What it Really Means to be Special – Part I

Luke 3:21-22

Everything written in the Gospels about Jesus is purposeful. What is this in that story for? Why did the writer say that? What relationship does that play to this? These are the questions we can ask because all of it has meaning. Luke is writing to do more than entertain, he wants to persuade and challenge us with truth.

Considering how much Luke writes about happenings leading up to Jesus’ baptism, he doesn’t spend much time on the actual event of the baptism. In fact, he is more interested in what occurs immediately after the actual water baptism itself. As Jesus was praying – the context is at the Jordan River right after he was baptized – three things happen: heaven was opened, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and a voice spoke from heaven.

Luke has already mentioned that Jesus is baptized along with a lot of other people. He is one of the crowd. He has grown up an average Joe, more precisely an average Joshua, as that is his name. Either way, there were lots of Josephs and Joshuas in his day and there is nothing in his life up to that time that has set him apart other than being a good man.

This Gospel doesn’t even mention any conversation between Jesus and John, as is recorded elsewhere. What are most significant for Luke are the descending dove and the voice from heaven. This is typical of Luke, who is keen to note any time the Holy Spirit plays a revealed role.

He doesn’t elaborate on what it means that heaven opens, except to say that a dove comes down from heaven and a voice is heard out of heaven. This dove is the visible form the Holy Spirit, who ordinarily cannot be seen by mortal eyes. Here is Jesus, God come in the flesh, now receiving the Holy Spirit. He the Promised Messiah is so ordinarily human he also needs the Spirit to come upon him so that he can do the work the Father has sent him to do.

At the same time, there is that voice. “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” These are the exact words a voice from heaven declares at another event – the one where Jesus takes three of his disciples up on a mountain and is transformed before their eyes. In that context, the voice is speaking to the disciples – “You listen to Jesus for he is my son.”

But in this case, the words are to Jesus himself. Father in heaven is speaking directly to His son. Although we get to listen in, the Father has something specific He wants Jesus to hear. Luke doesn’t record anyone else hearing voices that day as they were being baptized. One could draw the conclusion that Jesus was extra special.

Having grown up all my life knowing that Jesus is special, that is not what I take from this passage. I am struck by the reality that Jesus, as special as he was, son of God and all, is baptized like we are, has need of the Spirit to descend on him, and has to hear the voice of God for himself. Only then does his ministry start – when he has passed through the waters of commitment, when he has received the Spirit and when he has first-hand assurance of Father’s love and affirmation.

Father’s words affirm relationship (“you are my son”), commitment (“whom I love”) and acceptance (“with you I am well pleased”). Put on all that for armor and a guy can take on the whole world, which Jesus proceeds to do.

How much of this is model for us? I believe every bit of it. In a world full of voices, what we need most to hear is God’s affirmation of our relationship with Him, His commitment to us, and His acceptance of us. Then see if anything can stop us.