A Son Who Pleases
Matthew 3:13-17
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Verse: Matthew 3:17 – And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
What does it take to get your attention? Suppose your church had a guest preacher who read the sermon in a monotone. Or, let’s say the guest was an academic who droned on about the political interplay between seventh century Judah and the Assyrian Empire. Would that keep you engaged?
Then again, imagine a Sunday morning when a bushy-haired wild man dressed in burlap should come dancing down the aisle shouting “Good news! Repent! Good news! Repent!” That would get your attention. It might get the Sheriff’s attention. Nobody would sleep through that sermon.
An unusual preacher
No one got drowsy when John the baptizer preached, either. [DD] John did not have to invade the quiet synagogues of Judah to get an audience: he went out into the wilderness near the Jordan River and started shouting – and people came out in droves to hear him and to be baptized by him (vv. 5-6).
John’s appearance was as notable as his words. John looked like a wild man, but it was evident to any good Hebrew with a lick of learning that he also looked like a reincarnation of Elijah the prophet.
The Jewish people of Jesus’ day were anxiously awaiting a Messiah to come and rescue them from Roman domination and to put the promise back in the promised land. Isaiah had predicted that a messenger would appear in the wilderness to prepare the way (Isa. 40:3, Matt. 3:3). Tradition held that Elijah had been carried to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2), but Malachi had prophesied that Elijah would return to earth just before the climactic “day of the LORD” (Mal. 4:5-6).
Elijah was remembered as an eccentric prophet who wore rough clothing cinched up with a strip of leather and who lived in the wilderness, eating what the land provided (2 Kgs. 1:8). [DD]
So, when John showed up dressed in a camel’s hair garment with a leather belt, living in the wilderness and subsisting on locusts and wild honey, people thought Elijah had returned.John not only looked like Elijah, but sounded like him.
He had one single, simple message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” (v. 2). Elijah of old had called for the leaders of Israel to repent of their idolatry and return to the LORD. The word “repent,” in biblical language, means to turn around. It means to change your mind and change your ways. It means to turn away from selfishness and idolatry so you can turn toward God and experience forgiveness and right living.
John called for repentance because “the kingdom of heaven is near!” The “kingdom of heaven” (or “kingdom of God”) refers not to a place but to the rule or reign of God. God rules whether we like it or not, but we can choose whether we will trust God and play an active role in God’s kingdom – or not.
John’s preaching took on a special urgency because the Messiah was coming, and in the Messiah God’s kingdom had become incarnate in the form of a human being. Through Jesus Christ, God was about to show his people Israel just what the kingdom was all about – what it meant to know God and to be known, to love God and to be loved. [DD]
John called on people to demonstrate repentance through the radical step of public baptism in the Jordan river. His authoritative preaching led some to wonder if John was the expected Messiah, but he insisted that his purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus, the true Messiah, the one who would ultimately separate the wheat from the chaff (vv. 11-12). [DD]
A surprise candidate (vv. 13-15)
John’s odd appearance and forceful preaching had shocked many others, but he was the one caught off guard on the day when Jesus showed up, having traveled many miles from the Galilee, and asked to be baptized. The two men were cousins, according to Luke 1:36, and God had apparently revealed to him that Jesus was the Messiah, so he was baffled at why Jesus would want to join the crowds in seeking baptism.
John tried to dissuade Jesus. “I need to be baptized by you,” he argued, “and do you come to me?” (v. 14).
We might also question why Jesus chose to be baptized. He had committed no sin and had no need to repent, or so Heb. 4:15 insists. He told John it needed to happen in order “to fulfill all righteousness” (v. 15). That simply means to do what is right, what God wants to be done. Why? What would Jesus’ baptism accomplish? One common guess is that Jesus chose to be baptized as a way of identifying with humankind, symbolizing the fulness of his humanity.
Perhaps he also wanted to indicate that baptism is important, that it matters.
What do you think? [DD]
A major introduction (vv. 16-17)
Jesus’ decision to seek baptism also provided an opportunity for John to introduce him to his followers, and for God’s Spirit to confirm publicly that Jesus truly was the chosen Messiah sent by God as the hope of Israel – and of the world (vv. 16-17).
Baptists typically assume that Jesus was baptized by immersion, but the text does not describe the mode by which Jesus was baptized (see the online “Hardest Question” for more). It says only “And when Jesus had been baptized” before adding “just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him” (v. 16).
The text could be read to imply that Jesus alone saw the Spirit descending, but the symbolic appearance “like a dove” and the significance of the message that followed would have been lost if others could not have seen and heard it, too. Luke added that the Spirit appeared “in bodily form” as a dove. Whether he intended to suggest that a dove was tangibly present, or only to indicate that the Spirit appeared in the form of a dove’s body, is not clear.
An interesting word play helps paint the image: as Jesus came up (’anabaino) from the water, the Spirit came down (katabaino) from heaven to meet him. In rabbinic tradition, the dove was sometimes used as a symbol for Israel. The Old Testament includes a number of allusions to doves, but none in which the dove symbolized God’s Spirit. [DD] [DD]
While Mark wrote only of “the Spirit” descending (Mk. 1:10), Matthew specified: “the Spirit of God.”
The Spirit is most commonly pictured as wind, and Hebrew uses the same word for both “Spirit” and “wind.” The avian image of the dove may recall Gen. 1:2, in which the Spirit of God hovered or moved over the waters of chaos as creation commenced.
The purpose of the Spirit’s appearance was not just to demonstrate divine support for Jesus’ ministry, but to symbolize the active presence of the Spirit in Jesus’ life.
While some first century Jews believed that God’s Spirit had been withdrawn following the age of the prophets, Jesus was reportedly conceived by the Spirit. Jesus’ baptism not only marked his identity with humans, but also a clear affinity with the Spirit. [DD]
The visual symbol of God’s Spirit was accompanied by a heavenly voice. Matthew’s version of the story suggests that the voice spoke to all, publicly attesting divine approval of Jesus. For Mark (1:11) and Luke (3:22), the words were directed to Jesus: “You are my beloved son …,” but Matthew changed it to a third person testimony: “This is my beloved son …”
The divine speech reflects two Old Testament texts. “You are my beloved son” is from a coronation psalm used to indicate God’s endorsement of a new king. The king was figuratively adopted by God: “You are my son, today I have begotten you” (Ps. 2:7).
The reference to Isa. 42:1 spoke of a coming Messiah, of whom God would say: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”
The voice from heaven spoke few words, but with great import. By drawing inferences from Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42, Jesus was described with images of both royal messiah and suffering servant. This dual identity is reflected in differing perceptions of Jesus as he began his ministry, encountering conflict with even his closest companions (Matt. 16:21-28). Many of his followers expected Jesus to declare himself as a royal messiah and to launch a new day of political power. Jesus, on the other hand, more often described himself in the role of Isaiah’s suffering servant.
With the benefit of the New Testament as an interpretive frame, we can see how these apparently opposing roles were complementary. Jesus was indeed the Messiah, but the redemption he brought would come through personal suffering and spiritual power rather than through personal power and military action. Thus, we know that our own relationship to Jesus is best experienced through spiritual humility and service to others. Few people – especially adults – exhibit more humility than on the day of their baptism.
Jesus humbly submitted to John’s baptism, and contemporary believers adopt a position of meekness when following Christ in the baptismal waters. We may not see the Spirit descending in the form of a dove, but the humility we express in baptism is an open invitation for the Spirit’s presence in our lives.
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: Matthew 3:13-17
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
At baptism we invite the Holy Spirit to live within us. As our students enter their teenage years, they will be more responsive to you if they invite you into their lives. The more you push, usually the less you get out of them. This doesn’t mean be absent, but the opposite; be present, be around, just don’t pry. They will seek you out and let you in. When they do, be there and be supportive.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: Matthew 3:13-17
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“You’d Like to Let Me In” from Jessica Jones
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