“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water:
and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
(Matthew 3:16-17)
At the baptism of Jesus, the veil of heaven opens with a public declaration of the Father’s confirmation of His Beloved Son, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Christ is presented as the supreme object of divine love. And not because of His usefulness or obedience but because He is God’s only begotten Son, the perfect image of divine love, the one in whom all the Father’s joy rests fully and without reservation.
Every perfection has its proper object within God Himself. Divine understanding brings forth truth as light. Divine will rests in goodness as its crown. Divine love brings forth loveliness as its joy. So the Father’s love does not search outside itself to find completion; it brings forth its own delight in the Person of His Son.
The Father is the fountain of love, and the Son is the expression of that love in perfect beauty. All the Father’s pleasure is complete in Him. This is why the Spirit descends. The Spirit is the visible witness of a love already full. He descends like a dove to manifest God’s approval.
This moment marks the beginning of Christ’s public ministry, but it is grounded in eternity. Before a sermon is preached, before a miracle is worked, before a cross is carried, the Father declares His pleasure in His Son. And this becomes the ground on which sinners are drawn near. The Spirit’s descent anticipates not only Christ’s anointing, but the sharing of that Spirit with those who are joined to Him.
Matthew 3 presents a Father delighting in His Son, a Son willingly standing among sinners, and a Spirit resting upon Him. This is the foundation of the gospel. The Church does not begin with human effort but with divine joy.[1] And the same Son in whom the Father is well pleased now stands as Mediator for all who belong to Him.
Contemplations:
- Thanking You for declaring pleasure before performance. Father, I thank You that Your pleasure in the Son was spoken before any public work was done. You show me that true acceptance flows from who Christ is, not from what I can prove.
- Rejoicing that Your love is full, not divided. Lord, I thank You that all Your delight rests fully in the Son. Nothing competes with Him. Draw my affections away from other affections and teach me to delight where You delight.
- Giving thanks for the Spirit’s witness. God, I thank You that the Spirit descended openly, showing that Your pleasure is not hidden or reluctant. You made Your joy known. You wanted Your people to see it. Let me trust that what You reveal is meant for my assurance.
- Thanking You that heaven opens over Christ. Father, I am grateful that the heavens opened because of Your beloved Son. What was closed to me by sin is opened through Him. Let my thanksgiving deepen as I remember that access to You is grounded in Your pleasure in Christ, not in my worthiness.
Prayer (thanksgiving)
Father, I thank You for the joy You openly declared at the baptism of Your Son. You did not remain silent. You did not wait for proof. You spoke from heaven and made Your delight known. I thank You that Your pleasure rests fully and eternally in Jesus Christ.
I thank You that Your love is complete and undivided. All Your joy finds its rest in the Son. This teaches me that salvation does not begin with need but with fullness and delight.
I thank You for revealing this love in time. You opened the heavens so that Your people would know where their hope stands. You sent the Spirit to bear witness to Your approval. I am grateful that the gospel rests on what You have already declared true.
I thank You for the Son who stands in the waters willingly, identifying with sinners while remaining Your Beloved. I thank You that His obedience flows from love and that because You are pleased with Him, His work is secure.
I thank You that access to You is grounded in Christ alone. Heaven opens over Him, and through Him it opens to all who are joined to Him. Let my gratitude not be determined by my changing feelings but by Your eternal delight in Your Son.
Receive my thanksgiving for revealing Your heart so clearly. Teach me to live out of what You have declared, to trust what You have spoken, and to rest in the Beloved in whom You are well pleased.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Matthew 3:16-17:
Acts 7:56, Isa. 11:2, Isa. 42:1, Matt. 17:5
[1] Peter Sterry, The Rise, Race, and Royalty of the Kingdom of God in the Soul of Man Opened in Several Sermons upon Matthew 18:3, (London: Printed for Thomas Cockerill .., 1683), 370.
