In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Only two weeks ago, we celebrated our Savior's birth and now he's suddenly 30 years old! Yet, Scripture doesn't record much about our Savior's childhood. Luke does tell us about the boy Jesus in the temple, but that's about it. It is enough for us to know that Jesus lived a sinless life all through that time. He obeyed God's commandments perfectly. And when he reached the age of about 30, he was ready to embark on his public ministry.

John the Baptizer was faithfully doing his work of preparing the way before him. John was preaching the law to show people their sins and their need of a Savior. Then, John baptized people to assure them of the forgiveness of sins. Soon, he would point them to Jesus. But on this certain day John saw an amazing sight. In these words of Scripture, see what John saw...

1. GOD THE SON WAS BAPTIZED.

{9} At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. After his birth in Bethlehem, Jesus grew up in Nazareth. There were many who speculated about what Jesus did all this time, and there are some apocryphal accounts about Jesus, but these have less veracity than the National Enquirer. God did not regard those extra details important enough to include in the Bible. So, we should not waste time trying to guess what the Bible does not tell us.

We do know that it was time for Jesus to enter the next phase of his redeeming work. He had lived a perfect life for thirty years, and he would continue to live without sinning. But now, he approached John the Baptizer and asked to be baptized. At first, John was not sure about this. John preached that baptism was for the forgiveness of sins, and he knew that Jesus had no sins to be washed away. John said that he needed to be baptized by Jesus, not the other way around. But Jesus insisted that he needed to be baptized to "fulfill all righteousness." So, John willingly obeyed his master's will. He baptized his Lord in the Jordan River.

And so Jesus began to identify with sinners like you and me. Jesus came to take our place, for "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21). As true God and true man in one person, Jesus came into this world to be our Substitute and to carry our sins to the cross. Shortly after this, John the Baptizer would point to Jesus and say, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." As the Lamb of God, Jesus would take away the sin of the world. Jesus is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity. John pointed to him. May we believe in him. Yes, believe in him, and you will have eternal life!

Luther makes an interesting comment here. He said, "Here Christ really became Christ." Now, the term "Christ," means "the Anointed One." And what makes this so appropriate is that here Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. For shortly after Jesus' baptism, we read that:

2. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDED.

{10} As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Jesus was coming up out of the water. It seems very likely that the Jordan River here was quite shallow. By no means is it certain, or even likely, that Jesus was immersed. But, he was baptized with water, and as he was coming up out of the water, walking out of the Jordan River, something happened. Jesus and John could see what happened. Heaven was "torn open and the Spirit" of God, the Holy Spirit, descended on Jesus like a dove. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. Here, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. This was foretold in the Old Testament. The Messiah is quoted in Isaiah 61:1, "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners..." In Acts chapter ten we read that, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power" (Acts 10:38). That seems to have happened right here. The Holy Spirit was poured out on our Savior and strengthened him for the journey ahead, a journey that would eventually lead to the cross and the empty tomb.

John the Baptizer saw this impressive sight and later spoke of it. He said, "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him... I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God" (John 1:32,34). John did not miss the point of it all. This Jesus is the promised Savior. He is the Son of God.

But God would make this point even more clear.

3. GOD THE FATHER VOICED HIS APPROVAL.

{11} And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. There is no doubt that this voice is the voice of God the Father, for he says, "You are my Son" to Jesus. There is no doubt that Jesus is the Son of God, for God the Father says, "You are my Son." So, here Jesus is publicly revealed as the Son of God. John saw it, believed it, and later talked about it. May we all be convinced.

Just think how impressive this is! God the Father speaks from heaven and says to Jesus, "You are my Son." But that's not all. He adds the words, "whom I love." God the Father loves his only-begotten Son. And yet, how much must God love us that he was willing to give up his Son to suffering and death to save us! Truly, God loves us! But that's not all.

God the Father says, "with you I am well pleased." Jesus was perfect. He always obeyed his Father's will. He always kept the commandments. And God the Father voices his approval publicly here. He is well pleased with Jesus. Surely, these words must have been a great encouragement to Jesus.

Immediately after this, Jesus would be led off into the wilderness where he would be tempted by the devil for forty days and forty nights. He would remain sinless. His heavenly Father would remain "well pleased" with him. He would carry our sins to the cross, and as the Lamb of God, take away the sins of the world. Jesus is your Savior! Jesus is my Savior! May we always believe in him and receive eternal life.

And, let us worship the one true God, the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let us see the unity of the Triune God in this mission of saving us from sin. God was fully committed. He would save us from sin. May we realize what great things God has done for us and appreciate it more and more. God loved us. God saved us. Thanks to Jesus, God is now well-pleased with us! Truly, he deserves our worship and praise forever. Amen.