Thoughts for the Day

Luke 3:21b-22 Jesus was baptised too.  And as he was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: “You are my son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.”

What a moment!  Jesus emerges from his baptism, he is praying, heaven is torn open and the three persons of the trinity are recognisably present together.  Wow!  And what does God say at this glorious moment?  To us they are encouraging, affirming words.  But I would like to suggest (with thanks and acknowledgement to Chris Wright again), they were much more than that to Jesus.  Steeped as he was in the Scriptures, he would have recognised that these words were not new, but contained affirmations of his identity as King, servant and sacrifice.   “You are my son” comes directly from Psalm 2:7. It refers to the Davidic king, and one can easily imagine it used as a coronation anthem.  Through it, God declares Jesus to be the Davidic king who was to come.  The phrasing “You are my son, whom I love” echoes Isaiah 42:1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight.”  Jesus clearly identified himself with the Servant of the Lord described in this passage and would likely have heard in this the Father’s endorsement.  Finally, this phrase echoes Genesis 22:2, God’s instruction to Abraham, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love…” to offer as a sacrifice.  That passage only makes sense both practically and theologically if both Abraham and Isaac were willing participants.  And so it points to what is to come at the cross and their respective roles