
TOPIC: Becoming Messiah
SCRIPTURE READING: MARK 1:9-13
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness,
13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[a] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
KEY VERSE: “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” — Exodus 2:14
Daily Bread Devotional for Today 11th December 2022 MESSAGE
Moses grew up comfortably while his own people were slaves (Exodus 2). One day he tried to break up a fight between two of those slaves. And one of them said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” We might say, “That’s easy—God did. Moses was God’s appointed leader over Israel.” But Moses was actually jumping the gun. Because God would not appoint him till after another 40 years!
We tend to jump the gun when it comes to Jesus. We are often too impatient to let him be a human being as ordinary as any of us. For example, when he is young, we think of him as Israel’s Messiah. But Jesus will not be the Messiah for another 30 years.
Don’t worry. This doesn’t take anything away from Jesus’ divinity. Messiah (or Christ) is not a divine title. It’s a title for a human being with a special, God-appointed task. Messiah means “anointed one.” To be anointed is to be called and empowered to fulfill a God-given role.
When he was baptized, Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of God, “descending on him like a dove,” to be Messiah. At the same time, he was claimed by God, the voice from heaven, as Messiah. After living for 30 years as an ordinary human being, the time had come for Jesus to fulfill his destiny as Savior of the world.
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Jesus, how your life changed when you were anointed that day! Yet you embraced your calling faithfully, and you never turned aside. You did what none of us could ever do. Thank you. Amen.
READ ALSO: December 11, 2022 – Our Daily Bread Devotional || ODB for Sunday
Thank you for reading Daily Bread Devotional for Today 11th December 2022 written by Bob Arbogast. Bob Arbogast is the pastor of Celebration Fellowship church in Ionia, Michigan. In his spare time, he plays guitar in a West Michigan blues band. He and his wife Jan have been married forty years and have three adult daughters. Bob has been praying the psalms since 2002.. Read More