“You are my beloved Son”

Read Luke 3:21-22

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The ministry of Jesus began with his baptism by John in Judea. It was not that Jesus himself needed “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (3:3), but from the very outset he identified with the sinners he had come to save (Mt.3:13-15; Mk.10:45). In his baptism, he dedicated himself to representing sinners, work which would take him to the cross (2 Cor.5:21; 1 Pet.3:18).

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The main emphasis is not on his baptism but on what happened next, namely the coming of the Spirit on Jesus and the Father’s voice from heaven proclaiming the Sonship of Jesus (21-22. NB Luke adds “when Jesus was praying”.) All four gospels speak of the Spirit descending on Jesus, symbolising God’s appointing and equipping of him for his work as the Messiah (Is.11:2, 42:1, 61:1).

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Equally important was the “voice from heaven” (i.e. God), affirming Jesus to be God’s Son. As with the coming of the Spirit, this indicates his commissioning for his Messianic work (cf. Is.42:1 which speaks of God’s servant as “my chosen one in whom I delight”). So Jesus’s baptism 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.