Thursday, February 19, 2026 

Opening Scripture

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:16-19

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, I praise you for your goodness and grace. By the power of your Spirit at work within me, help me to be fruitful and serve you well this day. Help me to embrace your will, obey your Word, and walk in your ways. In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord I pray. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

John 1:19-34

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”

Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Reflection  

As the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist’s ministry was so significant and disruptive that the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent their representatives to investigate him and bring back a report.

The people’s collective eagerness for the promised Messiah to come and deliver them from Roman oppression is evidenced by their assumption (hope?) that this strange, charismatic holy man could be him – or perhaps Elijah returned.

In truth, John had an Elijah-type ministry, calling the nation of Israel to repentance. John dressed like Elijah in a camel-hair garment and leather belt. And the prophet Malachi predicted that Elijah would return before the Messiah appeared (Malachi 4:5), so it wasn’t a far-fetched conclusion. And while John was a prophet, he was not the Prophet referred to in Deuteronomy 18:15. That was Jesus the Messiah.

John quickly denied the investigators false identifications. He did not want to talk about himself. He was there to “prepare the way of the Lord.”

Although John was a relative of Jesus – and even leaped inside his mother at the presence of Jesus before they were born (Luke 1:39-45) – he had been living roughly in the wilderness for a while (Matthew 3), so it’s unlikely that Jesus and John had been together much recently.

John recognized Jesus through the Spirit’s divine revelation, and he understood the Messiah’s true mission as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Flourishing Habit

Meaning and Purpose

John’s ministry of baptism and his reference to Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13-17) is significant during this Lenten season. Historically, Lent has been a time of preparation for those who desire to be baptized. It was also a time of preparation for the reinstatement of those who had experienced church discipline.

Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of His Messianic ministry. It “fulfilled all righteousness” as He identified with sinful humanity and set an example for those who would repent of their sin and be baptized as His disciples. Though He had no sin to repent of, Jesus modeled humility and repentance for his followers.

Have you been baptized as a follower of Jesus? If so, what do you remember about that experience? If not, what are you waiting for?

Ask God to guide you to make this a season of significant spiritual growth for you.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!