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The verb ‘saw’ in the Greek text of Matthew, Mark and Luke’s accounts of Jesus’ baptism does not have an explicit subject although the plain reading would suggest it is Jesus who ‘saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him’.  This could leave us wondering just how ‘public’ this ‘dove-like’ appearance was.

In the Fourth Gospel, however, John actually tells that John the Baptist saw it with his own eyes: “Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.  I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.”  I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God’” (John 1:32-34).  We can therefore be confident that John also heard the voice as part of God’s testimony to him of Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God and the promised Saviour.  This is why he was able to refer to Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29, 36).  In submitting to John’s baptism, Jesus identified himself fully with our sinful nature while remaining sinless in terms of his own perfect obedience to God’s Law, thus ‘fulfilling all righteousness’ (Matthew 3:15).

The Greek phrase that is translated “in him/whom I am well pleased” does not mean ‘with whom I am delighted’, but rather has the sense of ‘in whom my pleasure rests’, ie ‘on whom my plan for the salvation of mankind is centred’ (Tasker).  The Eternal God, Lord of Creation and Redemption, was here setting in place in real Time and Space, in History, in the region of Galilee/Jordan, the process by which he was going to redeem his lost creation!  This was his Eternal Pleasure: “For God so loved the world [loved the world so much] that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Trevor Hodge put it like this: “There is no other name in heaven can be found through whom we are redeemed, through whom your grace abounds.  No other name can save, but Jesus Christ our Lord.  My joy in sorrow’s tears, my strength to cast out fears; no other name but Jesus, Jesus.  My hope in darkest night, my broken soul’s delight; no other name but Jesus, Jesus“(these words of Trevor Hodge’s song have a renewed significance for me at present).

– Bruce Christian