Delighted and Pleased

 Isaiah 42: 1-9, Matthew 3: 13-17

This last Sunday celebrated the baptism of the Lord. God says the following of Jesus in Matthew, “my beloved with whom I am well pleased.” Our Isaiah passage shares more of God’s feelings for God’s son. He is called “My chosen in whom my soul delights.” The Lord has put God’s spirit upon him and he will bring forth justice to the nations.

To the rest of the Israelites God says: “I have called you to righteousness and taken you by the hand and kept you. God has given them a covenant so they can be light to the nations. It is to open the eyes of the spiritually blind. Also to bring out prisoners who sit in darkness in dungeons. This is a metaphor of those imprisoned by sin. The great hope in all this is that though these former things have come to pass God has declared new things.

Our Matthew passage is the familiar account of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. John doesn’t feel qualified to do so. Earlier he has said, “I am not worthy to untie his sandals.” But Jesus talks him into it saying that the time is now and it was the proper way to fulfill all righteousness which can also be translated as justice.

Remember Isaiah calling us in righteousness – calling us then in justice. Could Isaiah also be referring to Jesus?

Then Jesus comes out of the water and the heavens are opened and the dove descends. God’s voice is heard declaring, “This is my son,” the one you’ve been waiting for. God calls him beloved with whom God is well pleased. I love how Isaiah puts it, “in whom my soul delights.” This brings up the question of whether or not God or Jesus has a soul. But in God’s deepest part the Lord is well pleased and delighted. God’s voice from the heavens is declaring what is new. No more need to follow the law but to follow Jesus in righteousness and justice.

God’s approval of Jesus goes along with acknowledging Jesus as God’s son. This is in preparation for the verses to come where Jesus will be tested by the devil. Satan is not pleased or delighted and is not full of righteousness or justice for that matter. Satan is trying to bring God’s son down to keep him from carrying on the work of salvation. Isaiah has predicted Jesus not falling into temptation since he will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth.

What do you think of righteousness being equated with justice? Jesus is said to faithfully bring forth justice. Then we like the Israelites are called to righteousness. How can we help Jesus bring justice into the world? God’s children are loved. May we work toward God being well pleased and delighted by praying for justice and doing our part to help bring it into the world. Amen.

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