The Father Is Pleased

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”

Matthew 3:17, CSB 

What a startling concept we find in these verses. We all know that baptism is a symbol of repentance and a visual illustration of dying in your old life and rising to newness in Christ’s righteousness. So, with this in mind, why is Jesus being baptized? Jesus was perfect, holy, righteous and was in no need of repentance. 

John the Baptist tried to prevent Him from being baptized, but Jesus said, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). 

Jesus Christ was absolutely obedient in all aspects to the will of the Father. Everything He requires of us, He did before us. He was baptized to show His identification with the Father, and we are to be baptized to show our identification with Christ. 

God the Father confirms His perfect identification with Jesus, evidenced by the Spirit descending on Him like a dove, and verbally expressing, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17). 

It has been confirmed that Jesus is the Son of the Father. He is our perfect example in Whom we are to identify ourselves. If your identification is in Christ, then you should know that the Father is well pleased. 

PRAY: Take some time thanking Jesus for the work He did in making possible the way to know God the Father as our Heavenly Father. 

ACT: If you’re a follower of Jesus, write this statement down right now at least 10 times—“Because of Jesus, my Heavenly Father is pleased with me.” This will be important to remember while sharing the gospel with people. If they reject the gospel when you share it, your Father is not disappointed in you. In fact, He is glorified by your obedience to share.