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Song: The Baptism of Jesus
Memory Puzzle |
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(Most users may place the mouse over the words to highlight them.)
John had been baptizing in the Jordan River. One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and asked John to baptize him . John protested because he felt that Jesus was the one who should be baptizing him. But Jesus told him that they needed to do this to fulfill all righteousness. It was the right thing to do. So John baptized him in the river.
Immediately after he was baptized, as he was praying, the heavens were opened and a dove came down and rested on Jesus. It was the Spirit of God in the form of a bird that had come down to show who Jesus was. Jesus saw it and John also saw the dove.
Suddenly there was a voice from heaven saying, "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". The dove and the voice of God were a sign to John that Jesus was the Messiah who had been promised.
After this, John was again assembled with a group of people, and Jesus approached the group. John told them what had happened. He said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" He told them that he had seen the Spirit of God coming down on Jesus in the form of a dove. He said this had been a sign to him because God had revealed to him that the person on whom he saw a dove descending would be the Son of God. This is how John would know for sure.
Now John and Jesus were relatives and had grown up together. John's mother, Elizabeth, had known from the beginning, even before Jesus was born, that her kinswoman Mary was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Jesus was God in human form who had come to earth. It seems that John was not aware of Jesus' true identity until this event at Jesus' baptism.
John had a mission to prepare the people for the coming of Christ, and he was fulfilling his mission. Now the Christ was revealed.
Some people came to John and told him that now the crowds were going to Jesus instead of John. They thought he would be upset, but this didn't bother John at all. He said that he had told them that he himself was not the Christ. It was as if Christ were the bridegroom and John was just the best man, or friend of the bridegroom. He was rejoicing that people were turning to Christ. John said that Jesus must become greater and he, John, must become less important.
What does this story
mean to me?
Jesus told John that he wanted to be baptized to "fulfill all righteousness".
Boys and girls need to learn to do right because it's the right thing to do. Parents and teachers offer rewards, stars, and stickers. That's fun and that's OK, but our goal should be to do the things we are asked to do simply because it is "the right thing to do".
Click on the small picture of the Jordan River to see a larger picture at
Christian Computer Art
Memory Verse
Suddenly a voice came -from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Matthew 3:17 (NKJV)
REVIEW(Rest the mouse lightly over the ??? to see the answers in the alternate tags.)
1. Where was John baptizing?
2.Why was Jesus baptized ?
3. What descended and came to rest on Jesus ?
4. Who saw this happen?
5. Who said, "You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased"?
6. How did John know that Jesus was the Christ?
7. How did John feel about people going to Jesus instead of him?
You can read about the baptism of Jesus in the Bible in Matthew 3:13-17
PRINTABLES
Lesson
Test
The Baptism of Jesus - Word Search
The Baptism of Jesus - Crossword Puzzle
The Baptism of Jesus - Word Scramble
Matthew 3:14-15 Fill-in the Blanks
The Greatest Bible Stories Ever Told, Volume 2: Special Families
By Stephen Elkins / Broadman / Holman
This delightful book contains a variety of stories based on the theme of special families from the original Word & Song Bible. A CD that has a narration of the text, plus 10 songs by the Wonder Kids Choir accompanies this colorful, hardcover book. Narrators include: Lloyd Ogilvie, Steve Green, Twila Paris, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Steve and Annie Chapman. Stories include: "Adam and Eve," "Abraham and Sarah's Surprise," "A Raisin Cake," "The Birth of Jesus," "John Is Born," "Jesus Is Born," "The Baptism of Jesus," and "I've Got Hospitality." Songs include: "I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord," "If You're Saved and You Know It," "The Reason He Made Me," "You Shall Call His Name Jesus," "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam," "Praise Ye the Lord Hallelujah," "Father We Thank Thee," "Jesus Loves Even Me," "Here Is the Church, Here Is the Steeple," and "Be Careful Little Eyes." Recommended for ages 3 to 10.
Spanish New Testament Bible Stories
Story #174
from Calvary Chapel.
John the Baptist
Temptation of Jesus
Children's Bible Lessons
