God's beloved Son

Read Matthew 3:16-17

.

The main emphasis in the account of Jesus being baptised is not his baptism but the revelation from God (“heaven was opened”) which happened next. This revelation was essentially Trinitarian, namely the coming of the Spirit on Jesus, and the Father’s voice from heaven proclaiming the Sonship of Jesus.

.

All four gospels speak of the Spirit descending on Jesus. This doesn’t mean that previously Jesus lacked the Spirit, but rather it symbolised God’s appointment and equipping of him for his work as the Messiah (Is.11:2, 42:1, 61:1). Equally important was the “voice from heaven” (i.e. God), affirming Jesus to be God’s Son. Again, this doesn’t mean that he only became God’s Son at his baptism, but as with the coming of the Spirit it indicates his commissioning for his Messianic work.

.

Behind the words spoken are two Old Testament references, Psalm 2:7 which was understood to refer to the promised Messiah, and Isaiah 42:1 which speaks of God’s servant as “my chosen one in whom I delight”. So Jesus’s baptism was a pivotal experience. It didn’t make him anything which he was not already, but it launched him on his mission as the Messiah who would bring God’s kingdom.