Antonio, a humble Christian waiter from New York City, scraped up the little money he had in order to attend the funeral of a dear relative back in Mexico. His rich cousin met him at the airport and drove him to the funeral. Much of the conversation in the car centered on his great success as an architect, pointing out buildings he himself had designed along the way. Antonio listened graciously. After the Burial Service, the same cousin invited the family to a fancy restaurant at his own expense. All they had to pay was attention… attention to his arrogant boasting and listen to his lofty aspirations toward even greater wealth and notoriety. Then, turning to Antonio, he condescendingly asked, “So Cousin, what are your goals in life? What do you one day hope to achieve?” (The two had chosen very different paths in life). Antonio thanked him for asking. Standing to his feet, he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a well-worn Pocket New Testament. Opening to the passage we read Wednesday morning (Luke 3), he turned to the place where Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan. “The heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” Closing his Bible, he answered with a firm but gentle voice, “This is my goal in life - that one day my heavenly Father will be able to say of me as well: “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” A holy hush fell over their gathering as his cousin came under deep Holy Ghost conviction. Then out of the silence rose the sound of weeping, weeping which turned to sobbing. His rich cousin, with head buried in hands, cried out in heartfelt remorse, “Oh, Antonio! … you chose the best my cousin - you chose the best.”
John preached the baptism of repentance, but Jesus had nothing to repent of. However, to perfectly identify with sinful humanity, Jesus came to be baptized of John. Jesus modeled for us the life a man or woman must live in order to please God. He showed us how to seek God and to study His Word. He taught us how to pray and to depend upon the Holy Spirit to guide us. Most of all, he showed us how to trust our heavenly Father and to live a life of perfect love - yet not in our own strength, but by the anointing and infilling of the same Holy Spirit that descended upon Christ at his baptism. We too can live a life pleasing to the Father as we learn to allow Jesus to live his life through us.
With what was God well pleased? Up until this point Jesus had lived a rather “ordinary” life for the first thirty years. He hadn’t preached any sermons, performed any miracles or given his life as our ransom on Calvary. He was simply a godly young man, fulfilling his daily responsibilities with a desire to honor and glorify his Father. Perhaps, pleasing God is not dependent upon our having large ministries or great spiritual gifts. This story is teaching us that it’s in our everyday living as housewife, plumber, teacher, etc., God finds great pleasure in us. Learning to rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing and give thanks in everything is a matter of the heart and can be practiced while fixing the car, doing the dishes or studying for an exam. Let us be careful not to minimize the importance of striving to please God in the ordinary and routine. After all, that’s where we spend most of our time.
Not only did the heavenly voice confirm to John that Jesus was truly the one God had sent, but it was a great encouragement to Jesus as well. Now under a fresh anointing of the Holy Ghost, Jesus was ready to face the tempter in the power of the Spirit and to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven. There would be countless sermons, teachings, and miracles in the days to come. There on the Mt. of Transfiguration as Jesus was about to finish the work God had given him to do, he would hear that same voice of approval upon his life and ministry.
We may not all be called to do great things for God, but we can all be great for Him. There are two paths before us – Live to please God or Live to please ourselves. One has the smile of God shining upon it, the other the shadow of regret. Now’s the time to choose which one you will follow.
