Times of Decision

"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan . And when he came up out of the water immediately he saw the heavens torn open and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased . . .Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the gospel."  --Mark 1: 9-11, 14-15
What are some of the key decisions that a person makes (or will make) in their lives?
Here are our answers:
--Career (vocation; purpose)
--College
--Clothes
--Driving, car
--Relationships with others
  (a) Who will you spend your life with?
  (b)  Who will you go out with?  Spend significant time with?
--What church do you want to go to?
--Where do you want to live?
--Decisions your parents are nervous about
--Leaving home
--How you will dedicate your time and attention, and the impact that will have on the future
--How you want to spend your money

As we prepared to revisit the story of Jesus' baptism (It is "Baptism of Christ Sunday" this week) we noted how momentous a decision that Jesus was making, leaving Nazareth for the long trek to the Jordan to join the throngs of people being baptized by John.  His life would take a powerful turn; he would return to Galilee but not to resume his old life.His ministry began; life took on new shape and purpose.
We knew that Jesus was around 30 years old when he was baptized and began his ministry.  The most recent story prior to that was the one we recently considered, of Jesus at age 12 in the Jerusalem Temple.
What was Jesus doing for the 18 years in between?
It was noted that the time spanned 6570 days.
--helping Joseph with carpentry
--serving as a carpenter himself, perhaps in the rebuilding of Sepphoris, the nearby city destroyed by the Roman army.
--continuing to learn and grow in the faith, attending a local synagogue and continuing to travel to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.
--going to school
--Dating?  Did Jesus get married and have a family?  (while we noted that the scriptures don't discuss this specifically)
We wondered what moved Jesus at that particular time.  Did he know that he was going to the Jordan to begin his ministry?  Was he exploring God's path, plan for his life?  We know that he went to the place in the south where John the Baptist (his cousin, according to Luke) was baptizing people and calling them to get washed and ready for the coming of the Messiah.  Jesus came, and entered the water with all of the others there to be baptized.
We read the story from the Gospel of Luke.  In Luke, Jesus does not see the heavens opened and the Spirit coming upon him until after this baptism, when he is praying.
The voice from heaven gives Jesus new names:  Son; Beloved; God's Pleasure.  Exploring the meaning of these names will be to explore more deeply who Jesus is and how his life's purpose will unfold.
Did other people hear God's voice naming Jesus and see the Spirit coming upon him, someone asked?  We are not sure; in Luke it is presented as a more personal experience, the coming of the Spirit a bodily experience.  The narratives in Matthew and Mark are a bit more dramatic.
People wanted to explore further what the coming of the Holy Spirit upon him would mean.  We'll do that!
Did he know that he was the Messiah?  A great question we will also attend to.  I noted that it was more common for Jesus to refer to himself as the "Son of Man," the "Human One."
When Jesus returned home he embraced a new lifestyle, though much of it was lived out in the region and communities that he was familiar with.
Maybe this was a path of discovery, new direction, deeper purpose for Jesus as well as for the people he ministered to, that grew with each decision, with each relationship,
We went back and looked at our original list of decisions.  Which ones did Jesus also make?
--Vocation and purpose
--Relationships with others
--What faith community he wanted to be part of
--Where he wanted to live (among whom?)
--Choices his parents were nervous about
--Leaving home
--How he would dedicate his time and attention and the impact that would have on the future.