And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17 ESV)

This is part 2 in a series on the significance of Christ’s baptism.

This event defines who Christ is to God the Father. It reveals the Holy Spirit’s enablement of signs and wonders. Finally, Christ Jesus proclaims his work and his own intentions.

The Father is the voice from heaven that says “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This proclamation is a mixture of two different messianic prophecies from the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is both the delighted servant (Is 42:1-4) and the begotten Son (Ps 2:7). With these words God the Father is proclaiming Jesus Christ as the prophesied coming messiah, the anointed one, the special Son of God. God speaks these same words during Christ’s transfiguration adding the words “Listen to him!” (Matt 17:5). These additional words “Listen to him!” tells that the Father is revealing Jesus Christ as his ultimate revelation. All of revelation whether it is natural or supernatural must be interpreted through Jesus Christ, his words, his life, and his works past and future.