Divine Voice Launched Jesus' Kingdom Mission

We saw (cf. Matthew 3:13-14) that John said Jesus didn’t need baptism. “In John’s baptism there was a summons to repentance, and the offer of a way to the forgiveness of sins. But, if Jesus is who we believe him to be, he did not stand in need of repentance, and did not need forgiveness from God. John’s baptism was for sinners conscious of their sin.” * But God affirmed that Jesus was not here to stand judgmentally apart from humans, but to identify with and thus save them.

• The message was not a routine affirmation. The first part quoted Psalm 2:7, seen as God’s promise of the Messiah. The last phrase came from Isaiah 42:1, the first of four passages about God’s Servant which ended with Isaiah 53’s picture of the Suffering Servant. Hearing that, Jesus “knew that he was destined to be a conqueror, but that his conquest must have as its only weapon the power of suffering love.” ** How did that voice support Jesus’ sense that his mission was different than many people expected?
• People sometimes think the Holy Spirit didn’t show up until Pentecost, after Jesus’ resurrection. But Matthew, reporting that Jesus saw “the Spirit of God coming down like a dove,” let those who read the baptism story know that God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit were already present, as they had been eternally. In what ways has God’s Spirit guided, comforted or inspired you?