- Jesus’ public life begins with His baptism at the hands John the Baptist.
- Although sinless, Jesus chooses to identify Himself with the repentant sinners who flocked to baptism.
- Before embarking upon His ministry, Jesus withdraws to the desert for a 40-day period of fasting.
- The coming of God’s Kingdom means the destruction of the devil’s dominion over this world.
- Jesus now goes forth to preach the “good news” of the coming of the Kingdom.
- Jesus backed up His words with mighty miracles that inspired belief in Him.
- Jesus gathers people to Himself, and this is the begining of the Kingdom of God.
- Jesus emphasizes that everyone is called to enter the Kingdom. He reaches out to the poor, the marginalized and sinners.
- In a very special way, the Kingdom belongs to the poor, lowly, humble of heart, those who know that they need God.
- Jesus often illustrated His teaching by means of parables,and these stories call us to radical discipleship.
Live Your Faith
Rather than viewing the Gospels strictly as mini-biographies of Jesus, we should instead use our imagination to put ourselves into the stories.
Which people resonate the most with me? What would it be like to watch Jesus preach or perform a miracle?
A Pastor's Thoughts 