Meaning and Purpose
Matt. 3:13-17
We are all given life, but we must find our purpose.
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Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." - Matt. 3:13-17
Do you think Jesus understood his purpose in life before he was baptized?
Many would argue that he did, since he was found in the Temple knowing it was his father's house when he was only twelve.
It is that right of passage from childhood to adulthood that we believe imbues us with meaning. We become one with the community, and for many who are confirmed or have their bar or bas mitzvah, we become one with God as well.
But do we know who we are and why we are here at that young age? No.
Jesus agrees to be baptized to set an example, to go through the motions, not for himself, but for John and the others. But what if he had decided he didn't need it, that the ritual was meaningless for him?
So many young people today feel that way. They don't want to be religious. They want to be spiritual.
Well, that is a given. We are all spiritual beings in physical bodies that die. We live on. There is a lot of talk about how we live on, whether we go to a good place or a bad, but I like to think of it this way.
We live on the way we lived here.
If we find joy in being alive, if we see all the beauty and good in the world, that will be what life is like beyond this life.
But if all we see if evil and despair, if our days are filled with disappointment and anger, that is how our lives will be throughout eternity.
We make our own heaven and hell here on earth, by what we do and how we treat one another.
So, to find our purpose and meaning, we have to be active, We have to be alive.
God gives us life. We decide what we will do with it.
More to come...