Day 2-Thursday. February 15th
And So It Begins
John 1:29-34
The ashes from yesterday have been washed away, and today we embark on this journey of Lent. This is a journey that we will take with Jesus of Nazareth, the Lamb of God, the Man of Sorrows. His time of preparation is over, and now His time of public ministry will begin. His fateful march to the cross to purchase our redemption is fully in motion.
John the Baptist has been preparing the way for this public ministry of Jesus. The people of Israel, eager for the coming of the Messiah, are hopeful that John may be the One for which they have been waiting. John sensing this, turns the spotlight on Jesus…
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 NIV)
Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. And I myself did not know Him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” John 1:32-34 NIV
Here John is referring to the moment when he baptized Jesus and the Holy Spirit came down from heaven like a dove and God spoke from heaven. For John, who surely had heard the stories of who Jesus was promised to be from his mother Elizabeth and Mary the mother of Jesus, this was the seminal moment when Jesus was affirmed as the Messiah. There would be no more doubting in his heart, Jesus was God’s Chosen One, the Messiah.
As you begin this journey of Lent, is it possible that in your heart you harbor doubts about God, Jesus, the Bible, and more? How in the world do we even know all of this is true? How can we be certain?
Let me encourage you to press on in this journey, in spite of your doubts. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes in the same way He opened the eyes of John the Baptist. Ask Him to help you truly see Jesus the Messiah.
Questions to consider:
What doubts do you still have about God and His goodness. Take a moment to write these in your journal.
What are some things that you know are true about God? Writes these down as well.