Behold!

 

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;

Matthew 3:16 ESV

https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.3.16.ESV 


I recently heard a talk about beholding Christ. It's an archaic word, but it carries more meaning than simply 'look!' It implies that we have serious regard for whatever we're observing. 


We're all on a spectrum when it comes to regarding Christ, from outright dismissal to complete devotion. To be honest, most of us are in the middle. We admire Christ, but we're easily distracted by life. 


Jesus didn't need to be baptised in the sense that He didn't need to repent and metaphorically wash any sins away. Yet His baptism was a picture of what He did for us- dying and rising again- like going under the water and out again. Plus, God the Father and Spirit validated Him at His baptism. 


The Spirit of God descended like a dove and rested on Christ. Of course, He was already filled with His Spirit. Now however He was anointed for His public ministry. 


'Father God, thank You for validating Your Son at His baptism, and filling Him with Your Spirit. We're amazed that we ourselves can be baptised in the Spirit to new life, for the honour of Your name, amen'

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