“The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.”
(John 3:35)
God’s infinite love and delight for His only begotten Son is displayed in glorious clarity throughout Scripture. In this verse from John, we encounter a statement of amazing simplicity and depth: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.” This is an all-encompassing delight in the Son by the Father, which was also declared openly at Christ’s baptism and again at His transfiguration. On both occasions God the Father speaks audibly from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). The Father’s pleasure and satisfaction in His Son is absolute.
In Isaiah 42:1, the Father describes the Son as His elect, in whom His soul delights. In Ephesians 1:6, the Son is again identified as the Beloved. And in Proverbs 8:30, the preincarnate Son speaks of His eternal fellowship with the Father, rejoicing always before Him. These texts point to a shared glory, an essential unity and joy that has existed from everlasting.[1]
The Son is the very radiance of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3), the living image of the invisible God (Colossians 2:9). All that the Father loves about Himself, He sees perfectly expressed in His Son. And because the Son is the full and exact revelation of His Father, His Person, His holiness, His justice, His mercy, His wisdom, and His purpose are all embodied in Christ without flaw.
Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:24, declares that Christ is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” In Him, the infinite strength and the all-wise counsel of God are joined in perfect unity. He is the eternal Logos, the Word made flesh, who both reveals and executes the Father’s plan of redemption. When Christ speaks, He speaks the very mind of God. When He acts, He acts according to the Father’s will. “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).
The Holy Spirit, as the third Person of the Trinity, is likewise inseparable from this divine love. He is the breath of God, the living bond of love between Father and Son. He is the One who brings the purposes of the Father and the work of the Son to bear in time and space, and into the hearts of God’s people. The Spirit animates all of God’s creative and redemptive acts. He was present at creation, overshadowing the waters. He descended at Christ’s baptism, affirming the Father’s delight in the Son. He filled the Son without measure and now fills the Church, uniting us to Christ and revealing the love of God to us.
To behold the Son is to behold the love of the Father. To receive the Son is to receive the fullness of divine grace. And to walk in the Spirit is to walk in the embrace of God’s everlasting love—the love that saves, satisfies, and upholds all things.
Contemplation:
- Infinite Love in the Divine Image. The love which God the Father has for His Son transcends human understanding. John 3:35 represents this so beautifully and yet so simply, “The Father loveth the Son,” showcasing the Son as the embodiment of the Father’s own perfect image.
- God’s Perfect Expression. Understanding the Son as the exact representation of the Father – the living expression of the character and Person of God – brings a new dimension to my spiritual understanding of who Christ truly is.
- Seeing God’s Mind. The Son fully reveals and expresses the power and wisdom of God in His life and message. And the more I walk with Him and come to know Him, the deeper my insight into the divine nature and even the mind of God.
- Love’s Eternal Act. Reflecting on the Holy Spirit’s role in this divine relationship, I am captivated by His essence as the act of love between the Father and the Son. This third Person of the Trinity fulfills God’s love by embodying the pure essence and activity of God.
Prayer (Thanksgiving)
O Father of infinite love and glory,
How unspeakable is the joy that fills my soul when I consider the depth of Your love for Your only begotten Son. From eternity past, You have delighted in Him, rejoiced in Him, and found full satisfaction in His perfect likeness. And You have not withheld this love, but revealed it to us so clearly in Your Word. You spoke it from the heavens at both His baptism and His transfiguration, declaring Him to be Your beloved Son in whom You are well pleased. What love, what unity, what majesty is found in Your triune being.
I give You thanks that in Your great wisdom and mercy, You did not hide this love behind the veil of eternity, but made it manifest to a world in need. You gave Your Son into the hands of sinners for our sake. You did not spare Him, but delivered Him up for us all. And He, in obedience and love, laid down His life that I might live. O Lord, what gratitude can match such a gift?
I thank You for revealing Your glory in Christ—the very radiance of Your being, the expression of all that is holy and good and true. I praise You that in Him I see the fullness of deity in bodily form, and that through Him, I am reconciled to You. Thank You for showing me Your wisdom, power, justice, and mercy in the face of Jesus Christ. For in Him I find all that my soul needs, and in Him I behold Your heart.
Thank You for the ministry of Your Holy Spirit, the divine bond of love who applies the work of Christ to my soul. Through the Spirit I have come to believe, to see, to love, and to rejoice in You. He draws me to the Son, and in the Son I find You. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Your Spirit, the one who convicts, comforts, teaches, and preserves me.
Let every thought of Christ deepen my thanksgiving. Let every remembrance of Your mercy stir my soul to worship. You are the God who loves with a love that is eternal, perfect, and unchanging. Your love has pursued me, found me, and secured me in Christ. I bless Your name for such a wonder.
With all the saints and angels and with every redeemed heart, I join in joyful praise for Your love shown to me through Christ. He is Your gift, Your glory, and my salvation.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for John 3:35:
Matt. 28:18, 11:27; John 5:20; Isa. 42:1.
[1] Jonathan Edwards, The “Miscellanies”: (Entry Nos. A–z, Aa–zz, 1–500), ed. Thomas A. Schafer and Harry S. Stout, Corrected Edition., vol. 13, The Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2002), 259.
