Family Connection – Jesus Is Baptized

Baptism. It’s a crazy thing to think about as a kid. Getting dunked under water as a sign of your belief in Jesus. Take a moment and think about the symbolism of it: being put under water and then raised again, cleaner than before; Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Discuss the symbolism of baptism and why God has commanded us to be baptized as believers. If your child has not professed their belief, take this time in the car to talk about it. Talk about faith and how we have faith in the car to get us from point A to point B. Or talk about the lack of faith you have in your car making it to those points (e.g. no gas, flat tire, etc.).

At home...

Read Matthew 3:1-4:1

Jesus went to where people were being baptized: the Jordan River, where John the Baptist was doing the baptizing. When Jesus got there, John insisted to be baptized by Jesus. But Jesus told John that He (Jesus) must be baptized, because God had commanded it. Even though Jesus was God in flesh, He still obeyed, showing us that we must set an example to those around us.

Discuss as a family a time when you held somebody to a set of “standards” but did not obey them yourself. Did people notice? What happened?

Around the table...

Jesus was led to the desert after being claimed by God. Jesus was obedient and got baptized. He was then led to a place of isolation and the devil leveraged that. He was approached by the devil three times. Each time, Jesus used the Word of the Lord to combat the temptations set out before Him.

Discuss around the table a time in which you went from being on a “mountaintop experience” to feeling alone and pressed by the devil. How did you lean on God in those moments? What verses were you able to use? Guide your children in finding a verse to use if they are feeling a certain way or need help to decide what to do.

Go DEEPER: Discuss your “go-to” verse. What does it mean to you? How did you find this verse, or was it presented to you? Share the story of how it came to be.