By Max Lucado (www.maxlucado.com)

God has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on his ship. The boat has one purpose—to carry us
safely to the other shore.

This is no cruise ship; it’s a battleship. We aren’t called to a life of leisure; we are called to a life
of service. Each of us has a different task. Some, concerned with those who are drowning, are
snatching people from the water. Others are occupied with the enemy, so they man the cannons
of prayer and worship. Still others devote themselves to the crew, feeding and training the crew
members.

Though different, we are the same. Each can tell of a personal encounter with the captain, foreach
has received a personal call. He found us among the shanties of the seaport and invited us to
follow him. Our faith was born at the sight of his fondness, and so we went.

We each followed him across the gangplank of his grace onto the same boat. There is one captain
and one destination. Though the battle is fierce, the boat is safe, for our captain is God. The ship
will not sink. For that, there is no concern.

There is concern, however, regarding the disharmony of the crew. When we first boarded we
assumed the crew was made up of others like us. But as we’ve wandered these decks, we’ve
encountered curious converts with curious appearances. Some wear uniforms we’ve never seen,
sporting styles we’ve never witnessed. “Why do you look the way you do?” we ask them.

“Funny,” they reply. “We were about to ask the same of you.”

The variety of dress is not nearly as disturbing as the plethora of opinions. There is a group, for
example, who clusters every morning for serious study. They promote rigid discipline and somber
expressions. “Serving the captain is serious business,” they explain. It’s no coincidence that they
tend to congregate around the stern.

There is another regiment deeply devoted to prayer. Not only do they believe in prayer, they
believe in prayer by kneeling. For that reason you always know where to locate them; they are at
the bow of the ship.

And then there are a few who staunchly believe real wine should be used in the Lord’s Supper.
You’ll find them on the port side.

Still another group has positioned themselves near the engine. They spend hours examining the
nuts and bolts of the boat. They’ve been known to go below deck and not come up for days. They
are occasionally criticized by those who linger on the top deck, feeling the wind in their hair and
the sun on their face. “It’s not what you learn,” those topside argue. “It’s what you feel that
matters.”

And, oh, how we tend to cluster.

Some think once you’re on the boat, you can’t get off. Others say you’d be foolish to go
overboard, but the choice is yours.

Some believe you volunteer for service; others believe you were destined for the service before
the ship was even built.

Some predict a storm of great tribulation will strike before we dock; others say it won’t hit until
we are safely ashore.

There are those who speak to the captain in a personal language. There are those who think
such languages are extinct.

There are those who think the officers should wear robes, there are those who think there
should be no officers at all, and there are those who think we are all officers and should all wear
robes.

And, oh, how we tend to cluster.

And then there is the issue of the weekly meeting at which the captain is thanked and his words
are read. All agree on its importance, but few agree on its nature. Some want it loud, others quiet.
Some want ritual, others spontaneity. Some want to celebrate so they can meditate; others
meditate so they can celebrate. Some want a meeting for those who’ve gone overboard. Others
want to reach those overboard but without going overboard and neglecting those on board.

And, oh, how we tend to cluster.

The consequence is a rocky boat. There is trouble on deck. Fights have broken out. Sailors have
refused to speak to each other. There have even been times when one group refused to
acknowledge the presence of others on the ship. Most tragically, some adrift at sea have chosen not to
board the boat because of the quarreling of the sailors.

“What do we do?” we’d like to ask the captain. “How can there be harmony on the ship?” We
don’t have to go far to find the answer.

(…from www.maxlucado.com, upwords.fellow-ship.pdf)

In verses 13-14, Jesus went out to John to be baptized. At this point, no-one knew Jesus really, unless they had him build them a house or a were a priest remembering him teaching them as a child. There was no big following, I presume, just another guy going to John to be baptized. He may have been even waiting in line for a while (think about that, our Lord waiting in line!)

In any case, when he gets to John, John immediately recognizes Him, and can’t understand why he would baptize Him? He thinks it should be the other way around!? Wouldn’t everybody? I think it is another key example of how even those who were prepared their whole life for Jesus coming, just did not expect what He was really here to do.

Jesus says to baptize Him, “to fulfill all righteousness”. Hmmm… That is not very straightforward on what it means on the surface, but I believe it has to do with Jesus taking the steps and being an example for us through His life. As Christians, we should be baptized as an outward sign of our salvation to others. Jesus took these same steps, and by taking the same road as us (and in most cases a much harder road to the Cross!) we can know we have a Lord who can empathize, understand and know what we are going through.

In verses 11 and 12, John talk about the coming Messiah.  If you read how he talks, you can see impressions from the whole Jewish culture on how they expected the Messiah to come.  Now this was John, who was “to prepare a way” for Christ, so if anyone should know what to expect, it was John.  That being said, for any man, without libeties & freedom, under rule, for such a long time and a people with a history of being in captivity and slavery…it is bound to influence what they read in the scriptures and put a little spin on their expectations.

Here John talks about the Holy Spirit coming as well, and also how Christ will distinguish the unbelieving from the believers, and those unbelieving will go to hell.  Though if you read how he puts it, it comes across as one that we would see as a militant leader who will rally the people, and strike down the false leaders.  He even recognized Jesus (I believe through the Holy Spirit’s leading) when he came to John to be baptized in v13-17.

After that, lets just skip forward to Ch 11, v2-3, “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”. Obviously, after watching Jesus’ teaching and preaching and his humble and gentle approach, John seems to question what he knows.  Jesus clears it up for him, but still the doubt is there.

I think this says a lot about us these days, as well.  The world is much more attuned to a leader with a false message, than a humble servant with a true message.  I think it goes back to our sinful nature that adores power, wealth, comeliness and the things of this world.  That is what leadership qualities demonstrate, and that is why a true leader in the Church is so rare a thing (ala Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, etc).  I think the world has a hard time accepting a Savior who provided teachings, love and a true message, and then gave himself up to die for us.  In the truest sense, this is the best, most courageous, most honorable, most loving thing a man could’ve done….but it appears to the world as weak.

Jesus is unexpected, and people in the world will have trouble accepting a Christ who does not meet their worldly expectations of a leader, but make no mistake; the is POWER behind the throne, and the acceptance of what Christ did for us in the ONLY way to fulfill our needs and desires!

In the future, we should try looking at the message, and not at the leader.  This will give you a better perspective on what is according to God, and not according to the world.

In v7 Paul sees the Pharisees and Sadducees coming out to him.

I read a good description of them in an article on the web, ” A perhaps-overly generalized way to think about the differences between the Pharisees and the Sadducees in the times of Jesus was to see the Pharisees as Scripturally liberal (because they added oral traditions to its commands), but conservative in politics (because they opposed the Romans); and the Sadducees as Scripturally conservative (because they rejected oral tradition), but liberal in politics (because they sought to fit in with the Romans).” They were generally presented as proud hypocritical men, who were threatened by Jesus’ teachings, and as a result in conflict with Him.

So as they came out to see him, probably to see what the big deal was (see the prior post). When John saw them coming, it was very obvious to a man of God that they were generally up to no good. He does not pay them respect or honor and take them aside to confer, as they probably would at least expect, but he confronts them in front of everyone! Why do this? I think that it may be the only way to get thru to them, and also to point out to the people at the same time, that they need to be wary of these ‘so-called’ leaders of the community.

In most cases, these groups would rely on the fact that they were Jews, God’s “Chosen” people, and so they were above anything, (ala descendants of Abraham). John corrects that fact, and lets them know that your heritage means nothing! (note the stones comment!) It’s all about a repentant heart, and if they dont have it, they better get it fast, or they will be “de-throned” like a tree being cut down.

I could see how John’s teaching in this would encourage the idea of a Messiah that is a more militant leader, who is going to take charge and lead changes and the people. Even John seems confused later on when he sends his servants to ask Jesus if He is the one, though when Jesus shows to be baptized, there is no question. I think everyone (Jews) was confused with their perception of the Messiah they had built up in their minds over the years.

In any case, it was obvious that the Sadducees and Pharisees were in the wrong here, and it teaches us to speak out against that which we know is wrong!

In Matthew 3:3-4, It describes some of Johns appearance; camel hair coat, leather belt and a diet of locusts and honey. 😯 I am guessing that his hair was probably a site, and a 20 ft. radius is not where you wanted to be around him!

That being said, people were going out to see him from the entire region! Not just a local town, but an entire area.

These were a people hungry for some word from the Lord! This was a person that was certainly “out of the ordinary”. I am sure there were probably people during the last hundreds of years that came out looking like lunatics, and claiming to be a prophet. John was different. He captured the attention of the nation, and obviously was worth taking a trip (remember no cars! taking a trip was a big deal!)

His message was so powerful, that people did enter the 20ft radius. Not only that, but they let him baptize them. Not only that, but they confessed their sins!?! Think about that! It is one thing confessing your sins to a priest in a dark closet with a veil, whispering. It is another to confess your sins to a wild man, in front of hundreds (maybe thousands) of others!

This was a message worth hearing!

At the beginning of Chapter 3, the story switches gears to John.  Now John was Jesus’ cousin, and Mary’s nephew.  He was born to Zechariah & Elizabeth, and the story about it is told in the beginning of Luke.  He actually “jumped” in the womb when Mary came near, in excitement of being in the presence of the Lord.

John is an interesting story, as we hear nothing about him after that until now.  At this time, he had, “clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.”!?  Sounds a little strange to us, but the people were all going out to listen and get baptized by him, so something was definitely right about him.

In any case, he had a job to do, and was doing it.  I believe he probably had a very close relationship to God, and had had many encounters with Angel or the Lord.  He obviously had no fear, and was devout.  In those times also, as we saw with Joseph, those who are part of God’s master plan were often visited by Angels.

Below is a photo of the area of the Jordan river in the Judean desert, so you can get an idea.  It was not a very comfortable place, but a place where many could gather.

What he was doing was telling the people about Jesus and “preparing” them for Him.  Verse 2 quotes Isaiah, which foretells John’s coming.   Not much else in the first few verses, except in the first verse it mentions, “The Kingdom of Heaven is near”.  I think many had a mis-interpretation of what this meant.  Obviously, it meant Jesus coming and death, which provides for us the ability to secure our salvation for reaching Heaven.

More to come in the next verses!

Since there is only 1 more verse in Chapter 2, lets take a look at it, and some of the other travel that was done here. According to this, Joseph took his wife and child to Nazareth. (BTW, another prophecy fulfilled!)

Based on the maps I found, Bethlehem to the edge of Egypt in those times was about 50-60 miles. Lets figure about 50 minutes a mile (remember, wife and infant, all their belongings, without pavement, on a donkey!), and I think I am being generous. 55*50 = 45.83 Hours…so saying they did 9 hour days, this makes 5 days travel (all your supplies, food, water, for 5 days etc…). Now he starts to return and has to change route to Nazareth.

Nazareth is about 70 miles north of Bethlehem…!

Lets approximate he gets 40 miles, gets scared, Angel warns in a dream, then he turns north: (40+70)*50 =~ 10 days

After about 4 days travel, for me to tell my wife. “Hey, I was warned not to go to Bethlehem, its still dangerous, lets travel 6 days North to Nazareth (which no-one likes, is my understanding)!” , may not have been met with the warmest of responses. “WHAT!!!, Do you see me here with this child? Do you even care about my saddle sores!?! What about Joppa, Lydda, Massada!?! Can you think of anywhere closer!?! Oh you had a dream? Oh…..well then lets follow your dream! I had a dream of pink elephants, we better be on our guard!” etc. etc. etc….

Let’s just reiterate…this was a man of GREAT faith!

(BTW, I am sure the mother of our Lord was very submissive & humble. Just making a point 😉 )

At the end of Chapter 2, Joseph packs up everyone and starts back to Israel, based on the “OK” from the Angel of God in the prior verses. He did not seem to get far when he found out that Herod’s family was in power, and he got afraid. Why was he afraid…well Herod killed every baby in town to try and kill Joseph’s son. This was to make sure Herod’s kin got to power. Now Herod’s kin was in power, do you think that Herod did not tell him, “Son, there was a prophecy that some other child would be King. If you get word of anyone coming back to town with a child of about this age, be wary!”

OK…so the fear was valid. (SPOILER ALERT: it’s even more so, since Joseph is about to be warned to go to Nazareth instead!)

“Why would the Angel tell him to go back then, and not just tell him to go to Nazareth?”, you may ask… I think it was a test of Faith. Here was a Father that was to raise the Savior of the world, the Christ, the living Son of God. Odds are, God was keeping him on his toes, more often than not!

So how does Joseph react? Read it again…”he was afraid to go there”. That’s all it says. It does NOT say, “He went somewhere else, cause he thought that would be safer”. It did NOT say, “He decided against going back, and went back home” It did NOT say, “He asked his buddy Frank for some advice on what to do”. It said he was scared. Leads me to believe he was going anyway. That is some solid faith! Take your son who is marked to be killed, and trust in God that God will protect Him.

How often do we take some things into our own hands, when we know God wants us to do something? God says, “Move that rock” and we say “OK, let me consult a planner, buy a tractor, hire a contractor and make sure they get it done!” Is that really what He meant….? How about taking God at His word, and trusting that if you know something is His will, trust that he will get you through it!

In verses 19-20 of Chapter 2 (of Matthew, if you haven’t been following along), and Angel comes to Joseph in a dream and tells him Herod is dead, and to return to Israel. 

Has anyone ever wished that an Angel would come to us either in a dream, or just appear in a non-scary way, and tell us what to do.  Just cut straight to the point, no interpretation needed, just tell it like it is, so we can do what were told!  I have wished this!  Well, we all know it is the rare case, and it probably ain’t gonna happen. 

So who is the lucky one…Joseph or us?

So let’s see the situation he was in;  He was “flying by the seat of his pants” hoping for some direct intervention of what to do.  Jesus teachings were not quite there yet, since Jesus was in the crib crying at 2am (parents can relate…again, can you tell we are trying to get Ethan to sleep through the night lately?)  He had the Old Testament law, which was failing miserably at that point due to the Pharisees and Sadducees manipulating it to their purpose.  Otherwise, all he had was an Angel to direct him.

We have the Bible, which is God’s word to us, to guide us in EVERY action we do.  We have prayer to talk to God without a priest.  We have the Holy Spirit who lifts our requests up to God.  We have Jesus sitting on the right hand of God making petition for us!

We got a lot more than Joseph had at that point.  I would have to say…sounds like we are the Lucky Ones!