Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 79

March 20;      Mark 1:11;       29/260(IV);        ‘My Beloved Son’

Mark 1:11 Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

The Lord Jesus Christ comes to the Jordan River, where John the Baptist was baptizing and told John to baptize Him.  John was reluctant, knowing who Jesus was, but finally did so when Jesus told him baptizing Him would fulfill scripture.  We know that when Jesus came up, out of the water, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus to empower Him for ministry.  Jesus’ ministry was just about to begin and yet the Father tells Him that not only does the Father love Him, but the Father is well pleased with Him.  If Jesus’ ministry was just about to begin, why would the Father already be well pleased with Him?  Of course He loves Jesus as the Father declares in this verse.  He had to be well pleased with Jesus because of Jesus’ willingness to come to earth as a Man and fulfill the plan of redemption, rescuing humanity from an eternity separated from the Father.  The Father was well pleased with Jesus because as the Son of Mary and Joseph, the Bible tells us in Luke 2 that Jesus, as a youth was subject to them.  Jesus was still the Son of God, as a Man and yet He humbled Himself to be obedient to His parents.  The Father had to be excited that now at 30 years of age, the Lord Jesus was about to begin His ministry of teaching, preaching and healing and ultimately complete what He came to earth to do, take the sins and sicknesses of humanity upon Himself and pay our price.  Finally the Father had to be well pleased with Jesus because He knew that Jesus would live a sinless life, be an Example showing us how to live an empowered life and Jesus’ willingness to be punished in our place, so that we would not be.