What Jesus Did! 'The Father's Delight in His Children' — Matthew 3:16-17

Friday, January 24, 2025

After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."
— Matthew 3:16-17 NLT

Key Thought

While Matthew's focus in Jesus' baptism is the fulfillment of God's will and character - to "carry out all that God requires" (Matthew 3:15) - God lets us know how delighted he is with his Son who is wanting to faithfully honor and obediently serve the will of his Father. God tells Jesus three things that all of us need to hear from our loved ones. They are also words we need to tell to those we love:
  1. God affirms his relationship with Jesus: "This is my... Son!"
  2. God affirms his love for Jesus: "my dearly loved Son."
  3. God affirms his joy in Jesus: "my... Son, who brings me great joy."
If Jesus needed this affirmation at the beginning of his ministry and right before he faced temptation, don't those around us need it as well?

Today's Prayer

Worthy, holy, and faithful God, I want to live with passion obeying your word, reflecting your character, and helping those who are reluctant to follow to be fully committed to you. Inspire such passion in me through your Spirit and energize my life as I seek to live your will. I want you to be pleased and praised by what I live. In Jesus' holy name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

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5 Related Resources by Heartlight

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"As the Spirit of God descended upon the Lord Jesus, the head, so he also, in measure, descends upon the members of the mystical body. His descent is....."
Once for Him, Once for Us!
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'Jesus is my beloved Son. What he says not only pleases me, but it is my fullest truth.' Phil Ware reminds us that God said almost exactly the same words to his Son twice, yet he spoke the first time to affirm his Son and the second time to let us know we must listen to the Son.
In the Footsteps of Jesus
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Jesus said this was the right thing for him to do! James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of an important reason to be baptized: not only was Jesus baptized, he also said it was the right thing to do and called on all his disciples to be baptized and baptizers.
See All 5 Related Resources about Matthew 3:16-17

Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 3:16-17 NLT — "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."

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About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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