Jesus waded into the cold waters of Jordan, joining the line of men awaiting baptism by John the Baptist. When his turn came, Jesus humbly knelt in the water. John hesitated, recognizing the magnitude of the moment and said, “I am not worthy to baptize you.”
Jesus looked up at John. “Do it this way now, John. God wills it.”
John nodded, acknowledging the divine directive. He gently rested his hand on Jesus’ head and immersed him into the waters of Jordan. As the liquid closed over Jesus, John sensed a strange power surrounding them. He looked around and saw the once clean river turning dark as soot. John understood that this symbolized the dark sins which had been washed away from the many people he had baptized in the river. Moments later, the dark color began to converge and dissolve into Jesus, returning the pristine freshness to the flowing waters of Jordan. It seemed as though Jesus was drawing all the filth towards himself, for he was the Messiah who had come to take upon himself the dark sins of the world and make humanity pure and holy.
Jesus rose from the sparkling waters and John gazed on in awe. Just then, a dove descended from Heaven and rested upon Jesus. In a thunderous voice, God the Father spoke from Heaven, “This is my own dear Son, with whom I am well pleased!”
The people on the shores of Jordan heard the unusual thunder and witnessed the extraordinary radiance around 4
Jesus. They grew curious and began talking among themselves.
“Who is that man?” asked an old man inquisitively.
“Isn’t he Mary’s son, Jesus?” wondered a lady.
“Yes, he is Jesus, the son of Joseph the carpenter who died years back,” answered another.
“Look at the shine on his face!” exclaimed a young lad.
Jesus faintly smiled at John and quietly walked away. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert where he prayed and fasted for the next forty days, to be empowered with the spiritual strength needed to begin the new phase of his
‘Mission’ on earth. Satan sensed Jesus was going to pursue his Mission in a radical way and was determined to stop him. In several ways, Satan tempted Jesus in the desert. But Jesus triumphed over each one and defeated Satan.
After completing forty days of persistent prayer and penance, Jesus headed back home. As he slowly strolled down the lonely lane to Nazareth, he felt weak and tired. His body showed weariness, but there was an extraordinary shine in his eyes and an amazing power in his presence.
John the Baptist was with his two disciples by the Jordan River. He noticed Jesus walk by. “Look there!” pointing towards Jesus, the Baptist said to his disciples John and Andrew. “He is ‘The One’-the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world.”
Andrew and John eagerly looked to where the Baptist directed. The Baptist had many times told them that the day would come when he would show them the Messiah, ‘The One’ all Israel had been waiting centuries for…. The Anointed One of God who would change history and redeem Israel forever!
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“Are you sure it’s Him?” Andrew asked the Baptist curiously. “He doesn’t look like a King to me.”
The Baptist nodded, “Yes, I am sure. God the Father showed me a sign to assure me that Jesus is ‘The One’ who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”
Andrew glanced over at John. “Let’s follow him!” Andrew whispered. John agreed.
So Andrew and John tiptoed behind Jesus.
“What do we tell him?” asked John.
“We’ll tell him we are the Baptist’s disciples and that he has often spoken to us about him,” replied Andrew.
“And then?” prodded John.
“I don’t know! Let’s see where the conversation leads,”
Andrew answered, speeding his pace. “He is walking fast.
Let’s catch up with him.”
The road was getting crowded as they neared the market.
“John, you go first and speak to him,” suggested Andrew.
John declined, “You do that Andrew. You are the older one.”
“You can have the privilege for now,” Andrew joked.
“Keep it for yourself!” John smiled.
“You are scared, aren’t you?” Andrew teased.
“No, I am not!” John objected.
“Yes, you are!” Andrew reiterated.
“I am not!” John raised his voice, a bit annoyed. “Fine, I’ll go speak to him first!” John took a few fast strides towards Jesus to prove he was not afraid.
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The JC Team
Just then, Jesus turned around…and looked straight into John’s eyes. John hadn’t expected that! He stood dumbfounded for an instant and quickly made a full turn himself, his heart pounding hard. It felt like Jesus had just caught him red-handed sneaking on him!
Jesus’ gaze then slowly shifted towards Andrew, who nervously turned to the wayside shop, acting as though he was searching for something to buy from there.
Jesus gave a small smile, turned, and walked away.
“Whew! That was close,” John said in relief.
“Why didn’t you speak to him?” demanded Andrew.
“I didn’t think he would turn around like that…and he looked straight at me! As though he knew I was stalking him!” John stated.
“Well, now we’ve lost him,” Andrew said in dismay as he glanced at the busy crowd into which Jesus had disappeared.
John sighed. “Maybe we’ll get to see him again…somewhere.”
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John and Andrew walked back, sad that they had missed the opportunity to meet Jesus. As they were silently brooding over these thoughts, a voice from behind sounded, “May I help you?”
The two spun around and were surprised to see Jesus standing there with a pleasant smile.
Andrew and John exchanged amused glances and sheepishly smiled back at Jesus.
Jesus asked again in a friendly manner, “Are you searching for someone?”
Feeling more confident in the presence of Jesus’ disarming smile, John stepped near him and looked into his eyes, sparkling with life and power.
“Rabbi, where do you live?” he asked Jesus.
Andrew glanced curiously at John, wondering, ‘Now that isn’t supposed to be the first dialogue to a stranger!’
Jesus invited, “Come and see,” and beckoned them to follow him. While the three men walked down the dusty lane, John noticed Jesus was exhausted.
“It seems like you’ve been on a long journey,” he spoke.
Jesus looked at him and smiled. “I’m just at the beginning of a long journey.”
“Who all do you have at home?” queried Andrew.
“My mother,” Jesus answered.
“That’s it?” Andrew asked.
Jesus nodded. “My father, Joseph, passed away when I was a boy. My mother looked after me since then. I’m the only child.”
“How do you earn a living?” asked John.
“My father was a carpenter. He taught me his work,” Jesus replied.
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“You must be very close to your mother,” presumed Andrew.
“She means a lot to me,” Jesus smiled at Andrew. “I’ve been away for a while…can’t wait to see her.”
“How long have you been away?” John inquired.
“Forty long days,” Jesus answered with a deep sigh.
“Where were you?” John asked curiously.
Jesus didn’t reply. He deeply pondered over his forty-day experience in the desert where Satan had fiercely challenged him. The duel between the duo had begun there, and it was a battle for souls that would last till the end of the world.
The men walked down a narrow path towards a little home, from where the happy chirping of little birds resounded. Vibrant butterflies fluttered around the garden, where a fair lady in a white robe and blue mantle was watering the plants.
Jesus opened the wooden gate and announced, “This is my home….and that is my mother, Mary.”
Mary looked towards them. Her face lit up when she saw Jesus. She rushed to him and embraced him with a warm welcome.
“Glad you are back home,” she kissed his forehead, and they exchanged smiles.
“Mother, meet my friends John and Andrew. They will stay with us today,” he informed. Mary greeted them and welcomed them inside. “Do come in. Feel at home.”
After washing their hands and feet, they helped themselves to a meal prepared by Mary.
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The JC Team
Andrew observed his surroundings, taking in details of the room. At the corner, he saw a spinning wheel and a few pieces of cloth. In the adjacent room, he noticed a hammer and a few nails resting on a half-finished table.
“We have been invited to Rebecca’s son’s wedding at Cana,” informed Mary. “It is tomorrow.”
“Good,” responded Jesus. “We can all go together!”
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