Christ in art/Chapter 5: The Baptism And Temptation Of Jesus
CHAPTER V.
THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS.
ND Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age. Then cometh Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? "
And Jesus answering said unto him, " Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he suffered him.
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending in a bodily shape like a dove, and lighting upon him; and, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the Devil; and was with the wild beasts. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
And the Devil said unto him, " If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread." And Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. " And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, " If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. " And Jesus answering said unto him, "It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. " And the Devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the Devil said unto him, " All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered
unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine." And Jesus answered and said unto him, " Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. "
And when the Devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. And, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who art thou?" And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Art thou Elias?" And he said, "I am not." "Art thou that prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then said they unto him, "Who art thou I that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? " He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."
And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, " Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?"
John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose."
These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me; for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water."
And John bare record, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, 'Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.' And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."
Again, the next day after, John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, "Behold the Lamb of God!" And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following and saith unto them, "What seek ye?"
They said unto him " Rabbi " (which is to say, being interpreted, Master), "where dwellest thou?"
He saith unto them, " Come and see."
They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, " We have found the Messias " (which is, being interpreted, the Christ).
And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou slialt be called Cephas," which is, by interpretation, a stone.
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, " Follow me."
Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, " We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
And Nathanael said unto him, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? "
Philip saith unto him, " Come and see."
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, " Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"
Nathanael saith unto him, "Whence knowest thou me?"
Jesus answered and said unto him, " Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee."
Nathanael answered and saith unto him, " Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel."
Jesus answered and said unto him, "Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these." And he saith unto him, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."