Jesus's Baptism (Luke 3:21,22)

3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;3 with you I am well pleased.”

Luke now introduces Jesus as an adult, ready to undertake His mission and ministry. He is introduced with three brief vignettes: His baptism, His genealogy, and His temptation.

Luke is less interested in the account of Jesus’s baptism, than he is with the meaning of what happens right after it. As Jesus is praying, the heavens are opened up, a dove descends on Him (indicated to be the Holy Spirit), and a voice is heard. The voice declares Jesus to be the Son of God. This is something that we have already seen when Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would be God’s Son, and when Jesus was in the temple as a boy, refering to God as His Father. Here, however, we have God declaring Jesus to be the Son and the Holy Spirit confirming and anointing Him in this reality. (Messiah means anointed one.)

J.B. Green sees parallels other Old Testament texts in the divine utterance here.

Psalm 2:7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

The language of Psalm 2 is unavoidable here. This is a Psalm about the Messianic King. Jesus is being overtly called the Son of God and the Messiah in this reference.

Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

In Isaiah, the Servant of God is also a prophetic vision of the Messiah and His mission from God. The language in Luke 3 also reminds us of this, as Jesus is being equated with the Messianic Servant.

Genesis 22:2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

Finally, Green says the language here is reminiscent of Abrahams story and his only son, Isaac. Luke has been considering the story in light of the Abrahamic accounts. In this case, the story of Abraham’s son and the sacrifice almost offered will also tie into the Messianic mission that Jesus will fulfill, this time as the true and ultimate sacrifice.