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BibleProject Luke-Acts Series - Lesson 2

The Baptism of Jesus (Luke 3-9) - BibleProject

In this lesson, you learn about the Gospel of Luke, focusing on John the Baptist's renewal movement at the Jordan River, and how Jesus began his ministry. You see how Jesus was baptized, withstood temptation in the wilderness, and proclaimed good news to the poor and marginalized. You also discover the significance of freedom in Jesus' teachings, his appointment of the twelve disciples, and the radical way of life he promoted. Finally, you explore the story of Jesus' transfiguration, where he is revealed as the ultimate prophet who will lead Israel to a new beginning.
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Taught by a Team
BibleProject Luke-Acts Series
Lesson 2
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The Baptism of Jesus (Luke 3-9) - BibleProject

BP160-02: The second in a five-part series on the Gospel of Luke

I. John the Baptist and the Renewal Movement

A. Baptism at the Jordan River

B. Israel's Re-dedication and New Beginning

II. Jesus' Ministry and Purpose

A. Baptism and Divine Affirmation

B. Temptation in the Wilderness

C. Proclaiming Good News to the Poor

III. Freedom and the Kingdom of God

A. Healing and Deliverance

B. Appointing the Twelve Disciples

C. Radical Teachings of Jesus

IV. The Transfiguration

A. God's Glory and the Prophets

B. Jesus as the Ultimate Prophet


Lessons
Transcript
  • In this lesson, you learn about the events surrounding Jesus' birth in the Gospel of Luke, the humble beginnings that foreshadow his kingdom, and how his arrival signifies a world order turned upside down, exalting the poor and humble.
  • In this lesson, you gain insight into Jesus' ministry, his teachings on freedom and radical living, the appointment of his twelve disciples, and his role as the ultimate prophet, as portrayed in the Gospel of Luke.
  • Through Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, you learn how his teachings and parables challenge traditional values, create communities of love and forgiveness, and demonstrate God's mercy for all, even those who have strayed from the path.
  • Through Jesus' final week in Jerusalem, you'll discover his prophetic protest, arrest, and crucifixion, highlighting his innocence and unwavering love for humanity, as he ushers in a new future for Israel and all people.
  • In this lesson, you learn about Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension as depicted in Luke's Gospel, revealing the transformative power of his message and the necessity for a new understanding of his kingdom, ultimately setting the stage for the continuation of the story in the Book of Acts.
  • In the Book of Acts, you learn about the fulfillment of God's promises through Jesus, the significance of Pentecost, and the challenges faced by early followers of Jesus. As you explore the events and stories in Acts, you will gain insight into how Jesus' kingdom continued to grow despite persecution and adversity.
  • Through the stories of unexpected converts, Saul's transformation, and the formation of the church in Antioch, you'll learn how the Jesus movement expanded from a small group of Jewish followers to a multi-ethnic community spreading throughout the world.
  • By studying the Apostle Paul's life and travels, you'll gain insight into his dedication to spreading Jesus' message throughout the Roman Empire, despite facing opposition and hardship, and how his teachings transformed people's lives and created new communities of believers living under Jesus' rule.
  • This lesson explores Paul's journey to Jerusalem and Rome, where he faced trials and imprisonment but continued to spread the good news of Jesus' kingdom. You will gain insight into the transformation of Saul into Paul, his mission to unify diverse communities, and the open-ended conclusion of Acts, which invites participation in the ongoing growth of Jesus' kingdom.
BP160-02 - The Baptism of Jesus (Luke 3-9) The Gospel according to Luke began by telling us about the births of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. In the next section of the Gospel, Luke zooms forward in time so John is now a prophet. He is leading a renewal movement down at the Jordan River. All of these Israelites are coming to be baptized: the poor, the rich, tax collector, even soldiers. What is going on here? All of these people are dedicating themselves to a new way of life. By getting dunked in a river? Long ago, Israel came to inherit this land by crossing through the Jordan River. God gave them a responsibility. They were called to serve Him alone, to love their neighbor and pursue justice together. We know from stories in the Old Testament that they have failed at this repeatedly. Right, so John is calling Israel to start over, to go back through the river and come out rededicated to their God, ready for the new thing that God's about to do. So it is within this renewal movement that Jesus first appeared. Jesus is baptized by John, the sky opens up, and the voice from heaven says, "You are my son whom I love. With you I am well pleased." God's words here are packed with echoes from the Hebrew Scriptures. This first line is from Psalm 2 where God promised that a king would come who would rule in Jerusalem and confront evil among the nations. Then this next line is from the book of the prophet Isaiah. It refers to the messiah who would become a servant, suffer and die on Israel's behalf. After this Jesus goes into the wilderness for forty days with no food. That is roughing it. In this story, Jesus is replaying Israel's 40-year journey through the wilderness where they failed to trust their God. They rebelled but Jesus succeeded by resisting temptation and trusting God. So this story is marking Jesus as the one who is going to carry Israel's story forward. After the wilderness, Jesus comes back to the region of Galilee to his hometown, Nazareth. He is in the synagogue and he is invited to read from the scriptures. He opens up the scroll of Isaiah and he reads, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor." Why to the poor? Well, in Hebrew culture being poor was not just about money. It was more about low social status. So women and children, the sick, people on the margins. Surprisingly, this could include people who had money, like tax collectors. They were considered outsiders, too. So Jesus is here for them. Then Jesus continues reading, "The Lord has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Freedom seems like a big deal for Jesus. Yes, Jesus was freeing people from their sicknesses, from their past, from their shame. He was freeing them to become a part of God's new kingdom that Jesus said he was bringing into reality. After this, Jesus appoints twelve men from among all of his disciples as leaders, to help him in his mission. That number, 12, is a very intentional symbol of the twelve tribes of Israel. But this is a ragtag bunch of guys. You have a fisherman, a former tax collector who worked for the Roman occupation, you have a former rebel who fought against the Roman occupation There is no way these guys are going to get along. Yeah, Jesus intentionally brought together people who were outsiders and sworn enemies. But inside God's kingdom they are called to reconcile and to live in unity. Following Jesus meant entering a new world order. So Jesus went on to teach, "Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who weep now for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you because of me." Jesus even told his disciples to love their enemies, be strangely generous, even to people they do not like, to forgive and show mercy. This is a radical way of life. Jesus not only taught about all of this, he promised that he would lead the way, that he would be radically generous and forgive and love his enemies by making the ultimate sacrifice: by giving up his life. The last story in this section of Luke is fascinating. Jesus takes some of his disciples up onto a mountain. God's glory appears as a bright cloud and Jesus is suddenly transformed. There are two other prophets that appear: Moses and Elijah. Yeah, they are the ancient prophets who also experienced God's glory on a mountain. Then God speaks from the cloud saying, "This is my Son. Listen to him." Luke is showing us that Jesus is the ultimate prophet. He is God's Word to Israel. The three of them talk about what Jesus is going to do when he arrives in Jerusalem, What is he going to do? He is going to go to the capital city to be enthroned as Israel's true king, but not in the way that anybody expected. With that, Jesus' mission up in Galilee comes to an end. The next part of Luke's Gospel begins, with his long journey to Jerusalem. Hey, Thanks for watching this Bible Project video on The Gospel of Luke We make a lots of other videos and resources to show how is the Bible a unified story that leads to Jesus We are crowd-funded project so you can be a part of it You can help us make more videos at theBibleProject.com