VERSE 13: Jesus came from Galilee. Where in Galilee? [Nazareth] Why, specifically, had he traveled 60-some miles? To be baptized BY JOHN.

VERSE 14: "John restrained him. . ." WHY? John felt unworthy to baptize such a great and Godly man.

VERSE 15: What was Jesus' reason for being baptized? That he might fulfill all righteousness. What did this mean?

VERSES 16, 17: "He came up out of the water. . ." What does this tell us about HOW Jesus was baptized? He was obviously in the water and went under under the water, hence immersion is clearly indicated. This is a time to remind ourselves what baptism really means.

Read what Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words has to say about baptism:

BAPTISM, BAPTIST, BAPTIZE

A. Nouns.

I. BAPTISMA (baptisma), baptism, consisting of the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence (from bapto, to dip), is used:

(a) of John’s baptism,

(b) of Christian baptism, see B. below;

(c) of the overwhelming afflictions and judgments to which the Lord voluntarily submitted on the Cross, e.g., Luke 12 50;

(d) of the sufferings His followers would experience, not of a vicarious character, but in fellowship with the sufferings of their Master. Some mss. have the word in Matt. 20: 22, 23; it is used in Mark 10 38, 39, with this meaning.

2. BAPTISMOS (baptismos), as distinct from baptisma (the ordinance), is used of the ceremonial washing of articles, Mark 7 : 4, 8, in some texts: Heb. 9 : 10; once in a general sense, Heb. 6: 2. See WASHING.

3. BAPTISTES (baptistes), a baptist,* is used only of John the Baptist, and only in the Synoptists, 14 times.

* Here Vines obviously means one who baptizes, for the denomination called Baptist did not come along until Huldriech Zwingli baptized his first converts in 1525.

ALL were for what purpose? See John 1: 33, 34. [A testimony from God that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.] The dove was not a normal bird, it was what? [A physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit.]

Luke 3: 23: Jesus was just beginning his 30th year when this happened. It has long been believed that Jesus was baptized on Jan. 6th, which is called Epiphany on the "Christian"calendar. This time fits well with the time of birth we have previously discussed. Obviously, from the language used here, he was baptized on or near his birthday (probably January).

John 1: 32 - 34: John says he did not know Jesus was the Messiah, but God (or the Holy Sprit) had told him that whoever the Spirit descended upon was the chosen one. John told those at the Jordan that this proved Jesus to be the Son of God.

Verse 1: Being full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus goes into the “desert.” This word means exactly what Louis L’amour meant by his phrase, “the high lonesome.” A lonely, empty wasteland or desert, in the Middle Eastern sense, not in our less severe sense.

Verse 2: How long was Jesus in the desert? 40 days. Why forty? Physically, 40 days is about the maximum time a normal healthy man can fast without perishing from hunger. For some reason (probably following the example of Elijah in I Kings 19: 8) 40 days was also how long prophets and “holy man” went out into the desert to fast and find their “calling.” It is a very significant time period in the Bible. Click here to see how important 40 days is in the Biblical story.

Symbolically, the number 40 is the product of two significant numbers: 10, standing for completeness, especially regarding the work of God in the earth, and 4, the number signifying the whole earth. Symbolically, then, Jesus was preparing spiritually for a calling and purpose that would affect the whole earth.

What is a fast? As it says here, “. . . in those days he did eat nothing . . .” The typical Jewish fast was much less rigorous, merely fasting during the daylight hours and then eating at night. (As is the “severe” fasting ritual of Ramadan among the Muslims.) A fast also meant no wine, or any beverage but water, which is absolutely necessary to sustain life. Without water a person can not live more than five days in a desert place like Perea.

Verse 3: It is unclear whether Jesus was tempted by Satan the entire 40 days, or just at the end of it when he was weakest. Mark 1: 13 seems to imply the temptations were ongoing, not just at the last.

Jesus is tempted in three things. These fall into the same three categories that I John 2: 16 speaks about: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Verses 3, 4: Jesus was hungry. Satan appealed to his hunger and his power as the Son of God. How does Jesus respond to Satan’s temptation? “IT IS WRITTEN. . .” He quotes Deut. 8: 3. How do we respond when Satan tempts us? From the Word of God or from our fears and/or lusts? If anyone ever objects to your quotation of a Bible verse to them, remember Luke 4 and the example of Jesus.

Verse 5 - 8: Satan takes Jesus up to a high place (mountain is not specified here in Luke, but is in Matt. 4: 8) and shows him all the kingdoms of the world “in a moment’s time.” Some sort of miraculous vision. Did Satan have the authority to offer the whole world to Jesus? No, as John 13: 3 says, God had given all things into His (Jesus’) hands, not Satan’s. Satan is called “the god of this world” in II Cor. 4: 4, but his “position” was stolen, not granted by God. John Gill’s Commentary says of Satan, “. . .what power he had, as the God of the world, was by usurpation, and not by designation of God. . .” Jesus’ reply is from Deut. 6: 13.

Verses 9 - 12: Satan takes Jesus up again, this time to the pinnacle of the temple and asks him to throw himself down. Again he strikes at Jesus’ identity as God’s Son. Notice that Satan also can quote scriptures. He quotes from Psalm 91: 11, 12. Note, however that Satan misquotes the scripture, leaving out the middle part. Also be aware that Psalm 91 is about all those who put their complete trust in God. Satan is doing what Peter warned about in II Peter 3: 16 – wresting the scriptures. Jesus replies from Deut. 6: 16. It seems that when Satan approached Jesus, Jesus had just been studying Deuteronomy! All his replies come from there. In some manuscripts of Luke, and clearly in Matt. 4: 10, Jesus rebukes Satan: “Get thee hence!” And so Satan departed “for a season.” In the Greek this phrase usually means “until an opportunity arises.” Satan doesn’t leave us alone forever, only until we are weak, then he tempts us again.