Very God, very human.

CHAPTER 3. INTO THE LIMELIGHT - AND OUT AGAIN.
AD 29 late winter to early summer (probable dating).

John 1-4; Luke 3 and 4:1-30; Mark 1:1-13; Matthew 3 and 4:1-11.

TIMING.
Matthew and Mark tell how Jesus rose to fame in Galilee, and both state clearly that it happened “after John the Baptist was imprisoned.” So the arrest and imprisonment of John by Herod is a fixed time around which other events can be set. Any events which took place while John was still free belong to this early period.

3.1 ARRIVAL OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.
(Luke 3:1-20. Mark 1:1-8. Matthew 3:1-12. John 1:1-28)

The people were used to preachers. As loyal synagogue members they listened week after week, sometimes to learned Rabbis, sometimes to popular preachers. Both left their hearers unsatisfied.

Isaiah had prophesied a coming “Voice crying in the wilderness” who would prepare the way for Messiah. The very last paragraph of the Hebrew scriptures promised another prophet like Elijah. The people waited and grew tired of waiting.

Suddenly, he was there. Without media or advertising or hype, this unknown ascetic rose to fame and gathered a following. He did not even need to travel about the country. Crowds flocked to him.

“Turn your lives round, the kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” he thundered and when people answered his call he baptised them in the Jordan. This was a public declaration that they were beginning a new life - but some had been good Jews already. Baptising them offended the religious. Others had been bad Jews (quisling traitors who collected taxes for the occupying Romans) or even Roman soldiers themselves. Baptising these offended moralists and nationalists, especially as John did not even tell them to give up their careers. He only told them to do their duties honestly.

As for the sanctimonious Pharisees, he offended them by calling them vipers.

He strongly denied being the Messiah himself, but claimed to be Isaiah’s “voice in the wilderness” preparing the way for someone greater who was coming.

“I plunge you into water,” he declared, “He shall plunge you into wind and fire - like a farmer threshing corn by flinging it into the wind for the chaff to be blown away and burned.”


3.2 JESUS IS BAPTISED.
(Luke 3:21-22. Mark 1:9-11. Matthew 3:13-17.)
The people John baptised were repenting of sins, but also taking sides; lining themselves up with God. Quisling tax collectors, prostitutes and Roman soldiers were included, and Jesus placed Himself alongside them. By going to John for baptism He publicly committed Himself to God’s side; dedicated Himself to what He had to do. It was also a strong affirmation of John himself.

Only Jesus knew what this commitment would cost Him, but His Heavenly Father affirmed Him with a voice from Heaven and a vision of the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. He saw this Himself (Matthew 3:16) and John the Baptist saw it (John 1:32). Whether anyone else saw it we do not know.

God had left it to angels to announce Messiah’s birth. This occasion was even greater and God did not delegate. Heaven was involving itself with Earth as never before. Father, Son and Holy Spirit were there, unitedly taking on the task of saving mankind.

3.3 TEMPTATION.
(Luke 4:1-13; Mark 1:12-13; Matthew 4:1-11.)
Hill walking was Christ’s only known recreation - and it was more than a recreation. He would use it later to give Himself a few precious times of peace and quiet when He could think and pray. Immediately after His baptism he went into the wilderness to spend six weeks preparing for His coming task.

Mark tells us there were wild beasts around. The word he used implies fierce animals. Typically this was what interested Mark and only he records it.

Matthew and Luke report the same three temptations but with a different order and emphasis. Again the accounts are confirmed as being separate and independent. Jesus must have told a few trusted disciples or family members and Matthew and Luke heard it from different ones.

God the Father had just affirmed Jesus with a voice from Heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him. The first temptation was to affirm Himself with a miracle, just to make sure. “If you are the Son of God, turn stones into bread.”

Or have yourself affirmed by a dramatic public miracle. “Jump down from the temple pinnacle and float to safety before a wondering crowd. No one will doubt then that you are Messiah.”

“Or let me affirm you. Worship me and I will hand over all the kingdoms of the world.” And Luke tells of the Satanic claim, “They are all mine.”

Jesus did not challenge the Satanic claim. The purpose of His coming to earth was not to argue about it but to nullify it. Meanwhile He contented Himself with answering the Devil by quoting from Moses. He had spent years learning the scriptures. Now He used them.

3.4 RETURN.
(John 1:29-34.)
After the temptation, it is John who picks up the narrative and tells us of the earliest events in Christ’s public life. Matthew and Mark both move on directly to the time in Galilee, “after John was imprisoned.” Luke too, skips the early events and goes on to the visit to Nazareth, probably just before the Baptist was imprisoned.

The events of John 1:35 to 4:54 all fall between Luke 4:13 and 4:14 and are an example of a gap in Luke’s narrative, arising from his principle of only recording what he had researched himself.

John alone records Christ’s arrival back at Jordan after the temptation, His reception by John the Baptist, the gathering of the first (temporary) band of disciples, the wedding at Cana, and the first mission to Judea.


3.5 STRIKING FIRE.
(John 1:35-51.)
When Jesus spoke, people listened. When He called, they followed. Wherever He went, there was a response, a reaction. Love Him or hate Him, none could ignore Him. He had, and still has, the ability to strike fire in human hearts. Within a few days of emerging from obscurity, the carpenter of Nazareth had gathered a following which included six of those who would later be apostles.

Andrew ran excitedly to his brother Simon Peter and declared, “We have found Messiah.” Philip said much the same to his friend Nathaniel. There is a sense of excitement running through the narrative.

Two of the six were His cousins James and John, sons of Mary’s sister Salome who had married Zebedee the fishermen. Two more were the brothers Peter and Andrew, partners in the same fishing firm. The others were the two friends Philip and Nathaniel, all from the north coast of Lake Galilee.

The region included the two fishing towns Capernaum and Bethsaida. It was bilingual. They all spoke trade Greek as well as their own Aramaic. The north end of the lake was known for plentiful fish, but also for sudden squalls. Fishing was a skilled occupation and involved running a business, selling the fish as well as catching them; also maintaining and handling the boats. The fishermen were competent and established professionals. Yet they were prepared to leave their careers because something in the newcomer called deep to deep and they put Him before all else. There lives would never be the same again.


3.6 WATER INTO WINE.
(John 2:1-11.)
Did Jesus know that down the ages His followers would be accused, sometimes justly, of being dull spoilsports? His first miracle was turning water into wine. For His new followers it must have seemed that the miracle exactly fitted the character of the man. Jesus is the one without whom life is insipid. With Him there is zest, colour, sparkle, interest and enthusiasm. Water into wine symbolised it perfectly.

The newly formed band had been invited to a wedding where Mary was present. Quietly she slipped the information to her Son that the host was about to be seriously embarrassed. Wine was running out.

Whether Jesus was ever taken by surprise is one of those theological questions which do not concern us here. Leave them to theologians. But He was certainly presented with an unexpected situation and confronted with a need before “His time had come.” No doubt He had prayed through the coming tasks during the forty days in the wilderness. He had refused the tempter’s suggestion to perform spectacular signs designed to impress, and had no doubt prepared Himself to use His power properly for those in need. This situation was not quite in the normal run of human need - or was it? Joyful celebration at a wedding is a feature of life and one which matters to the people involved.

It was best wine.

3.7 INTO THE LIMELIGHT.
(John 2:12-22.)
Jesus now moved to Capernaum, the town He would later make His base. This stay, however, was short because Passover was coming. Passover meant a journey to Jerusalem and now for the first time we find Jesus travelling with His new team around Him. Soon travel like this would be His lifestyle.

Jesus and His six first followers walked the sixty mile journey together and reached the capital. Here in a matter of minutes the little-known Galilean preacher was suddenly catapulted to national fame.

The temple was surrounded by courtyards. Gentiles were permitted into the outer one only - The Court of the Gentiles. This restriction was not in keeping with the original purpose for which Solomon had built the first temple - to be “A house of prayer for all nations” but that vision had been lost. Instead, merchants had made it a house for the exploitation of all nations.  If people wanted to pray, let them pay.

The courtyard had been turned into a bazaar where potential worshippers could buy animals for sacrifice, and change their currency in order to make donations. The family of Annas (High Priest Emeritus) had a vested interest in the merchanting. No doubt Jesus had seen the traders many times before, but then “His time had not yet come.” Now He was ready for action.

Those who disapprove of all violence had better go and join the teetotallers who disapprove of all wine. Jesus was a colourful character. He threw over the bankers’ tables and scattered their coins on the ground. He freed and drove away the animals. Crowds cheered. He could hardly have attracted more attention if He had yielded to the tempter's suggestion of jumping down from the temple tower.

Suddenly, the obscure carpenter-turned-preacher from despised Galilee, had acquired both official opposition and popular acclaim. For three years He would live with both.

It is unlikely that the merchants accepted defeat easily. Three years later Jesus cleared the temple again, a few days before He was crucified. Whether something similar had happened each year between is unclear. It could be that His popularity and the strength of His personality kept traders out of the temple until, as they thought, His influence had waned.

3.8 CAMPAIGN IN JUDEA.
(John 2:23-25, 3:1-36)
The next few weeks were spent in Jerusalem and its surrounding Judean countryside. Jesus became known as a healer, a preacher and as one who, like John, baptised many converts. The six disciples had the job of actually carrying out the baptisms. Jesus was being careful not to risk forming a spiritual elite of those who in years to come might boast of having been baptised by The Lord Himself.

Jesus, however, was cautious of accepting quick and easy conversions. “Many believed because of His miracles,” John wrote, “But He did not commit Himself to them, knowing human nature too well.”

One exception was the Pharisee and dignitary Nicodemus. He came at night, possibly incognito, to question the new teacher. To Him Jesus did commit Himself but in mystic terms which may have left him puzzled, only partially satisfied and therefore still searching. The baptist had said, “He will plunge you into wind and fire” and now Jesus told the seeker, “You must be born of water and wind - you can hear the wind blowing, without knowing whence or wither; but you know its power - new life comes from a power outside yourself.”

Meanwhile there were those who tried to stir up jealousy by telling the baptist,”That man you introduced is baptising too and crowds are coming to Him.”

John’s response was typical of him. “You heard me say I am not Messiah - He must increase and I must decrease.”

3.9 A BRIEF WITHDRAWAL
(John 4)
Jesus Himself, however, did not want to overshadow the baptist. It was being said that He baptised more people than John and when this rumour reached Jesus He called a halt to the campaign. For a short time He withdrew from the public eye.

It was in Judea that He had become known; so He went back to Galilee. The team disbanded. The fishermen went back to their fishing. The first phase of His public life was over.

On the way to Galilee He encountered a Samaritan woman and the interview with her makes a fascinating comparison with the meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus shortly before. On the face of it here were two people as different as they could be. Nicodemus was an intellectual and a respected celebrity. The woman was neither intellectual nor respected, probably not literate and there was frequent antagonism between Jews and Samaritans.

Yet Jesus used the same technique with both. He aroused curiosity by speaking of something beyond their present understanding - the Holy Spirit as wind, unexplained power from outside ourselves - the Holy Spirit as a spring of fresh water bubbling up inside ourselves. And to both, once their interest was aroused and they were committed to enquire further, He revealed Himself for who He was.

The difference was that while Nicodemus went away quietly and only committed himself publicly three years later, the woman went away noisily to bring her neighbours to Jesus as once.

3.10 CAPERNAUM.
(John 2:12; Mark 1:21; Matthew 4:13; , and Luke 4:31 in context).

The north coast of Lake Galilee was known for its natural beauty, good fish and sudden squalls. On it lay the small town of Capernaum, health resort, fishing haven and stopping place for the main trade route to Syria and Asia Minor. Nearby was another town, Bethsaida, the birthplace of Peter and the present home of Philip and Nathanael.

It was a multi-ethnic and bilingual area, most people speaking trade Greek as well as their own Aramaic. Messrs Zebedee and partners, purveyors of high class fish (fresh or dried) had its base in Capernaum. Here lived Zebedee, his wife Salome and his two sons James and John. Not far away lived Simon Peter, his wife, his mother and brother Andrew.

When they brought in their catches of fish, they had to pay tax on them. The local tax collector was named Matthew Levi and he was no doubt hated both for the bureaucracy involved and because, being Jewish himself he chose to collect tax for the Roman occupying force.

Capernaum, however, was unusual in that relations with the Romans were good; or as good as possible when one country rules another by force. The Centurion in charge of law and order had taken an interest in Jewish religion, attracted no doubt by the idea of the one Hebrew God who can be known in place of the many Roman gods who could not. He had sponsored the building of the local Synagogue and generally shown the people that he cared for them, (see 5.2 below).

Jesus had already made Capernaum His home and now He made it the base from which He was to operate for most of His public life.

There was, however, one other visit to make first.




3.11 NAZARETH.
(Luke 4:14-30)
This incident is recorded only in Luke, who probably had it from Mary. Jesus went alone from Capernaum to His home town of Nazareth.

Asked to read the scriptures in the synagogue, Jesus chose Isaiah’s prophecy, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to tell good news to those in desperate need. He has sent me to heal broken hearts, to set prisoners free, give sight to the blind, bring freedom to those who have been shattered, to declare that this is the time when God will accept people -”

Then He rolled up the scroll having broken off in the middle of a sentence. The congregation knew He had deliberately missed out the next passage “and God’s day of vengeance.” Of the words He had read aloud He declared, “You are hearing this prophecy fulfilled right now!”

They liked it. Then, however, He started to tell them that God cares for all nations and they did not like that at all. They nearly lynched Him, though the attempt was probably half-hearted. Later lynching attempts would be more serious.


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