June 13

Luke 3:21-38 (Click to see scripture)

Bible in One Year Passages:

Journal Entry

Scripture

And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (v. 22)
Jesus (v.23)…, the son of Abraham (v. 34)…., the son of God. (v. 38)

Observation

Jesus is the son of God in two ways: spiritually (super naturally) and physically through human heritage. His human lineage is traced all the way through Abraham, Adam, and finally to God. This reminds us that we are all sons and daughters of God, at least through human lineage, since we should all be able to trace our ancestry to Adam. Whether we are saved or still in sin, we are still God’s children by our lineage. The Bible does say that we are all created in the image of God. But why is He not pleased with all of us as He did with Jesus? That only happens when the second criterion of being His children must be met. We must align ourselves with God spiritually, accepting him as our Lord. Only then, would we become complete children of God, in whom God would be well pleased. Jesus demonstrated this for us when he completely submitted himself to God’s will.
The second observation is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that his descendents will be a blessing to all the families of the world. (Gen. 12:3) Jesus is the ultimate blessing to all the nations and the promise was delivered as Jesus is Abraham’s descendent. This is yet another evidence that God always keeps His promise.

Application

When I first became a Christian, my understanding was that I was not a God’s son before the conversion but I was adopted into His family and He became my adopted father. Today’s passages tell us that that is only half correct. We are all His children, whether we are from Isaac or Ishmael. He may not be pleased with all of us, but the fact remains that we all can trace our ancestry to God. A more correct picture of the situation is Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son: we are the sons of daughters who have gone out of the father’s house and disregarded his will. But the father longs for all of his children, especially the ones who left him. Rather than acting like unhappy adopted son, I should act like a real son who has a rightful inheritance and responsibilities. Israel was chosen to carry out a very special mission, to carry the seed of Jesus, a critical mission indeed. However, the rest of us (non-Israelites) as sons and daughters are not any less important to God. We just need to return to our father’s house and be under his authority.
I am also reminded that the free invitation of Jesus needs to be carried out to people. It’s free, but how would they know it’s available? If we don’t tell them, how would they make the decision? If we don’t go, how would they hear? (Rom. 10)

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for being my Father who loves and cares for me. Thank you for reminding me how I am your son and how precious I am to you. I pray that I will not disappoint you by acting against your will or by shying away from my responsibilities. For I long to hear that you are well pleased with me. Amen.

--tchang