HRC New Testament Reading Plan: daily NT reading devotional thoughts.
16 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. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16-17
God makes things clear
Matthew 3 introduces us to a radical “voice of one calling out in the wilderness”, John the Baptist. It tells us that Isaiah (in Isaiah 40:3) prophesied that John would prepare the way for the Lord, the Messiah of Israel.
His lifestyle, like that of a Nazarite, was one of radical devotion to God. He preached a message of repentance and spent his time baptizing people from all over Jerusalem, Judea and the region of the Jordan who came out to see him. He boldly warned them about their reliance on the old ways and told them of one who would come after him, who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit!
One day, Jesus came to him to be baptized, and John is stopped in his tracks. He tries to turn it around: Jesus should baptize him. However, Jesus tells him that he needs to continue with baptizing because it will “fulfill all righteousness”. The purpose John lived for was to prepare the way for Jesus, and now he would fulfill that purpose to let the world know the Messiah had arrived.
As John lifted Jesus from the water, the Spirit descended and a voice from heaven confirmed “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased”. God not only sent a messenger ahead to prepare the way. He spoke to confirm that Jesus is the Son of God.
God is working in all of our lives to prepare our hearts for the arrival of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He makes it clear: Jesus is the Son and He pleases God the Father.
Questions:
- How did Jesus’ baptism and God’s voice confirm the prophecies about the Son of God?
- Why did the crowds come out to see John? Would they have recognized Jesus if the words of God weren’t spoken?
- What assures you that Jesus is the Son of God? How has recognizing Jesus as God’s Son changed your life?