Reading Matthew chapters 3 and 4 has sparked a few thoughts in my mind. In Vs 13 – 15 John was initially reluctant to water baptise Jesus, knowing that Jesus is greater spiritually. John consented after Jesus explained to him that “it was only right to do all that God requires.” (TPT)
There are loads of powerful truths in these 2 chapters of Matthew that we can observe and learn from :
- John, the Baptist was imprisoned and later beheaded. This was the end of his era. John had fulfilled his call to open the way for Jesus, the Messiah. However, history does not forget who John is and what he had done for the kingdom of God. What we build for eternity will never be erased even after we are gone. They continue to bear everlasting fruits.
- Jesus humbled himself to be water baptized by John in order to fulfil what was prophesied over him. He came out of the wilderness in total victory over Satan’s challenge against his identity. Often our identity as children of the Father will be challenged when we are heading for the destiny of the Father. This is the time when we need to dig deeper into the love of our Heavenly Father. Sons and daughters do not need to prove to others by performing.
- It was after John was imprisoned that Jesus moved from Nazareth to live in Capernaum. This too was very significant because it brought Isaiah’s prophecy to pass ( Matt 4: 14-26). Sometimes for the prophetic words over us to come to pass, we need to do our part in cooperation with God’s promises.
- Once all these were established, Jesus began to proclaim his message. And what was he preaching? The same message as John had been preaching – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Jesus did not just stop there! He went on to demonstrate his power to forgive, heal, raise the dead and many other miracles. Moving on to a new epoch – the Kairos time of the Lord always brings us into the more. We are going forward; not backward.
Both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ had to fulfil the timeline of God in their individual lives as well as the big picture of the Father. To do that, they each needed to respond accordingly. All these led to the end of John’s ministry and marked the beginning of Jesus’ kairos time to express his identity as the Son of God, our Messiah.
I want to draw your attention to how that although the prophecies were given many years ago, there were conditions that Jesus and John had to fulfil. Their cooperations with Father God were needed when the right timing surfaces.
Interpreting the time of our lives is very important. Daniel knew what to do when he read about the prophecy given to Jeremiah in Daniel 9:2-3. He read the prophecy, he knew the time is up, he turned to God in prayer and fasting. He was agreeing with God in his intercession for his people.
Is there something you need to do for your prophecy to come to pass? Ask the Lord what is your part to play? Do you need to learn some skills? Do you need to believe and wage warfare with your prophetic words like Paul told Timothy to do? Is there a connection you should pursue? Do you need to pray, wait and understand more what God is saying to you through His promises?
Let’s pray my dear brothers and sisters :
Father, please show us the part we are meant to play so that your timing for our lives will be aligned between the natural and the spiritual. We submit ourselves to you. Please forgive us if we have rejected your promises to us because of fear or insecurity. We return to being your son/daughter. We come home to your embrace. Like Mary, we say today “Let it be to me according to your word, Father.”
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