Jesus, the Son of God

In the quiet waters of the Jordan River, something extraordinary happened that would forever alter the course of human history. It wasn't a dramatic miracle or a spectacular healing—at least not in the way we typically imagine. Instead, it was a moment of divine revelation so profound that all four Gospel writers felt compelled to record it. This event wasn't just another religious ritual; it was the inaugural moment when God's rescue mission for humanity officially began.

A Beginning Unlike Any Other
Every significant journey has a starting point. Each day dawns with a beginning. Every life commences with a first breath. But the beginning we're exploring transcends ordinary starts—it's the beginning of the gospel itself, the good news that would ripple through eternity.
When Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism, heaven itself couldn't remain silent. The skies were torn open—not merely parted, but violently rent apart—as the Spirit of God descended like a dove. And then, a voice from heaven spoke words that would echo through the ages: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

This wasn't a private moment. This was God's public declaration, His divine stamp of approval, His unmistakable affirmation that this man—Jesus of Nazareth—was exactly who He claimed to be: the Christ, the Son of God.

The Weight of Divine Testimony
Throughout Scripture, God established that truth must be confirmed by multiple witnesses. In this single event at the Jordan, we receive not two or three witnesses, but an overwhelming cascade of testimony:

• The witness of Scripture itself, as centuries of prophetic promises converged on this moment. Isaiah had foretold that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon the Messiah. The prophets had pleaded, "Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!" Now, those very heavens were torn open, and God had indeed come down.
• The witness of John the Baptist, the promised messenger who prepared the way, who recognized in that moment that the one he had been pointing to had finally arrived.
• The visible witness of the Spirit, descending and resting upon Jesus in a way that could be seen and recognized.
• The verbal witness of the Father, whose voice from heaven removed all doubt about Jesus' identity.

This wasn't subtle. This wasn't ambiguous. God was ensuring that anyone who encountered this moment—and anyone who would hear about it—would have every reason to believe and no excuse to doubt.

The Trinity on Display
What makes this moment even more remarkable is that we see all three persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—present and active simultaneously. This is one of the clearest pictures in all of Scripture of the triune God working in perfect unity toward a singular purpose: the redemption of humanity.

The Father sent the Son, affirming His pleasure and later His authority. The Spirit empowered Jesus for the work ahead. And the Son willingly stepped into the waters, not because He needed cleansing, but because we did.

This wasn't a solo mission. This was—and is—the coordinated work of the one true God in three persons, united in will and purpose to bring salvation to a broken world.

A New Creation Begins
There's something deeply significant about water in the biblical narrative. In the beginning, the Spirit hovered over the waters before God spoke creation into existence. Later, flood waters cleansed the earth in Noah's day, though sin remained because sinful humanity survived. The Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, escaping slavery but still carrying rebellious hearts. They later crossed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land, a new generation stepping into God's promises.

Now, Jesus steps into baptismal waters—not to leave sin behind, but to pick it up. Not to be cleansed, but to become dirty with our dirt. Not because He feared God's wrath, but to save us from it.

This is the beginning of a new creation, a new covenant. Jesus is the new and final Adam, the true Israel, the perfect Son of God who would accomplish what every other person and nation had failed to do.

The Beautiful Substitution
Here's where the cosmic becomes intensely personal. When people came to John for baptism, they entered the water to leave something behind—their sin. They wanted to walk out of the water cleansed and forgiven.

Jesus did the opposite.

He entered the water to pick something up, to take something on. Though He had no sin of His own, He so completely identified with humanity that He made our sin His own. When He was plunged beneath those waters, the spiritual dirt from every person who would ever believe washed over Him. His baptism was the beginning of His substitutionary work—a work that would culminate on a cross where He would die the death we deserved.

Imagine the scene: crowds of people confessing their sins and being baptized for forgiveness. Then Jesus steps into the same water, and in that moment, He begins to confess—not His own sin, but ours. He's already beginning the work of standing in our place, taking on our guilt, bearing our shame.

What Does This Mean for Us?
The evidence is overwhelming. The testimony is complete. Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. Jesus is the Son of God, fully divine and fully human. His ministry was inaugurated with heaven's approval and empowered by God's Spirit.

So what should we do with this truth?

The answer is the same one Jesus Himself gave: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel."

Change your mind about who Jesus is. Stop clinging to false hopes and empty promises. Stop trusting in your own goodness or knowledge or achievements. Recognize that your heart naturally manufactures idols—things you worship instead of God—and turn away from them.

Then believe. Trust in Jesus and His finished work. Trust that when He stepped into those waters, He was beginning a journey that would take Him all the way to the cross for you. Trust that His perfect life was lived in your place. Trust that His sacrificial death paid the penalty you owed. Trust that His victorious resurrection offers you life that will never end.

The Beginning of Your Story
This baptism in the Jordan wasn't just the beginning of Jesus' ministry. It can be the beginning of your story with Him. The same Jesus who was affirmed by the Father and empowered by the Spirit is still calling people today to repent and believe.

The heavens were torn open that day and have never been closed. God has come down, and He invites you to come to Him through His Son. The substitutionary work that began in the Jordan was completed on the cross and confirmed by an empty tomb.

The question isn't whether Jesus is who He claimed to be—the evidence for that is irrefutable. The question is: what will you do with this Jesus?

Will you change your mind about Him? Will you trust Him? Will you follow Him into the life He died to give you?

The beginning is here. The gospel is proclaimed. The invitation stands.

Repent and believe.