Baptism of Christ/Overcoming Temptation/First Miracle

The last reading assignment and this reading assignment both really make me think that John the Baptist is such a great person. The Bible Dictionary entry on John the Baptist was very interesting. It pointed out that his ministry has operated in three dispensations in that he was the last prophet under the Law of Moses, the first of the New Testament prophets, and brought the Aaronic Priesthood to the dispensation of the fullness of times. This alone was incredible to think about. He had such a big role. I knew that he baptized Jesus, of course, but I had either forgotten or not realized how much he prepared the way for Jesus. Several of his disciples became Christ's disciples and he taught many people about Christ before Christ came. Beyond this, he did this all without wanting credit for any of the things he was doing. He was doing it all for Christ. In a way I was reminded of the premortal life when Jesus proposed his plan in which all of the glory would go to the Father. This type of selflessness in Christ's and John the Baptist's examples is something that I aspire to work towards.

One thing that I really noticed during this reading assignment is how much the synoptic gospels are really alike. There are several verses found word for word in all three. There are some minor differences in the amount of detail or some word choices, but they are definitely synoptic.

One difference I found was when Christ was tempted after fasting. In Luke, the order of the tempting is in a different order. I wonder if this is significant or not. Also, in Mark, it mentions that he was tempted three times, but doesn't go into detail or explain how or where he was tempted.

One personal connection that I made with the story of Christ being tempted is that when he was tempted, he responded quoting scripture. It seems so much easier when you read it like that and I think it will be easier for me in the future if I turn to the scriptures when I am tempted about something and research them to find the answers. Previously, I had mostly relied on asking others for help or praying for comfort/guidance, but I think I can really benefit by using the scriptures to respond to temptation like Christ did.