HIDDEN YEARS
Opening Prayer
Loving Lord, thank you for the gift of this day. May I spend it with my mind and heart fixed on you, ready to do your will.
Read LUKE 3:21 – 4:13
The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,
the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melki,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Josek, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melki,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon,
the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,
the son of Salmon,[a] the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,[b]
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,
the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu,
the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan,
the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,
the son of Kenan, 38 the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted[c] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’[d]”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’[e]”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[f]”
12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[g]”
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Footnotes
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering’ (Romans 12:1, The Message).Jesus’ public ministry is launched! Soon he will triumph over temptations, perform spectacular signs, and preach spell-binding sermons; ultimately, in submission to the Father’s will, he will surrender his life on the cross. As Jesus himself put it, ‘I always do what pleases him’ (John 8:29).
But Jesus pleased the Father long before he was thrust into prominence. Even in obscurity, Jesus remained conscious of God’s call on his life (Luke 2:41–50). His ‘Father’s business’ was not just in the temple but, equally, in the ordinary, everyday struggles and challenges of family life, work life, and community life in an obscure little village called Nazareth. During those ‘hidden years’ between 12 and 30, ‘Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man’ (Luke 2:52). We know those hidden years were holy years because, although ‘tempted in every way,’ Jesus didn’t sin (Hebrews 4:15). Before Jesus even begins his public ministry, the Father publicly commends the private life of his beloved Son: ‘with you I am well pleased’ (v 22b).
Opportunity knocks ceaselessly through the everyday events and encounters of ordinary life, where most of us spend the greater part of our years. And as Mother Teresa has been credited with saying— and demonstrated by her own life—we can ‘do ordinary things with extraordinary love.’
Apply
In what ways can you do something ordinary with extraordinary love this week?
Closing prayer
Precious Savior, there is no action I can ever take that could match your love poured out for me. Take my deeds that show your love for others and use them for your glory.
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