This is an inspiration by doc who has commented on my "Report Card". He writes,
With this "baptism" in a foreign land, I wonder if these words describe your feelings: this is my daughter, whom I love; with her I am well pleased?
These are words that God spoke after Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist -
There came a voice from heaven: "Thou art my beloved Son, with thee I am well pleased."
Mathew, Mark and Luke all recorded the event. In Matthew, it is stated a little differently - "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," (Matthew 3:17 RSV).
I researched into why Matthew has recorded as "This is my beloved son", while Mark and Luke reported that the voice was directed to Jesus himself - you are my beloved son.
What one commentary said has made a lot of sense to me.
Those who were standing around heard the voice saying, "This is my beloved Son," as the stamp of God's approval upon the thirty years Jesus spent in Nazareth, those quiet years of Jesus' life about which Scripture is silent. Men have wondered, "Perhaps he was just like everybody else; perhaps he sinned in the same way. Perhaps he was disobedient to his parents, got into fist-fights, maybe did even worse things - we don't know." But God knew. God the Father says, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
But when Jesus heard it, it was, "Thou art my beloved Son," and was addressed to him directly as a ground of assurance and security for him. We must not think of Jesus as being automatically empowered against all obstacles and threats and fears. He was a man - that is what Scripture says. He was like us. He felt like us, and he needed to be treated as we need to be treated. He needed the assurance of the Father's recognition of who he was.
Does that make sense to you? As parents, we need to tell our children - You are my beloved son/daughter, I am well pleased with you.
And we need to hear from our Abba Father every morning, "You are my beloved son, or daughter, in whom I am well pleased."
Do you hear the Voice? This is where security and identity come from - there is no other source.
With this "baptism" in a foreign land, I wonder if these words describe your feelings: this is my daughter, whom I love; with her I am well pleased?
These are words that God spoke after Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist -
There came a voice from heaven: "Thou art my beloved Son, with thee I am well pleased."
Mathew, Mark and Luke all recorded the event. In Matthew, it is stated a little differently - "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," (Matthew 3:17 RSV).
I researched into why Matthew has recorded as "This is my beloved son", while Mark and Luke reported that the voice was directed to Jesus himself - you are my beloved son.
What one commentary said has made a lot of sense to me.
Those who were standing around heard the voice saying, "This is my beloved Son," as the stamp of God's approval upon the thirty years Jesus spent in Nazareth, those quiet years of Jesus' life about which Scripture is silent. Men have wondered, "Perhaps he was just like everybody else; perhaps he sinned in the same way. Perhaps he was disobedient to his parents, got into fist-fights, maybe did even worse things - we don't know." But God knew. God the Father says, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
But when Jesus heard it, it was, "Thou art my beloved Son," and was addressed to him directly as a ground of assurance and security for him. We must not think of Jesus as being automatically empowered against all obstacles and threats and fears. He was a man - that is what Scripture says. He was like us. He felt like us, and he needed to be treated as we need to be treated. He needed the assurance of the Father's recognition of who he was.
Does that make sense to you? As parents, we need to tell our children - You are my beloved son/daughter, I am well pleased with you.
And we need to hear from our Abba Father every morning, "You are my beloved son, or daughter, in whom I am well pleased."
Do you hear the Voice? This is where security and identity come from - there is no other source.
1 comment:
unconditional love is a divine concept. only when we have experienced it can we (try to) propagate it.
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