Previous Lesson -- Next Lesson
3. Proclamation of the Unity of the Holy Trinity (Matthew 3:16-17)
MATTHEW 3:16-17
16 Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. 17 Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Isaiah 11:2; 42:1; Matthew 17:5)
When Jesus was baptized, the heavens were opened to him to testify their full favors to him. They were never opened to any man on the earth before, since no man had ever obtained the full favor of God until the beloved Jesus stood before him, meek, obedient and without sin.
The identity of Jesus was already proclaimed by John. Yet it is proclaimed again, not by flesh, but by heaven. Here the Father proclaims from heaven the identity of the Lord Jesus, his Son: "the beloved Son of God" (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
When Christ confessed, through his baptism, that he came to die, be buried and rise again for our justification, the heavens parted over the Jordan Valley, and God's voice was heard. Who can ever prevent the Almighty from speaking? Who can ever stop his revelation?
The heavens were split open. Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the way to God was closed; but when Christ came, this door leading to the Creator was opened. Only through Jesus can we approach God. He truly is the way, the truth and the life.
In the beginning of creation the Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the dark waters. In the likeness of a luminous dove in the blue sky this Holy Spirit descended quietly and remained upon Jesus, who had just been baptized, symbolizing that He is the anointed Christ, who gives the Spirit of God to all the repentant. John saw the Spirit of God arriving and remaining upon Jesus and he testified about Him with a clear testimony.
Christ was anointed from his beginning, because he was born of the Spirit of God. But his Father anointed him again with His fullness at the beginning of his ministry so that the man Jesus would be the King of Kings, the High Priest and the Word of God incarnate. Christ did not reveal himself to us as a great person with this privilege, but as one who repents for us. He humbled himself to the extend of carrying our sins. Through this, God's holy love manifested itself.
John with his own eyes saw the Holy Spirit and heard God's voice with his own ears. And this revelation from the mouth of God to all humanity is full of significance:
God called Christ his Son. The Eternal One is the Father. And in the Son the Father appeared in all clarity. The Creator is no longer hidden, but He revealed himself in his Son. Christ was not a creature, but born, carrying in himself all the fullness of the Godhead incarnate, including all His attributes, powers and names.
Who can prevent God from saying that he has a Son, if he wants to? Many object to this truth, though God proclaimed the presence of His humble Son, who began to carry his cross in his baptism.
The beloved Son is love incarnate. God is nothing else but love. Christ did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Deeply pondering the words, prayers and deeds of Jesus during his earthly walk, shows us the practical interpretation of God’s love revealed in the Beloved One.
The secret of God is in His Son, because in him God's will was executed: That His original likeness would return to the countenance of man. Christ had the right to say "He who has seen me has seen the Father." Christ is the original image of the essence of the Father. He who wants to know God, let him look at His Son, the beloved Jesus.
The important thing is that the coming of Christ gave us a new insight from God. He is the Father, and he is nothing but holy love. The Eternal one does not reveal himself as an angry judge; instead he judges his Son that we might be saved. In his salvation, He is not only satisfied with our justification, but wants to pour His love into our bodies through the coming of His Holy Spirit into us, so that we may be born again and become servants of men.
The divine revelation declared the unity of God. For the beloved Son remained in his Father and fulfilled His will. He said, "I and the Father are one." The secret of God's unity becomes clear to everyone who is born of His Spirit. He will recognize that the Father is in His Son, and the Son in the Father forever, because he is His incarnate Word and Spirit.
The unity of the divine Trinity was not completely and clearly proclaimed before the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ; but here we find the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit mentioned together, united with each other, each having his work. The Son on earth was God manifest in the flesh. The Father bears witness to him with a clear voice from heaven, and the Spirit of God descends upon him in a bodily form to settle on him.
No doubt, the Holy Spirit was often mentioned in the Old Testament, but not in a clear manner with respect to his relation with the Holy Trinity. The primary purpose of revelation at that time was to declare the unity of God. Other than that, God did not proclaim Himself completely before the incarnation, because it was not possible to do that before the Word became flesh. He became truth and also grace.
Some objectors harshly criticized the story of the Father's voice heard from heaven when the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ. These objectors say that the disciples told this story in different ways. The evangelist Matthew wrote, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." But Mark and Luke wrote, "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The meaning, as well as the words are one, but the perspectives differ between second and third person. But the important thing is that the testimony of each of them confirms the testimony of the others.
PRAYER: I worship you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, because you proclaimed yourself in the Jordan Valley to save, justify and sanctify me. I do not deserve to have my eyes opened to your truth. You descended to seek and save me from my sins; not to destroy me. Please help me to follow you, to trust in you and to never leave you. Complete your work of faith in me, that I may remain God’s beloved child. Draw many of my friends and relatives into the communion of your love.
QUESTION:
- How did the holy triune God proclaim himself in the Jordan Valley?