LET'S STOP HERE.
THERE'S SOMETHING TO SEE IN THIS ROCK FACE.
ISRAEL IS A LAND THAT'S BUILT ON LAYERS OF LIMESTONE,
AND WE'RE UP ON THE TOP JUST LOOKING AT THE SURFACE.
WE DON'T NECESSARILY GET THE WHOLE STORY.
EACH LAYER HAS A RELATIONSHIP TO THE OTHERS.
NOW WE CAN WE CAN ZOOM IN AND LOOK AT
JUST ONE PART OF THIS STRUCTURE, BUT IF WE DO THAT,
WE'RE GOING TO MISS THE LARGER STORY THAT'S TOLD
WHEN WE LOOK VERTICALLY IN THE ROCK.
THE SAME IS TRUE WHEN WE LOOK AT BIBLE STORIES.
YOU KNOW, WHENEVER I'M HERE, I HAVE QUESTIONS THAT
BEGIN TO RISE IN MY MIND, AND I THINK THE ONE
THAT I'VE WRESTLED WITH AND TRIED TO ANSWER IS,
THIS IS AN AWFULLY LONG WALK FOR A BAPTISM.
THERE'S LOTS OF WATER UP BY NAZARETH.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS LOCATION THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT
THAT JESUS WAS READY TO WALK THE BETTER PART
OF A WEEK DOWN HERE IN ORDER TO BE BAPTIZED?
I GUESS THE JORDAN RIVER HAS SUCH A HIGH DEMAND
ON ITS WATER THAT IT FLOWS AT ONLY FIVE PERCENT
OF WHAT IT DID IN IN BIBLE TIMES, SO WE'RE REALLY NOT
SEEING THE SAME KIND OF RIVER THAT WAS HERE IN BIBLE TIMES.
BUT WOW! WE ARE AT THE JORDAN RIVER.
YEAH, THERE. OH, THAT'S SO MUCH NICER.
WOW! IT'S SOMETHING TO BE IN THE SAME WATER,
THAT WAS THE PLACE JESUS WAS BAPTIZED,
BUT YOU KNOW, AGAIN AS SOON AS MY FEET HIT THAT WATER,
I HAD THIS BIT OF A MOMENT OF DÉJÀ VU,
A SENSE THAT SOMETHING IMPORTANT HAPPENED HERE BEFORE.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT JERICHO LIES
JUST A FEW MILES TO OUR WEST,
AND WE'RE AT THAT PORTION OF THE JORDAN RIVER
WHICH IS EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE THAT ISRAEL CROSSED OVER
THE JORDAN RIVER, ENTERED INTO THE PROMISED LAND.
AND STARTED THEIR PUBLIC MINISTRY.
THE FATHER'S VOICE FROM HEAVEN CALLS OUT,
"THIS IS MY BELOVED SON WITH WHOM I AM WELL-PLEASED."
AND AS THE SPIRIT DESCENDS ON JESUS IN THE FORM OF THE DOVE,
IT BECOMES ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THINGS HAVE CHANGED
IN JESUS' LIFE. THE 30 QUIET YEARS IN NAZARETH ARE OVER,
AND NOW JESUS IS STARTING HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO TAKE MY FAMILY OUT INTO THE WILDERNESS.
I LOVE TO DO THAT, BUT I WOULD NEVER THINK ABOUT
TAKING MY FAMILY OUT INTO THE WILDERNESS
AND LEAVING THEM THERE WITHOUT FOOD, WATER, AND COMPANIONSHIP.
I'M STRUCK WITH THE FACT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE FATHER DID.
HE BROUGHT HIS SON OUT INTO THIS VERY DIFFICULT ECOSYSTEM,
AND LEFT HIM WITHOUT FOOD AND WATER AND COMPANIONSHIP.
JUDAH'S WILDERNESS IS SUCH A HARSH
AND DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT.
AREA THAT WE'RE IN IS IN A RAINFALL SHADOW.
I LIKE WILDERNESS STORIES. THE IDEA OF WILDERNESS
IS MENTIONED MORE THAN 300 TIMES IN THE BIBLE.
WHEN MATTHEW TELLS THAT STORY, MATTHEW CHAPTER 4,
MATTHEW IS VERY, VERY CAREFUL
TO PROVIDE JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF DETAILS
AND JUST THE KIND OF DETAILS THAT HELP CONNECT
THE EXPERIENCE OF JESUS IN WILDERNESS
WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF ISRAEL IN WILDERNESS.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE EVER READ MATTHEW 4 IN THAT WAY,
BUT THINK ABOUT THAT.
AFTER ISRAEL CROSSED THE RED SEA, THIS MONUMENTAL EXPERIENCE,
THEY WERE LED BY GOD INTO THE WILDERNESS.
AFTER JESUS' TREMENDOUS EXPERIENCE OF THE BAPTISM,
HE IS LED BY THE SPIRIT INTO WILDERNESS.
IT'S NOT THE SAME WILDERNESS, BUT IT'S THE SAME ECOSYSTEM.
BOTH JESUS AND ISRAEL REMAIN
IN THAT ECOSYSTEM FOR A PERIOD OF 40,
ISRAEL IT'S 40 YEARS, JESUS IT'S 40 DAYS.
AND ISRAEL WAS HUNGRY. IN FACT, THEY WERE
RAVAGED BY HUNGER PAINS IN THE SAME WAY
THAT JESUS WAS WHEN HE CAME OUT INTO THIS WILDERNESS.
AND AT THAT MOMENT, WITHOUT ANY FOOD TO EAT
AND WITHOUT ANY WATER TO DRINK,
THE FATHER COMES TO BOTH WITH THIS QUESTION:
"WILL YOU TRUST ME?
"WILL YOU TRUST ME WHEN THE FUNDAMENTALS
"FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL SURVIVAL ARE NOT IN VIEW?"
NOW, AT THIS POINT THE EXPERIENCE OF JESUS AND ISRAEL
DIVERGED FROM ONE ANOTHER.
THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT THE LACK OF WATER.
THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE FOOD,
AND THEY DEMANDED THAT THEY BE TAKEN BACK TO EGYPT
RATHER THAN CONTINUE TO THE PROMISED LAND.
"WILL YOU TRUST ME?"
ISRAEL SAID "NO."
JESUS SAID, "YES."
NOW THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT LESSON TO ME
BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT JESUS IS MORE THAN HIS FOREBEARERS.
IF JESUS WERE ONLY A NOBLE EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW,
IF HE SIMPLY DELIVERED FOR US
AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT IT MEANT TO LIVE WELL,
HE WOULD LOOK NO BETTER THAN
SOMEONE LIKE ABRAHAM OR DAVID OR MOSES,
ALL OF WHOM EVENTUALLY STRUGGLED AND FELL.
AND THAT'S MY PROBLEM TOO.
I NEED MORE THAN A GOOD EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW.
I NEED SOMEONE TO DO WHAT I CANNOT DO ON MY OWN.
I'M REMINDED OF THE WORDS OF PAUL,
"THE GOOD THAT I KNOW I SHOULD DO, I JUST CAN'T GET IT DONE,
"AND THE EVIL THINGS THAT I DON'T WANT TO DO,
"I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF."
AND FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO IS CAUGHT UP IN THAT PROBLEM
THAT HAS PERSISTED SINCE THE GARDEN OF EDEN,
I NEED MORE THAN A GOOD EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW.
I NEED SOMEONE WHO CAN COME AND HAVE
EVERY EXPERIENCE THAT I MIGHT HAVE IN LIFE
EVEN THE HARD ONES, THE WILDERNESS-LIKE EXPERIENCES,
AND LIVE THEM SUCCESSFULLY WHEN I DON'T.
I NEED JESUS, THE ONE WHO'S DESCRIBED IN HEBREWS,
"ONE WHO WAS TESTED IN EVERY WAY AS I AM, AND YET DID NOT SIN."