The time I was going to spend on this step over the weekend instead became times of rest and attempted recuperation. So now, back into it, moving on to the scripture meditations now:
John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.
And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." - Mt 3, 14-17
I believe God is most pleased with our humility, when we are willing to acknowledge that obedience is more important than whatever other, lesser truth we might invoke. This episode was, of course, not the first instance of the eternal Son's humility. I believe that it is somehow part of his divine nature to be in humble obedience to the Father's will, knowing that the Father desires only the greatest good. I also believe that it was part of his human nature to be tempted to rebel against God's divine will, and that the pleasure which the Father expresses here is an affirmation that resisting that temptation will keep Jesus on his ordained path.
I believe that God is equally pleased with us when we truly seek his will rather than our own. Even if we might misread it in the specifics, our willingness to humbly submit to God's will as he has revealed it in Scripture and church teaching pleases him. The degree to which we can then live out what is revealed therein should serve as an indicator of our level of spiritual freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment