In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him; and a voice came from the heavens: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “stamp of approval.” We use this phrase to indicate we like something, endorse it, or would recommend it to someone else. In today’s text, God gave an audible, visible, amazing display of His stamp of approval. The Trinity came together to affirm the ministry of Jesus before it even officially began. All four Gospel accounts record this moment where God showed His great love and approval of His Son.
When may wrestle with questions like: Is Jesus is worth listening to? Is His way worth following? Is He who He says He is? When we do, we can remember this pivotal moment in Jesus’s life and ministry. Jesus is the only way to God, and He has the approval of God. And we are not the only ones who have wrestled with questions like this. Thomas asked Jesus in John 14:5, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him” (John 14:6-7). Like Thomas, there is so much we struggle to understand. But we are not called to understand everything. We are called to place our faith in the Son of God, with whom the Father is well pleased. He has a divine stamp of approval, and we can trust Him.
- When have you struggled with questions about Jesus?
- How is your life marked by following Jesus, even in seasons of doubt or confusion?
- Pray for believers around the world to hold to the way of Christ and trust Him as God’s Son.
