He is like a shepherd feeding His flock,
gathering His lambs with His arm,
carrying them against His chest,
gently leading the mother sheep.
Let us connect the period of time from the birth of Yeshua Messiah King to when Yeshua Messiah was thirty years of age. At the age of thirty, He was formally announced to the world by John the Baptist, the son of the priest, Zechariah, in the division of Abijah, and wife Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron.
On the eighth day, Yeshua was taken by Mary and Joseph to the temple in Jerusalem to be circumcised, presented to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with the Law of the Lord: a pair of doves or two young pigeons.
“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised,
You now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which You have prepared in the sight of
all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to Your people Israel.”
The next account of Yeshua is recorded in Mattityahu 2:13-15, 19-23.
After the Magi had gone, an angel of ADONAI
appeared to Yosef in a dream and said, "Get up,
take the child and His mother, and escape to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you to leave. For Herod
is going to look for the child in order to kill Him."
So he got up, took the child and His mother, and
left during the night for Egypt, where he stayed
until Herod died. This happened in order to fulfill
what Adonai had said through the prophet,
"Out of Egypt I called my Son."
After Herod’s death, an angel of ADONAI appeared in a dream to Yosef in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and His mother, and go to
Matthew 2: Gifts of the Magi and the Escape to Egypt
Every year Yeshua’s parents went to Yerushalayim for the Feast of the Passover. When Yeshua was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while His parents were returning home, the boy Yeshua stayed behind in Yerushalayim, but they were unaware of it. Thinking He was in their company, they traveled for a day.
Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for Him. After three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers.
When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
“Why were you searching for me?” He asked.
“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what He was saying to them.
Then He went down to Natzeret with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Yeshua grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
The next account tells of John the Baptist’s introduction and baptism of the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the World!
The following passage is Mattityahu 3:1-17:
The following passage is Mattityahu 3:1-17:
It was during those days that Yochanan the Immerser arrived in the desert of Y'hudah and began proclaiming the message, “Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!”
This is the man Yesha`yahu was talking about when he said, “The voice of someone crying out: `In the desert prepare the way of ADONAI! Make straight paths for him!'"
Yochanan wore clothes of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Yerushalayim, from all Y'hudah, and from the whole region around the Yarden. Confessing their sins, they were immersed by him in the Yarden River.
But when Yochanan saw many of the P'rushim and Tz'dukim coming to be immersed by him, he said to them, "You snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming punishment? If you have really turned from your sins to God, produce fruit that will prove it! And don't suppose you can comfort yourselves by saying, `Avraham is our father!’ For I tell you that God can raise up for Avraham sons from these stones! Already the axe is at the root of the trees, ready to strike; every tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown in the fire! It's true that I am immersing you in water so that you might turn from sin to God; but the one coming after me is more powerful than I -- I'm not worthy even to carry his sandals -- and he will immerse you in the Ruach HaKodesh and in fire. He has with him his winnowing fork; and he will clear out his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn but burning up the straw with unquenchable fire!"
Then Yeshua came from the Galil to the Yarden to be immersed by Yochanan. But Yochanan tried to stop him. "You are coming to me? I ought to be immersed by you!" However, Yeshua answered him, "Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires." Then Yochanan let him.
As soon as Yeshua had been immersed, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, he saw the Spirit of God coming down upon him like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him."
John the Baptist baptizes Jesus
from The Life of Christ Bible Videos
Yeshua’s baptism in the Jordan River near Bethany introduced the beginning of Yeshua’s earthly ministry.
Some people are not familiar with the word baptize.
Some people are not familiar with the word baptize.
The Vine’s expository dictionary reads:
- Baptisma (n) baptism, consisting of the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence (from bapto, to dip), is used of John’s baptism.
- Baptizo (v) to baptize, primarily a form of bapto, to dip, was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment.
It is used in the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and in the book of Acts as the rite performed by John the Baptist who called upon the people to repent that they might receive remission of sins. Those who obeyed came confessing their sins, thus acknowledging their unfitness to be in the Messiah’s coming Kingdom.
Baptism is to be undergone by believers, thus witnessing their identification with Yeshua the Christ in His death burial and resurrection.
The verb is also used metaphorically in two distinct senses:
- Baptism by the Holy Spirit, which took place on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:1-13
- The calamity which would come upon the nation of the Jews, a baptism of the fire of Divine judgment for rejection of the will and word of God.
The Complete Jewish Bible uses immersion instead of baptism. The World Book Encyclopedia dictionary's definition:
Immerse:
- To dip or lower into a liquid until covered by it.
- To baptize by dipping a person completely under water.
- Baptized by immersion
When one becomes a believer, baptism is the public testimony following the example of Yeshua. A person dies to self and sin (since Yeshua has died for my sins, past, present and future), buried the old self by immersion, and raised (as Yeshua Christ was raised by His Father God) to walk in newness of life with the Holy Spirit as teacher, counselor and guide.
Galatians 2:20 says:
When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too; so that my proud ego no longer lives. But the Messiah lives in me, and the life I now live in my body I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Go back and re-read Matthew 3:16-17. Here is the majestic presence of Three in One, the triune God! The trinity coming together to give honor and affirmation to the Son, Yeshua, as He begins His public teaching and preaching of repentance for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The Father declared Yeshua to be the Son of God!
The next day, Yochanan saw Yeshua coming toward him and said, "Look! God's lamb! The one who is taking away the sin of the world!”
After Yeshua had been baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit led Yeshua out into the desert wilderness for forty days to be tempted by Satan.
Then the Spirit led Yeshua up into the wilderness to be tempted by the Adversary. After Yeshua had fasted forty days and nights, he was hungry. The Tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, order these stones to become bread." But he answered, "The Tanakh says, `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of ADONAI.'"
Then the Adversary took him to the holy city and set him on the highest point of the Temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "jump! For the Tanakh says, `He will order his angels to be responsible for you. . . . They will support you with their hands, so that you will not hurt your feet on the stones.'" Yeshua replied to him, "But it also says, `Do not put ADONAI your God to the test.'" Once more, the Adversary took him up to the summit of a very high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their glory, and said to him, "All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me." "Away with you, Satan!" Yeshua told him, "For the Tanakh says, `Worship ADONAI your God, and serve only him.'" Then the
"Desert Voice"
composed by Eric Becker
These accounts could only be stated by scripture, for God’s Word is true and complete. Yeshua was about thirty years old when He began His ministry.
Let us read Mattityahu 4:12-17:
When Yeshua heard that Yochanan had been put in prison, he returned to the Galil; but he left Natzeret and came to live in K'far-Nachum, a lake shore town near the boundary between Z'vulun and Naftali. This happened in order to fulfill what Yesha`yahu the prophet had said, "Land of Z'vulun and land of Naftali, toward the lake, beyond the Yarden, Galil-of-the-Goyim -- the people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the region, in the shadow of death, light has dawned." From that time on, Yeshua began proclaiming, "Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!"
"I'm Amazed"
performed by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
The time has come! Words are inadequate to introduce the One and only Holy One of Israel! Oh, what a revelation! Oh, what a declaration! The profound prophecies of old are fulfilled, affirming who Yeshua is and His mission on planet earth. The introduction is made by the only One worthy, His Father God.
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
One can only imagine this scene of Yeshua, walking by the Jordan River toward John the Baptist. These people were witnessing the public arrival of their long awaited Messiah! They were looking into the face of the Son of God, God-Visible! The Holy One of Israel stepped down from heaven’s glory to begin His public earthly ministry as a servant to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, God’s chosen and set apart people.
The message of Yeshua is the very same today as it was when He walked out of the wilderness after Satan tempted and tested His mind, body and soul, but Yeshua did not yield to Satan’s deceptions. From that time on, Yeshua began to preach, “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 4:17
"The King is Coming"
performed by the Gaither Vocal Band
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