Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Danaha(Baptism of
Jesus/Epiphany)-Christ Draws All Nations to Himself
Susan Thomas
Long Island MTC, NY
4 John the baptizer
appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins.
The passage opens up with the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah and the one who would come with the purpose of “preparing the way for the Lord”. John was preaching about baptism of repentance, for the forgiveness of sins. His responsibility of preparing the way was not just telling people that the promise was going to be fulfilled but rather conveying to people that they should give up their selfish ways of living, renounce their sins and seek God’s forgiveness by establishing a relationship with God. Baptism marked the decision to change their ways so that they can hear and understand Jesus’ message. Even though the book of Mark does not elaborate on John’s journey, we can see in this chapter that the entire Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to John and were repenting for their sins and being baptized in the Jordan River. Among the many, who came to John to be baptized, was Jesus.
The word “Danaha” is a Syrian word translating to “dawn”; it was during the baptism of Jesus that the truth of the Holy Trinity was revealed to the world and became “manifest to the human sense”. The Father spoke to His Son, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove as John was baptizing Jesus. More than anything, the baptism of Jesus symbolized Jesus, a man without sin, identifying himself with us sinners and becoming more relatable to us. It also marked the beginning of Jesus’ mission to preach the message of salvation to people. Mark 11:12 goes on to say that after Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 40 days, and soon after, Jesus started calling his disciples to help prepare people to “repent and receive the Good news” and become fishers of men.
Before we can receive the fruition of Christ’s message, we need to submit our lives to Him. We need to ask God to forgive us before we can receive His forgiveness so that we may establish a stronger relationship with our Savior.
The passage opens up with the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah and the one who would come with the purpose of “preparing the way for the Lord”. John was preaching about baptism of repentance, for the forgiveness of sins. His responsibility of preparing the way was not just telling people that the promise was going to be fulfilled but rather conveying to people that they should give up their selfish ways of living, renounce their sins and seek God’s forgiveness by establishing a relationship with God. Baptism marked the decision to change their ways so that they can hear and understand Jesus’ message. Even though the book of Mark does not elaborate on John’s journey, we can see in this chapter that the entire Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to John and were repenting for their sins and being baptized in the Jordan River. Among the many, who came to John to be baptized, was Jesus.
The word “Danaha” is a Syrian word translating to “dawn”; it was during the baptism of Jesus that the truth of the Holy Trinity was revealed to the world and became “manifest to the human sense”. The Father spoke to His Son, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove as John was baptizing Jesus. More than anything, the baptism of Jesus symbolized Jesus, a man without sin, identifying himself with us sinners and becoming more relatable to us. It also marked the beginning of Jesus’ mission to preach the message of salvation to people. Mark 11:12 goes on to say that after Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 40 days, and soon after, Jesus started calling his disciples to help prepare people to “repent and receive the Good news” and become fishers of men.
Before we can receive the fruition of Christ’s message, we need to submit our lives to Him. We need to ask God to forgive us before we can receive His forgiveness so that we may establish a stronger relationship with our Savior.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, thank you for
allowing us to be able to come to you and be freed from the bondage of our
sins. Help us to continuously look to you and strengthen our relationship so
that we can understand you more through each of life’s moments. Mold us so that
we may be able to be a disciple in bringing others to you. Amen.
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
The baptism of Jesus can be seen as the start of Jesus’ work for people to start believing and turning to God. But it is only when we let go of our selfishness, and desire that relationship with God can we begin to understand Christ’s message
The baptism of Jesus can be seen as the start of Jesus’ work for people to start believing and turning to God. But it is only when we let go of our selfishness, and desire that relationship with God can we begin to understand Christ’s message