Luke appears to emphasize the life of prayer in Jesus. Jesus taught that men ought to always pray and not faint (Luke 18:1). His disciples asked him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus example of prayer is the best teacher anyone can have and that the disciples could tell that this was a priority of his life is clear from their desire to learn from Him. The apostles, being Jews, had said their prayers their entire lives but the power of prayer is what they were missing in their lives. They wanted what Jesus had and disciples of Christ who conform themselves to Christ have the same desire, today. Consider the priority of prayer in the life of Christ from the start until the day He was crucified.

When Jesus was introduced by John as the Lamb of God, He was fully immersed in the Father’s business (cf. Luke 2:49). When Jesus went to John to be baptized, it was not for the remission of sins, as He had none. He did it to fulfill all righteousness and based on the premise that He needed to identify with the human race (Heb. 2:14-15), Jesus led by example that the start of our walk begins with baptism. Luke alone records this statement, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased.” I have noticed through the years the large number of people who had never noticed this addition by Luke that Jesus was praying when He was baptized. Comparing the gospel accounts, it seems that Jesus was coming up out of the water praying.

Jesus’ life was one of absolute dedication to doing the will of the Father. It is the reason he came and the focus of His attention. When comparing ourselves to the Master, in so far as His relationship to the Father and sin, it is relevant to point out that if humans started out with the same resolve, commitment, and dedication to keep the lines of communication open with the Father, we may not struggle so much with sin. The new creature that we become is characterized by newness and part of that newness is the link to heaven that is available through Jesus Christ. Every baptized believer should come out of the water praying and communicate to the Father the dedication to fully surrender to the Father and His will.

About

I have been a fervent student of the Bible all of my life
Experience: Preacher for 30 years and father of three sons
Education: Florida College and Missouri State University

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