{"id":809,"date":"2009-07-01T04:01:36","date_gmt":"2009-07-01T04:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/07\/the-formation-of-jesus-for-mission.html"},"modified":"2009-07-01T04:01:36","modified_gmt":"2009-07-01T04:01:36","slug":"the-formation-of-jesus-for-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/07\/the-formation-of-jesus-for-mission.html","title":{"rendered":"The Formation of Jesus for Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 5 of series: Missional and Formational?
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nToday I\u2019m returning to the series I began last week: Missional and<\/em> Formational? So far I\u2019ve looked briefly at some connections between missional and formational in the Old Testament and in the early life of Jesus. Today I want to focus on a couple of passages from the Gospels that shed light upon the formation of Jesus for his mission.
\nThe Baptism of Jesus<\/strong>
\nThe baptism of Jesus appears in the three synoptic Gospels. In each of these texts, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. At this time, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus, taking the form of a dove. A voice from heaven identified Jesus, saying: \u201cThis is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased\u201d (Matt 3:17). (Photo: a painting of the baptism of Jesus in a church in Mahon, Minorca.)
\nThe testimony of the heavenly voice must surely have encouraged Jesus, even though we would expect that he had some idea of his special identity prior to his baptism. Nevertheless, to hear that he was God\u2019s Son would have powerfully formed Jesus sense of self and mission. Since \u201cSon\u201d was, in this context, primarily a royal or messianic title, Jesus would have understood his identity as related to the fulfillment of Israel\u2019s hopes for the coming of the kingdom of God.
\nThe Temptation of Jesus<\/strong>
\nFollowing the glorious moment of his baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days and nights. During this time, he was tempted by the devil. The substance of this temptation had to do with what it meant for Jesus to be the Son of God. Would Jesus seek his own glory, advantage, and power as the Son of God? Or would he choose the way of faithful servanthood and sacrifice?
\nI find it interesting that Jesus\u2019 first \u201cofficial\u201d action as the Son of God was to get away from the people to whom he had been sent so that he might spend extended time alone. Of course he wasn\u2019t quite alone, because, according to the Gospels, he was tempted by the devil for forty days. During this time in the wilderness, Jesus began to sort out the implications of his identity and calling. He said a definitive \u201cno\u201d to temptations that would have distracted him from his mission.
\nIn all of my time associated with churches and other Christian ministries, I have only known one church that wanted its new leader to begin his work by spending extended time in solitude and prayer. This church sent its brand new pastor away for a personal retreat as his first official duty. Every other Christian organization of which I am aware is only too eager for its new leader to get down to business: meeting people, learning systems, preaching sermons, etc. etc. etc.
\nIt does seem curious to me that we don\u2019t feel more obliged to imitate Jesus\u2019 own beginning in ministry. I wonder how things might be different if, when a church calls a new pastor, the first task required of that pastor is to take two weeks away from the congregation for prayer and discernment. Perhaps that pastor would confront and defeat his or her own temptations, rather than giving in to them while working way too many hours trying to please everybody in the congregation. I wonder . . . .
\nIt is clear, however, that before Jesus began doing the things that characterized his mission\u2013preaching the good news of the kingdom, healing the sick, casting out demons, training his disciples\u2013he was being formed for his mission. His Heavenly Father clarified his identity. The Spirit led him into a period of testing so that he might grasp the implications of that identity. To use the language of this blog series, in the beginning of Jesus\u2019 ministry, formational preceded missional and was essential to it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 5 of series: Missional and Formational? Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series Today I\u2019m returning to the series I began last week: Missional and Formational? So far I\u2019ve looked briefly at some connections between missional and formational in the Old Testament and in the early life of Jesus. Today I want…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-missional-and-formational"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Formation of Jesus for Mission - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}