“The Voice Of Approval From Heaven!”

“The Voice Of Approval From Heaven!”(Lk.3:21-23a).
Thank you, LORD, for another day of grace!
According to Luke, “all people were being baptized.” So to say, there were no naysayers. The people had surely gotten to that point where there is a consensus that something new is better for everybody.
However, consensus can never be a hundred per cent agreement; consensus is a majority carrying the vote.
Jesus was among the majority as Luke says, “Jesus was baptized too.”
Did jesus come for baptism because all the people were being baptized? The answer comes not from Luke, but from Matthew where Jesus told John, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness”(Mt.3:13-17). This was a response to John, who was trying to dissuade Jesus from asking John to baptise him Jesus.
Again, according to Luke, after his baptism, Jesus was praying when “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove…”
According to biblical scriptures, “the dove signifies peace, purity, new beginnings, and the Holy Spirit…”
The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in bodily form like a dove to mark a new dawn. Jesus came to initiate peace in a tension-filled environment. He came to purify humanity’s corrupted understanding of God and humanity’s relationship with God. He came to usher the era of new beginnings as confirmed by Paul that “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation…”(II Cor.5:17).
The voice from heaven stamped a mark of approval on Jesus as he humbled himself to come for John’s baptism just like all others were doing.
Dear friend, you may ask, why did Jesus, a man without sin come to be baptised?
The simplest answer is that he did what all the people were doing. More than this simplistic answer, the Spirit came to empower him and equip him spiritually for the challenges of the ministry ahead of him.
The voice also introduced him to his public ministry of transformation(new beginnings)! Jesus, as God man, was humble enough to do what the majority of us in his stead would not have done. He stooped to conquer.
Humility and obedience are what the Lord Jesus Christ taught us through his baptism. And we must always endeavour to toe the line when we constantly ask, “Why did he come?”
Prayer: Holy Spirit, help me daily to be humble, meek, and lowly like my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you! Merry Christmas and a fulfilling New Year!
Rev Babila Fochang.
14/01/2025.