The Great Trinitarian Unveiling Text: Luke 3:21-22
Introduction: A Baptism That Troubles the Waters
We live in an age that prizes authenticity, which is usually just a high-sounding word for self-expression. Our culture tells us to look within, to find our true self, and then to express that self to the world, demanding that the world applaud. This is the central liturgy of modernity. But when we come to the baptism of the Lord Jesus, we find a radically different kind of authenticity. It is not an authenticity of self-discovery, but of self-surrender. It is not an unveiling of His inner feelings, but an unveiling of the Triune God. And it is not a demand for the world's applause, but a submission to the Father's will that results in the Father's applause.
The baptism of Jesus is a profound stumbling block for the tidy-minded. The modern rationalist asks, "Why would a sinless man get baptized?" John the Baptist himself was flummoxed by this. He preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and here comes the only man in history who had nothing to repent of and needed no forgiveness. The sentimentalist wants to make it a quiet, personal moment of dedication, a gentle scene for a flannelgraph board. But this event is anything but quiet. It is a cosmic event. It is a coronation. It is the public inauguration of the King, and it is a formal presentation of the Godhead to the world.
What happens here at the Jordan River is a tectonic shift in the history of redemption. Heaven is torn open. The Holy Spirit descends in a visible way. The Father speaks from His throne. This is not Jesus "finding himself." This is God the Father identifying His Son, and God the Spirit anointing His Son for the mission of saving the world. It is the Trinity, not in abstract theological proposition, but in glorious, historical action. To misunderstand this event is to misunderstand not only the nature of baptism, but the nature of our God, the nature of our salvation, and the nature of our King.
This is a baptism that troubles all the stagnant waters of our low, individualistic, therapeutic religion. It shows us that baptism is not primarily about our decision, but about God's declaration. It is an objective, covenantal act that places someone under the authority of the Triune God. It is a summons to a mission. And in the case of Jesus, it was His formal enlistment as our champion, the second Adam, stepping into the water to identify with us, His rebellious people, in order to cleanse us.
The Text
Now it happened that when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
(Luke 3:21-22 LSB)
The King's Identification (v. 21)
We begin with the context and the central action:
"Now it happened that when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened," (Luke 3:21)
Luke places Jesus' baptism in the context of "all the people" being baptized. This is crucial. Jesus is not coming to the Jordan for a private religious experience. He is identifying with the people of Israel. He is stepping into the muddy waters of our humanity. John's baptism was a baptism of repentance, a national call for Israel to turn from its sins and prepare for the Messiah. By entering that water, Jesus, the sinless one, is identifying Himself with a sinful people. This is the first step of His great substitutionary work. He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). He is not a detached observer; He is our federal head, our representative, standing in our place.
Think of it this way. A righteous king might put on the uniform of a common soldier to show solidarity with his men before a great battle. He does not do it because he is a common soldier, but because he is their king, and he intends to lead them into victory. Jesus steps into the water not because He is a sinner, but because He is the King of sinners, the one who has come to conquer sin on their behalf. He is fulfilling all righteousness (Matt. 3:15), which means He is doing everything the law required of Israel, perfectly, in our place.
And what is He doing as He is baptized? He is praying. This is a detail Luke gives us that is rich with meaning. Prayer is an act of dependent communion. The Son is in constant fellowship with the Father. This is not the prayer of a sinner begging for mercy, but the prayer of a Son communing with His Father at the outset of His public mission. It is a prayer of submission, of dedication, of readiness. And it is this posture of dependent, obedient sonship that prompts the Father's response. Heaven is opened. The barrier between God's realm and man's realm is torn apart. This is a foretaste of the temple veil being torn in two at the crucifixion. Access to God is being opened up through this man, the God-man, Jesus Christ.
The Spirit's Anointing and the Father's Voice (v. 22)
Verse 22 is the climax of the event, where the other two persons of the Trinity make their appearance.
"and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.'" (Luke 3:22 LSB)
First, the Holy Spirit descends. Notice the language: "in bodily form like a dove." This was not a subjective feeling Jesus had. This was an objective, visible event. The Spirit, who is spirit, took on a physical manifestation. Why a dove? A dove in Scripture is a symbol of peace and new creation. It was a dove that returned to Noah's ark with an olive leaf, signaling that the waters of judgment had receded and a new world was beginning (Gen. 8:11). The Spirit descending as a dove signifies that Jesus is the one who brings peace between God and man, and that He is inaugurating a new creation. The old world is being washed away, and a new world is dawning in Him.
This is also a royal anointing. In the Old Testament, kings and priests were anointed with oil, symbolizing the Holy Spirit equipping them for their office. Here, the Spirit Himself anoints Jesus, the great High Priest and eternal King. This is the Messiah, the "Anointed One," being publicly commissioned for His work. The Spirit is not just on Him, but He is upon Him, resting on Him, empowering Him for the ministry that is to follow.
Then, the Father speaks. The voice comes "out of heaven," a direct, audible declaration from the throne of the universe. This is not thunder; it is articulate speech. And the content is a declaration of Sonship and approval. "You are My beloved Son." This echoes two key Old Testament passages. It echoes Psalm 2:7, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you," which is a royal psalm about the coronation of God's king. And it echoes Isaiah 42:1, "Behold my Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One, in whom my soul delights." This is a prophecy of the suffering servant. At His baptism, the Father identifies Jesus as both the reigning King and the suffering Servant.
The Father's pleasure is not a result of the baptism itself. The Father is eternally pleased with His eternal Son. They have existed in a relationship of perfect love and delight from all eternity. This declaration is for our benefit. It is a public announcement. This is My Son. Listen to Him. Obey Him. Trust Him. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. The Father's love for the Son is the bedrock of the universe, and the Father's pleasure in the Son is the foundation of our salvation.
Our Baptism into the Trinity
So what does this Trinitarian spectacle at the Jordan have to do with us? Everything. This event is the paradigm, the blueprint, for our own relationship with God. When we are baptized, we are not just getting wet. We are being brought into this very same Trinitarian reality.
We are baptized "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). Baptism is our identification with Christ. Just as He identified with us in His baptism, we are identified with Him in ours. We are buried with Him and raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4). His story becomes our story.
And because we are united to the Son, the Father's disposition toward us is transformed. We are no longer children of wrath, but adopted sons and daughters. God looks at us, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and says what He said to His only begotten Son: "You are my beloved child, in you I am well-pleased." This is an objective, covenantal declaration. It is not based on our performance, our feelings, or our spiritual temperature on any given day. It is based on the finished work of Christ, which is sealed to us in our baptism. Your acceptance before God is as solid as Christ's acceptance before God, because you are in Him.
Furthermore, the same Spirit who descended upon Christ at His baptism is given to us. He anoints us for our mission. He equips us for service. He empowers us to live as sons and daughters of the King. He is the one who enables us to cry out, "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). The Christian life is a Trinitarian life. We approach the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Spirit. This is not abstract doctrine; it is the air we breathe.
Therefore, look to your baptism. Do not look to your fickle heart. Look to the objective sign and seal that God has placed upon you. Remember that heaven was opened for Christ, and in Him, it is opened for you. Remember that the Spirit was given to Christ, and in Him, the Spirit has been given to you. And remember that the Father declared His love for Christ, and in Him, He declares His love for you. This is the solid ground of our assurance. This is the foundation of our identity. And this is the power for our mission. We are sons of God, anointed by the Spirit, to declare the praises of the Father who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.