I know I can't be the first one to realize this.. but I just wanted to let the world know that once you figure out one problem and overcome one trial it's not over.
As long as you're breathing you will always have something to overcome. You will always have something to fight. There will be problem after problem, temptation after temptation, and failure after failure.
Awww. Am I bumming you out?? I'm sorry. Here's a little hope for ya ;)
You'll find it in the gospel of John. Ahh, my favorite gospel. Let me paint you a picture..
It was about A.D.85-90.. wait, first I want to gift you with some knowledge I have just learned myself.. ever wonder what the A.D. or B.C. found with years was all about?? Here's what I found...
Anno Domini (AD or A.D.) and Before Christ (BC or B.C.) are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term Anno Domini is Medieval Latin, translated as In the year of the Lord,[1] and as in the year of Our Lord.[2][3]:782 It is sometimes specified more fully as Anno Domini Nostri Iesu (Jesu) Christi ("In the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ"). This calendar era is based on the traditionally reckoned year of the conception or birth of Jesus of Nazareth, with AD counting years from the start of this epoch, and BC denoting years before the start of the era. There is no year zero in this scheme, so the year AD 1 immediately follows the year 1 BC. This dating system was devised in 525, but was not widely used until after 800.[4] ~Taken from Wikipedia.com
So it was about 50-60 years after Jesus had been crucified, raised from the dead, and returned to heaven. The world was in disarray, I can imagine, because it had been rocked by it's Creator coming down in human form and spending His days working to set the foundation for something completely new that would revolutionize it.
People were talking. Plenty were still alive that had witnessed it first-hand. What a time to be around. Think of it as our modern day Mother Teresa... obviously NOT the same, but there are still people alive who remember her, who witnessed the things she did, and still speak of the impact she made on people.
Now let's apply this to Jesus. A man born into a world waiting for the Messiah. The Jews had been watching and waiting for years, they knew it was only a matter of time.. and suddenly here is this other man, John the Baptist, going around telling everyone that the thing they were waiting for has happened...
How would you react if that were you? Imagine something you were waiting for... something you were told was going to happen, you just had to watch and wait. A dream job opening up maybe? Or a house to buy? Or a chance meeting with someone you really wanted to meet? Now imagine some guy is telling you it's about to happen. Pretty exciting to think about, am I right? And if you were any normal, intelligent person you'd want to check this guy's sanity or at least his background. You'd want to know if this guy is legitimate. It's only natural.
So with this guy going around saying the Messiah was alive and walking around within the country the Leaders of the Law wanted to get to the bottom of it. (John 1:19-28nlt). They sent some of the priests and Temple assistants to go ask, but really didn't get much of an answer.
This took place in Bethany, (a city outside of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus.) Bethany was east of the Jordan River where John was baptizing. ~John 1:28nlt Parenthesis mine
Rome was still in power. And Israel was the place to watch.
I don't want to over-load you, so we're gonna break this down into parts.. to be continued...
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