Luke the physician wrote how crowds of people came to John to be “baptized”, and “as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not. John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I comes, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison”, and in chapter three and verse twenty-one of his book Luke shared what happened when, “Jesus” was “baptized” where we read:
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass,
that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
The verse reads, “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, ...” Luke began with the words, “Now when” or “moreover and at the time and moment” “all the people” which means “each, every, the whole and everyone of the people in the crowd” “were baptized” or “were submerged or immersed in water”, “it came to pass” which means “it happened and came into existence”. Luke shared how the following event occurred after all the people within the multitude were “baptized” by John.
The verse continues, “... that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,” Luke added the words, “that Jesus” which means “that the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate whose name means Jehovah is Salvation” “also being baptized” or “even so and indeed was submerged and immersed in water”, “and praying” which means “and supplicating, worshiping and making orations to God”, “the heaven” or “the region above above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings” “was opened” which means “literally opened up”. Luke shared how “heaven opened up” when Jesus, God's Son, was “baptized” by John and in prayer.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we can only imagine this wonderful site as all the people were one by one being “baptized” by John to demonstrate their repentance from sins, and suddenly, Jesus appears and desires to be “baptized” by John as well. (See Matthew 3, Mark 1 and John 1 for more about Jesus' baptism). Jesus had no sin, and yet He desired to fulfill all that was required of Him by His Father God. As Jesus was “praying” while being “baptized” by John, the “heaven” above “opened” which signified the acceptance and approval of God for what He was doing. Peter said in the book of Acts chapter two and verse thirty eight, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”, and as we shall see in the next verse, the Holy Ghost descended upon Jesus as a promise to all who receive Him as “Savior and Lord” that they shall be “saved” and receive His Spirit within them when they yield to Him.
Next time Luke shares how, “the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon” Jesus, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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