“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” Luke 3:21-22 Did Jesus need to be baptized? He was without sin. Did Jesus need to be filled with the Holy Spirit? He was God’s Son. Wasn’t he filled with the Holy Spirit from birth? What is the significance of this baptism?
For Jesus, the baptism wasn’t the repentance of sin, but it was more of a commissioning as he began his public ministry. It was a confirmation for John the Baptist as he saw the dove descend on Jesus that he was indeed the One – the Messiah. Jesus didn’t need to ‘turn around’, but he needed to begin a new chapter of his life. I’m guessing Jesus benefited from hearing his Father’s voice affirming him at this time as well. God was ‘introducing’ Jesus to those present as his Son. And he was also letting them know that Jesus was in favor with God. He could be trusted
It seems ironic for Luke to then go into the genealogy of Joseph. Why is the genealogy so important? Jesus was just introduced as God’s Son. If I understand it correctly, the Jewish lineage was passed down through the mother – the mother needed to be a direct descendent of Abraham or the daughter of a convert to Judaism or a convert herself in order for her children to be considered Jewish. However, property was owned and passed down through the father’s lineage. According to the website, www.lifeofchrist.com/life/genealogy, the use of the word ‘son’ could mean direct descendant or son-in-law or grandson. In the case of Luke 3:23, it is believed that Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli which makes the genealogy that of Mary.
The importance of the genealogy to the Jewish people had two purposes: land ownership and verifying the Messiah was a descendant of those to whom the promises were made. One had to prove they were a descendant of a particular person to inherit the property and to have the property to return to them during the year of Jubilee. But in this case, the importance of providing the genealogy was to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. The prophesies are clear that the Messiah would come through the lineage of Adam, Abraham, Judah, Jesse and David. The Israelites kept very careful genealogies to be able to know if the one they believed to be the Messiah would fulfill those prophesies. Luke sets out to show the reader that Jesus is a descendant of those to whom the promises were made and therefore he meets the genealogical criteria to be the Messiah.
The genealogy in Luke used to be a challenge to read – can’t pronounce the names and what difference does it make. However, over time as I have gotten to know some of the persons in the genealogy through reading the Old Testament, it has become of more interest to me. There are a lot of stories in a genealogy – some of them inspiring and others not so pretty. It is a reminder to me that God is bigger than my circumstances. It is a reminder to me that God can use me to his purpose in generations in the future – even if I mess up here and now. It is a reminder that God can heal and forgive me, and that he loves me with both tender and adamant love and that he has that tender and adamant love for each one of us in every generation.
Each generation has opportunity to make better, maintain or destroy the family name that they inherit. We do not have to be stuck in the sins of our ancestors. We have the opportunity to pass on good things to the future generations by accepting the grace God has given us and living lives worthy of the calling he has given us. With God’s grace, I want to become a ‘good mark’ on the genealogical record of my family line regardless of the circumstances of my life.
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