A PICTURE OF THE TRINITY
MATTHEW 3:13-17
MATTHEW 3:13-17 NKJ
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
OBSERVATION:
We spoke of humility in our Saturday devotional. And in this passage, we can see the humility of Jesus.
Even though Jesus was spotless and, by John the Baptists' own admission, far mightier, He still came to John to be baptized.
John didn't want to do it, but Jesus indicated it was a necessary thing. Jesus was more interested in fulfilling God's plan than being concerned with what others thought.
When Jesus was baptized and came out of the water, He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him.
Then there was a voice that came from heaven declaring Jesus as God's beloved Son.
Evidently, John the Baptist also saw this entire scene take place. And here is a clear picture of the Trinity.
God the Father spoke from heaven. God, the Holy Spirit, descended on Jesus, who is God the Son.
APPLICATION:
Too often, we acknowledge God the Father and God the Son. But we can't ignore the third member of the Godhead, God the Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist made a distinction between himself and Jesus. John baptized in water, but Jesus would be the One who would baptize or immerse in the Holy Spirit.
As believers today, we have access to God the Father as we believe in God the Son. Then we have the wonderful privilege of having God the Holy Spirit live in us to be our teacher and guide.
Because of God's goodness, we interact with the entire Trinity. That's an amazing thing.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son to give us new life. And for Your precious Holy Spirit to be with us always as our Helper. We are a blessed people.