Jesus is Scary Good

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, 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, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17 NIV)

The Launch of Ministry

When Jesus began His public ministry, He did something that puzzled even John the Baptist himself. He asked to be baptized. John's confusion was understandable—baptism was for sinners seeking repentance, and Jesus was sinless. So why would the Son of God wade into the Jordan River alongside tax collectors, prostitutes, and common people?

The answer reveals something profound about God's character: Jesus fully identified with us. The incarnation—God becoming human—was already an act of breathtaking humility. But baptism took it further. Jesus stood in solidarity with broken humanity, showing that He came not to remain distant but to become one of us completely.

And then something remarkable happened. The sky ripped open. The Holy Spirit descended like a dove and landed on Him. A voice from heaven—the Father's voice—declared, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased."

Here's the beautiful truth: when we are baptized, we completely identify with Jesus. We confess our faith in Him and commit our lives to Him. But God acts in our baptism too, claiming us just as He claimed Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes. The Father says to us what He said to Jesus: "This is my son, my daughter. With them I am well pleased."

Confronting the Divider

Immediately after His baptism, Jesus faced His first major test—forty days in the wilderness, confronting the devil himself. This wasn't a symbolic encounter with abstract evil. The devil is a very real being whose name comes from "diabolos," meaning "to divide." His entire mission is to divide us from God and from one another.

As 1 Peter 5:8 warns us, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

In the wilderness, Jesus re-enacted the temptation in the Garden of Eden. But where Adam and Eve questioned God's word and fell, Jesus stood firm. He was the Second Adam, winning the rematch with the devil.

The temptations were strategic and revealing:

First, the temptation to feed your own hungers. After forty days of fasting, Jesus was desperately hungry. The devil suggested turning stones to bread. Our enemy always attacks our weak spots. But Jesus responded, "Man does not live by bread alone." The more important nourishment is the bread of God's Word.

Second, the temptation of false identity. "If you are the Son of God, jump from the temple and let the angels catch you." This was an invitation to prove His identity through spectacular displays, to use His power to save Himself, to show off in church. But Jesus came to lay down His life, not to miraculously cheat death. His response: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." When you know who you are in Christ, you can be humble and self-sacrificing.

Third, the temptation to have it all through false worship. The devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship. Anything that promises us fame, power, pleasure, or wealth apart from God's gifts is false worship—it's idolatrous. Jesus declared, "Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only!"

The devil threw his best punch, but Jesus prevailed. He was good—He was scary good. And His Spirit lives in our hearts with power to defeat the attacks of the devil.

The Religious Opposition

Perhaps the greatest irony of Jesus' ministry was where the devil found his most willing volunteers: among the clergy of the day. The religious leaders—those who should have recognized the Messiah—became His fiercest opponents.

When Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, the Pharisees and teachers of the law objected. Their hard hearts were more concerned with Sabbath rules than with a man's restoration. Jesus stared them down and healed the man anyway. They became furious and began plotting what they might do to Him.

Jealousy, pride, and the protection of power and position made them blind to God's work right before their eyes. It's a sobering reminder that pastors and religious leaders have always been in the crosshairs of the devil's attacks. None of us is immune to pride's deception.

A Notable Exception

Not all religious leaders opposed Jesus. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, came to Jesus secretly—the original "Nick at Night." He affirmed that Jesus was from God, and Jesus responded with words that would echo through the centuries: "You must be born again."

This was revolutionary. Nicodemus' understanding of religion was about trying again, working harder, keeping the rules—but never "born again." The new birth isn't a mulligan; it's a miracle of God. It's not a second chance; it's a new beginning. It's the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

With Nicodemus, Jesus was scary good—teaching the teacher of the law, giving grace to the seeker of truth.

Safe or Good?

C.S. Lewis captured this tension perfectly in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. When the children first hear about Aslan, Lucy asks, "Is he quite safe?" Mr. Beaver responds, "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

Jesus Christ, like Aslan, is scary good. If you're aligned with the devil, Jesus isn't safe—He's scary. He came to destroy the work of the devil, to reunite us with the Father in spite of the work of the divider.

But if you desire to be born again, then Jesus is very, very good. As John 3:16 reminds us, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

The question remains: Will you align your life with Jesus today?