Jesus, God’s Joy(Luke 3:21-22)

Scripture: Luke 3:21-22
Title: Jesus, God’s Joy

Luke 3장 21 – 22

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, \백성이 다 세례를 받을쌔 예수도 세례를 받으시고 기도하실 때에 하늘이 열리며
22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” \ 성령이 형체로 비둘기 같이 그의 위에 강림하시더니 하늘로서 소리가 나기를 너는 내 사랑하는 아들이라 내가 너를 기뻐하노라 하시니라

빌립보서 2장 5 – 8
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, \ 너희 안에 이 마음을 품으라 곧 그리스도 예수의 마음이니
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, \ 그는 근본 하나님의 본체시나 하나님과 동등됨을 취할 것으로 여기지 아니하시고
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. \ 오히려 자기를 비워 종의 형체를 가져 사람들과 같이 되었고
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. \ 사람의 모양으로 나타나셨으매 자기를 낮추시고 죽기까지 복종하셨으니 곧 십자가에 죽으심이라

In today’s passage, it says that all the people came out to be baptized. This was like a movement—a spiritual awakening happening among the people. Luke’s point is that even Jesus, who didn’t need to, also chose to be baptized. John the Baptist had even said that he wasn’t worthy to untie Jesus’s sandals. But still, Jesus received baptism from him.

Then a voice from heaven spoke. The Holy Spirit came down like a dove onto Jesus, and God the Father said, “You are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you.” This is a scene where we see all parts of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—together. But what does this scene teach us?

One important thing we can see here is Jesus’s humility. Jesus didn’t have to be baptized, but he chose to do it, and God was pleased with him. It shows us that God delights in humility.

If you’re a parent, you know the joy that your children bring just by being who they are. God felt the same way about Jesus, calling him “Son” and finding joy in him. This joy came from Jesus’s humility in choosing to be baptized. And after this, Jesus began his ministry, teaching others through God’s word.

John Calvin, a theologian, wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion during a time when the church was very corrupt and needed change. People recognized Calvin’s gift and strongly urged him to write this work. It became a guide for Christian beliefs and practices, especially for the reformed church.

When I read Institutes, I noticed that the word “humility” appears often. In one part, Calvin writes about “true humility” as giving all glory to God. He even quotes another theologian, who said, “The foundation of our philosophy is humility.” To Calvin, and to Christian teaching, humility is the first, second, third, and always the most important thing.

Even though Institutes covers many difficult topics, when we approach it with the lens of humility, it becomes easier to understand Calvin’s ideas. Calvin wanted to break down human pride and focus on honoring God. By seeing humility as the key, we can understand his arguments.

Today’s passage may seem short, but why did Luke include it? Jesus was baptized, and God said, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am pleased.” There’s a clear connection here. God opposes pride but finds joy in true humility.

It’s easy to become proud, even about our faith or our beliefs. But even when we’re correct, pride can lead us in the wrong direction. Humility, as shown in Jesus’s choice to be baptized, can guide us back to God’s path. Jesus, though he had all power, emptied himself and came in the form of a human, as it says in Philippians. He lowered himself in humility and obeyed God’s will, even to the cross.

If we can learn from today’s passage, we see that what God wants from us is humility. Calvin emphasized humility as the core of Christian life, and Jesus demonstrated it for us in just two verses here.

The longer we live as Christians, the easier it becomes to judge others or feel like we know it all. But humility helps us avoid that.

Even if you have lived honestly and diligently, if you are not humble, there may come a day when you will think, “What did I do wrong to deserve this?”

Think about how far stars are from us. Even if we understand how far, we know we can’t reach them yet. God made the entire universe, and the more we learn, the more we realize how much we don’t know. What’s most important isn’t how much we know, but how humble we are. This should be the measure of our hearts.

May we, like Jesus, become God’s joy by living humbly. May you and I bring joy to God. Amen.