Survivor

Matthew 3:13-17

　
　
One of my favorite TV shows is Survivor. If you’re not familiar with it the story line is that a group of people are placed in an exotic location to see who can survive for 39 days. You have to "outwit, outplay and outlast" all of your opponents.

The game is physically and emotionally demanding. People have broken under the stress and demands of the game. Some have had emotional meltdowns and just quit. While others have wilted under the physical demands of the game and left due to an injury. To win you have to co-operate with the same people that you are trying to defeat. Ultimately, you are alone.

In this passage, Jesus is getting ready to start his ministry. There are many challenges that lie ahead of him not the least of which is the ominous final ending of the cross. To prepare for this he has John baptize him. This was important to him, but just as important was the affirmation of his Heavenly Father.

"You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased".

Think about what it was like for Jesus, who was fully human, to deal with all that he went through. He was betrayed by someone in his inner circle. He was rejected by his closest friends. He was subjected to physical abuse and public humiliation. Nobody stood up in his defense. He was alone. Even at the end his Heavenly Father forsook him.

How was Jesus able to face all of this and survive? Did he just suck it up and gut it out? Was he able to use his divinity to keep him from feeling the physical, emotional and spiritual pain? I wonder if it wasn’t the words that his Father spoke to him at the time of his baptism that carried him through these final moments of anguish.

In our journey, we most likely won’t deal with the things that Jesus did, but life is a struggle. We face it with others but ultimately we are alone – just like the participants of Survivor. How do we get through it? How do we manage to deal with the physical, emotional and spiritual struggles of life?

God has said the same words to you and to me as He said to Jesus. "You are my son, my daughter whom I love; with you I am well pleased". This is enough to carry us through the hard times of life.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%203%3A13-17&version=NIV;MSG
http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Matt.3.13-Matt.3.17