“This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 KJV)
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 NASB)
The scene was the Jordan and the baptism. Men were confessing that they were sinners and were being baptized “unto repentance.” To the bank of the Jordan came the Lord Jesus Christ. So highly was He regarded and so spotless was His testimony that John hesitated, insisting that Christ should baptize him. The words of the Lord Jesus, “Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness,” have been the cause for a lot of different suggestions. But John understood them and proceeded to baptize Him. Then heaven was opened and a voice was heard. The voice of the Herald and the voice of Heaven joined in Matthew 3 to attest to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Questions to Consider:
- Men were confessing their sins to heaven. What was the significance that heaven confessed to Christ?
- The Father said that He was pleased with His Son and yet, we read of no miracles or public acts of service up to this point in the life of the Lord Jesus. What were some of the things that the Father found pleasure in about His Son?
- “My beloved Son.” What are some reasons the Father loved the Son?
- Can you think of a link between the Spirit descending like a dove and resting on Christ, and the dove that Noah sent from the ark (Genesis 8)?
