Читать книгу The Story of Jesus The Christ - Helen Braun Hojt - Страница 17

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Over and over again John said to the people, “ Repent, and

be baptized, every one of you.» To repent is to be so sorry

for something we have

done that we will ask

God’s forgiveness and

try very hard never to

do it again. After they

repented he baptised

them. You know how

pure and clean water

makes things that are

Washed in it. So water

is used in baptism as a

sign that the one who

is baptized wants his

heart made pure and

clean.

J ohn baptized so

many people that he

is called John the Bap¬

tist, but he told them

John the Baptist Preaching

all that the baptism did

not make them good;

it only show r ed others that they meant to try to be better men

and women. “ When the Christ conies,“ he said, „he will give

you a new heart, and that is what you need to be really good.»

We should all pray just as David did so long ago: «Create

in me a clean heart, 0 God; and renew a right spirit within

me.» This is nfot a very long prayer, but it means a great deal;

for when we have been given new, clean hearts we will never

again do wrong without being very, very sorry, and praying to

be forgiven.

THE MINISTRY OF THE CHRIST

THE OPENING OF THE MINISTRY

One day John was preaching as usual, when a stranger came

to him and asked to be baptized. John looked at him for a

minute, and then said:

«I need to be baptized

by you. Why do you

come to me?» For in

that one look something

in the stranger’s face

told John that it was

Jesus, the Christ, who

had asked to be bap¬

tized. Although they

were cousins, their

homes were so far apart

that they had never

seen each other.

John knew that the

Saviour did not need to

repent, for he had never

done anything that was

wrong. He did not want

to baptize him, but Jesus

said: «I want you to do it. It is right that you should, even if

you do not know the reason why.» Then they both went into the

Jordan, and Jesus was baptized.

When he came up out of the water something in the form of

a dove rested on his head, and a voice from heaven said, “ This

is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.» It was God’s

voice.

Baptism of Jesus

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