Jesus our representative
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Did Jesus cheat?
Did Jesus cheat?
Jesus baptised, Jesus tested
Who is the Son of God? What kind of Son is he? How does he save?
(video games god-mode cheat)
Context:
Matthew 3:3 (NIV)
3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ ”
Matthew 3:11–12 (NIV)
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 3:13 (NIV)
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
[Yahweh - God is showing up - the one more powerful than John - then Jesus came -
[early conversation in the church about Jesus - trying to protect him being God was a group who said he only appeared to be human - another group taking his humanity seriously said God adopted a perfect human -
the Scriptures point us to accept both - he’s God who has become truly human. No barrier to God - but necessary:
Jesus, God with us
Jesus, God with us
Alongside without affirming
In his baptism and in his wilderness testing - he is a new representative of God’s people:
First, his baptism:
6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
Yes - Jesus turns to God. He agrees that Israel must turn to God. He identifies and joins in with that turning to God. He’s not an observer, but joins in - not because he has anything to confess - but he turns to God always, and Israel in their sin (and in fact, all humanity) - need this.
He does not come alongside Israel and affirm them in their life choices, following their hearts, being their truest selves - but agrees with their need for repentance, their need for cleansing.
Jesus does this with us - he comes alongside us, sharing our humanity, not standing aloof and distant, but also joining us in our need for God.
In his approval of this, he is also approved:
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
We’ll come back to this. But for the purpose of seeing his identifying with Israel - remember Israel were God’s ‘son’. Here in fact Jesus is the true Israelite. (the funnels?)
Now his testing in the wilderness:
In his joining in with Israel’s life story, see:
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
It is no accident if this reminds you of Israel in the wilderness for their forty years. Jesus himself quotes the parts of Deuteronomy that look back exactly to that time in the iwlderness of testing. Israel failed. Jesus identifies as an Israelite - but again, unlike Israel - he obeys.
These were real tests - he was really hungry, it would be very reassuring to have the angels all dart at his command, it would be better to take charge of the nations without having to die on a cross.
But Jesus will trust God his Father - that’s the kind of Son of God he is.
Jesus, the Son of God, is like us, but without sin. Being human is not the problem.
beekeepers who’ve done it, parents of multiple children - how do you do it...
- MHACA and lived experience-
Jesus our example
Jesus our example
Zoom in on the testing:
for context, see the devil is only subservient to God’s plans
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
It is the Spirit of God who carries out this work. The devil is a tool. But note also he is personal (can speak, seeks worship), is powerful (can take and show Jesus things), and knows God’s Word (but a clever manipulator).
And a final aside on the devil - Jesus beats him here, for us, and beats him on the cross, for us - he might try to consume us, but Jesus has already beaten him. Do not be afraid.
Look at Jesus’ response in his hunger to the devil’s test:
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus does not do anything for his own benefit here: doesn’t feed himself (even though the word from Deuteronomy was about God providing manna in the desert).
He doesn’t reassure himself by forcing the angels to look out for him.
He doesn’t short cut the road to power.
Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit
Anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism.
Affirmed by the voice of God the Father as God’s beloved, pleasing Son,
led by the Spirit into the wilderness -
uses a very spiritual tool - God’s Word.
Yes, we know he can turn a boy’s lunch box into a banquet, he can walk on water and raise the dead.
Forty days and forty nights - like Moses on the mountaintop getting God’s Law. In that fiery experience where the people turned away from God despite God’s obvious presence.
Forty days and forty nights - Elijah after the fiery god battle runs and runs away seeking a new experience or word from God.
Jesus - turns to the old Word of God.
He is our example - in lived experience - how do you conquer the great test of obedience or disobedience - know and obey God’s Word.
See too, he doesn’t pluck these words out of nowhere - he’s had to learn them, to reflect on them, to internalise them - ‘read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them’ -
But this example brings with it the rub.
It doesn’t help me that Jesus agrees that Israel (and you and I) need to turn to God. It doesn’t help me that Jesus shows me by example how to deal with testing. If I have a heart problem.
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
He didn’t come only or even mainly to be alongside us, to be an example for us - but to rescue us.
Suffering, sin-carrying, satan-defeating, saviour
Suffering, sin-carrying, satan-defeating, saviour
Jesus performs no self-care in the wilderness under testing - does nothing that will make his life care-free.
Our final reflection will be on those words of God at Jesus’ baptism:
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
God’s Word to the fighting, chaotic troubled nations of the world - is that he has put a ruler of his own choosing - a Son.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
1 “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.
God’s Word to sinful Israel - he will provide a spirit-filled, suffering servant sort out the nations - and Israel. Isaiah continues recording songs about God’s servant and in Isaiah 53 we read again about the servant:
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
At his baptism, God joins together the promises of a powreful ruler, his Son, and the promises of a suffering servant.
Jesus does not self-care in the wilderness because his whole coming is for our good.
Jesus does not take the devil’s short-cuts, because his life is heading towards carrying the sins of many as saviour.
It is great that Jesus sympathises in our weakness.
It is amazing that Jesus gives us an example to live by.
It is best that Jesus rescues us by carrying our sin.
Do you see how great Jesus is? Do you see how good God is -
not just saying try harder, learn from me - but I will rescue you. I have rescued you.
As John the baptist’s cry to turn to Gd rings out from 2,000 years and from last week to us as God’s people too - it is no big effort to turn to a God we see in Jesus. Will we keep turning to him?