTIST

• A distant cousin of Jesus born of Elizabeth to prepare all who would listen for the coming of the Messiah!

• He was known as the “precursor” of Christ, the man who would “come before”

• He was called “The Prophet” by his followers and enemies!

“Then Jesus arrived to the Jordan river and asked John to baptize him.”

“At first John refused, saying 'It is I who need to be baptized by you.”

“…..but Jesus insisted as it was commanded by God. Then John agreed.”

I Must Decrease while He Increases

• John the Baptist’s Ministry ends with the Baptism of Christ.

• John Baptized with Water!

• John Baptized Christ at his request.

• Baptism by John was a symbolic sign that the people of Judea were preparing for the Messiah

• Jesus’s Baptism marks the start of his 3 year ministry.

• Jesus Baptized with The Holy Spirit.

• We seek Baptism as a beginning of our relationship with Christ.

• Baptism washes our Soul with Sanctifying Grace.

"No sooner had Jesus been baptized and come up out of the water than the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove to alight on him. And there came a voice from heaven

saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I take delight.' (Matthew

3:16-17).

Death of John the Baptist

• Hated by King Herod, John was taken prisoner• According to the Synoptic Gospels, Herod,

who was sub-king of Galilee under the Roman Empire, had imprisoned John the Baptist because he reproved Herod for divorcing his wife (Phasaelis), and unlawfully taking Herodias, the wife of his brother Herod Philip I.

John’s Death Con’t

• Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter Salome danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired, up to half of his kingdom. When the daughter asked her mother what she should request, she was told to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Although Herod was appalled by the request, he reluctantly agreed and had John executed in the prison.

The Temptation of Christ

• The Temptation occurs in the three synoptic Gospels but we will focus on Luke

• Luke 4:1-13• 2 important theological preliminary thoughts:

Baptism and Context

2 Important Preliminaries

• 1. The temptation follows the baptism of Christ.• Each of the Evangelists place the

two events in chronological sequence• It was the Spirit who led Jesus to

be tempted

Important Preliminaries (Cont.)

• Both the baptism and the temptation refer to the identification of Jesus as the Son of God• This shows that the temptations

were not directed at Jesus as an ordinary human being.

Important Preliminaries (Cont.)

• Israel's Exodus is called a baptism in I Corinthians 10:2

• The three passages Jesus quotes come from three sins of Israel:

• Complaints about lack of food (Ex. 16)• Putting God to the text by expecting him to

produce water from a rock• Worshiping a golden calf

Important Preliminaries (Cont.)

• Notice how these three sins are the exact same temptations that Jesus overcomes in the wilderness after being there for forty days.

• The Sins of Food, Water and Worshiping False Gods

• Luke 4:1-4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness

• For forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

• And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4. And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.'"

The First Temptation

• Luke 4:3-4 3 And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.'" .

The Second Temptation

• Luke 4:5-7 5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours."

• You shall Only worship the Lord thy God, and No Others!

The Third Temptation

• Luke 4:9-11 9. And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10. for it is written, 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,' 11. and, 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'"

Jesus Answer

• Luke 4:12-13 12. And Jesus answered and said to him, "It is said, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'“

• When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

The Transfiguration of Christ

• According to the Gospels of Luke (9:28-36), Mark (9:1-8), and Matthew (17:1-6), the Transfiguration occurred when Jesus traveled to the top of a mountain to pray with three of the Apostles, Peter, John, and James

• Upon reaching the summit, Jesus was transfigured, his entire body being filled with a shining white light, as though his person were filled with clear fire.

Visited by Two Old Testament Heroes

• Moments later, the prophets Elijah and Moses appeared to either side of Jesus, and began to speak with him of his burden and impending death.

• Then, a blazing cloud appeared overhead, and a voice spoke from heaven (typically taken to be God), saying that Jesus was his beloved son, in whom he was well pleased.

After the event was over, Jesus asked the three Apostles to keep the occurrence a secret until the Son of Man rose from the dead.

Interpretations of the Transfiguration

• Generally speaking, the primary significance of the Transfiguration exists in the light which shines from Jesus' body on the mountaintop, which is typically held to be a sign of his internal divinity fully manifesting itself in the material world.

• It is also the second of time that he is called a beloved son by a heavenly voice, the first being when he is baptized by John.

• As a result of these events, the Transfiguration is considered the turning point between Jesus' prophetic ministry and priestly (or divine) ministry

The Wedding at Cana

• Jewish weddings were steeped in tradition and ritual. One of the customs was providing an extravagant feast for guests.

• Something went wrong at this wedding, however, because they ran out of wine early.

• In that culture, such a miscalculation would have been a great humiliation for the bride and groom.

Jesus and His Mother Mary• Mary turned to Jesus and said,

they have no more wine!

• His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you.“

• Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water

• He ordered them to draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet, who was in charge of food and drink.

• "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come.“

• Nearby were six stone jars filled with water used for ceremonial washing. Jews cleansed their hands, cups, and vessels with water before meals. Each large pot held from 20 to 30 gallons.

• Most couples served the best wine first, "You have saved the best till now," he told them .

Important Facts

• This was Jesus’ First Miracle• Jesus performed this sign for his disciples only.• Jesus will never say no to His Mother!• All of Jesus’ actions are perfect whether as a

Miracle or role model