Prophet John’s Encounter With the Lord

Matthew 3:13-15 (NLT)

Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.

This is Prophet John’s first encounter with Jesus, at the Jordan River. We see them having a conversation and we can learn so much about the relational attribute of the Lord as we study these verses.

1)   The purpose of their conversation was to get to a place of mutual agreement. John did not want to baptize Jesus because he deemed himself lower than Jesus. Yet Jesus said John should let it be so for now. So, we learn from here that when it comes to our relationship with the Lord, there is always room for a healthy conversation such that we can all come to a place of agreement. And this is really how the Lord relates with us. He does not impose on us; neither does he agree with everything we say. When He disagrees with us on any aspect, He has a way of carefully guiding us back to the truth. That is exactly what He did with the Prophet John. In this dispensation, our relationship is with the Spirit of God. In John 16:13a Jesus tells us that the Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth.  The key here is that He will “guide us” not “impose” on us.

2)   Mutual respect is also an aspect seen in their conversation. Although Lord, Jesus will not do that which has been assigned for us to do. We are told in verse 13 that Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. There is a sea in Galilee yet Jesus respectfully went to the Jordan River. There was nothing Jesus could not do for himself however, He still did not trespass when it came to authority and assignment. Amen.

3)   This leads us to the aspect of respect of boundaries. Jesus did not do what He ought not to do and He did not permit John to not do what He ought to do. Meaning, Jesus did not baptize Prophet John like he wanted and Jesus did not accept Prophet John’s refusal to baptize Him. Amen. Respect of boundaries. Everyone diligently completed their assignment.

4)   There was no abuse of power. Jesus the Lord has all power to do anything yet He did not take advantage of His power. Rather, he had respect for the process. He operated with example showing us that the kingdom is systemic. Amen.

This was Prophet John’s encounter. The relational attributes of the Lord that He encountered as seen in this portion of scripture were mutual agreement, mutual respect, respect of boundaries and zero abuse of power. Again, what are your experiences as you relate with the Father? Please share with us. Amen.

Apostle Paul’s Encounter With The Lord

When we began this series, one thing we did mention was that it is not very feasible to talk about all the relational attributes of the Father within a short period of time. However, as we attempt to stir you in the right direction when it comes to His relational attributes, there are so many aspects of Him that you will come to discover in your relationship with Him that will highlight an aspect of Him that you may not have known. Summarily, you will get to know Him not only through what you have been told but through your experiences with Him. Amen.

Previously, we talked about the importance of having a relationship with Jesus by making Him Lord of your life because when you do, you begin enjoying a deeper and intimate relationship with the Father. Discovering Him better through your relationship with His Son. Amen.

So, let’s continue this series by examining how He related to men and women in the Bible through His son. And also examine the aspects of His relational attribute that stood out in their relationship.

We will begin by looking at Saul who was later named Paul. His first encounter with Jesus is recorded in Acts 9:1-9. I will read for you Acts 9:3-5 (NKJV)

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.  Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

For anyone who knows the details of this story well, you will agree with me that it was indeed a life-transforming encounter for Saul. So transforming that even His name changed. So, the question is this, what are some of the relational attributes of the Lord seen in this encounter.

1)     We see the mercy of the Lord being demonstrated herein that the Lord had every reason to punish Saul for threatening and murdering the Christians. As a matter of fact, Saul was on a mission to threaten and murder more Christians when He had an encounter with the Lord. Yet, the Lord was merciful to Saul; it was in the power of the Lord to punish Saul for what he was about to do and the many bad things he had done but the Lord did not do so. Rather, He was merciful. Amen.

2)     We see the patience of the Lord also demonstrated as He answered every question asked by Saul. In verse 5 Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” In verse 6 Saul asked, “What do you want me to do?”

3)     We see that the Lord is a restorer. The Lord told Him to Arise and go into the city and he will be told what to do. As the story goes, Paul’s restoration began and today we are beneficiaries of the great work He did. Amen.

So, in the context of relationship, we see a few relational attributes of the Lord (merciful. Patient and restorer). Amen. This was Paul’s experience. What are your experiences as you relate with Him? Are there certain aspects of His character that have stood out to you as you relate with Him? Please feel free to share with us what those experiences are. We will be glad to know. Amen.