ABOUT thirty years after the voice from heaven of the angels had been uttered, another voice was heard upon the earth. Angels had spoken in the hearing of man before Jesus was born, but never before in the history of the human race had been heard that voice of which we are about to speak.
It is recorded in each of the three historic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Spirit of God has distinct lessons to teach us by the record of each separate evangelist, as well as common lessons to be gathered from them all. We will look first at the record by Luke. He it is who told us of the voices from heaven of the angels. He it is whose appointed work it was to show to us the life of Jesus on earth as the perfect Man.
The Baptist’s Testimony
John, the Lord’s forerunner, had preached repentance to Israel; they were not to boast in their birthright, as if being children of Abraham in the flesh rendered them members of God’s family; and more, the ax was about to be laid to the root of the tree, every man, woman, and child should be known by his fruits. Such as bore good fruit should be reserved for blessing; the others should be cut down and cast into the fire of judgment. God looks at the heart; He judges not as man judges; privilege enhances responsibility, but does not fit for God; the end is before us all. What are we individually in His presence? We may apply John’s teaching to ourselves, for we are brought up within the circle of the blessings of Christianity, even as Israel was encircled with the blessings of the truth of God in their day. Yet woe to us if we assume that because we are professing Christians we are also God’s children. The ax will soon be laid to the root of the trees, and the question will be what fruit did we bear? not in what garden were we planted. Thank God we are planted in Christendom, where we have an open Bible, and hear of God and of Christ! But are we living trees, bringing forth good fruit for God?
As John preached, the hearts of the people were moved; the Holy Spirit made them feel their sins, and multitudes came into the desert to be baptized with his baptism of repentance unto the remission of sins. There was in those days an attractiveness to men’s hearts in a testimony to human vileness and hypocrisy. Publicans and sinners, Pharisees and teachers, came to hear the truth about themselves. They left their cities, and sought the unsparing preacher in the wilderness, who denounced their sins and falsehoods, and warned them of wrath to come. True, indeed, now it is the day of grace, and God’s testimony is of completed righteousness for and grace to guilty man; but we may err in using soft words only. Open sin and religious hypocrisy are now as surely dragging men’s souls to perdition as in the time when John, the forerunner of Jesus, awoke the sleepers of Judea by his thunders against evil and iniquity.
The hills were laid low, and the valleys exalted under his testimony; the proud fell down, and the humble were lifted up, and thus were hearts prepared for Jesus.
Is there not a want of the hammer that breaks the rock in pieces in the preaching of our day? If the awful verities of sin and hypocrisy were exhibited before the consciences of men, there would be more heart-need of a Saviour from sin and hypocrisy in their souls. The Holy Ghost wrought mightily in those days, convincing of sin, and creating a need for Him who was then coming; may God revive a sin-convicting, soul-stirring testimony before the Lord’s coming again.
The Baptist’s Death
Having touched upon John’s preaching, Luke next speaks of man’s sin in slaying him for testifying of sin, thus, according to his appointed work, grouping the moral characteristics of things together. Where a sinner does not repent under God’s testimony against sin, his great desire is to be quit from the testimony. Hearing the truth either breaks us down, or we harden our hearts against it.
The Baptized People
All the people who were baptized, all whom need had drawn to the water of death—i.e. the Jordan—are next presented to us by Luke—all whom the sense of sin had impelled to that stream. And we see them, a company, owning their sins, and marked oft by the baptism of John from the proud and the lofty who rejected the counsel of God against themselves, not being baptized with John’s baptism. (Luke 7:3030But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. (Luke 7:30).)
Thus, one thing after another is brought up for our contemplation, and passed in review before us by Luke John’s preaching, his death, the multitudes whom he baptized—and then all are left so that we may be occupied with Jesus only—with Him, too, in His dependence. We are led to see Him in His perfection, being baptized—Luke does not even say that John baptized Him—we are led to look upon Himself alone, who is
The Perfect Man
However, before listening to the voice from heaven, let us turn for a moment to the gospel by Matthew. He tells us that John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “I have need to be baptized of Thee, and earnest Thou to me?” But it was not need in the sense of want that drew the holy and the blessed Jesus to the waters of Jordan. Need, indeed, drew thither sinful men, but He came there to “fulfill all righteousness,” to do His Father’s pleasure, in the path of perfect obedience, Jesus took His place with the people, who confessed their sins, who owned their need, who by their submission to John’s baptism expressed their sense of unfitness for the kingdom and the King, whose coming he proclaimed. He did so in grace and condescension. He associated Himself with the poor in spirit. And as He did so He was praying. He, the eternal One, being a Man upon earth, and coming forward at the appointed time in public service for God, commenced this His path by prayer. Prayer marked each step of that path. The perfection of the creature is dependence. He who is Head overall, took the servant’s place, and in His perfection as a man was “praying.”
Then it was, at this moment of the Lord’s unutterable condescension, that took place what had never before been
The Heaven Was Opened
unto a Man. Was “split asunder,” Mark, in his graphic manner, testifies. What a sight, beloved reader, the heavens rent open, and all their brightness smiling upon this earth no, not upon this earth, but upon the Man, Christ Jesus, who will yet bring this earth into blessing. This was more than the glory of God coming out of heaven shining upon the earth for a moment when the holy Babe was born. The heavens, long grieved because of human sin, opened in perfect satisfaction upon one Man, Who perfectly pleased God. Jesus alone unites heaven with earth. Man is at a distance from God. In Christ we who were afar off are brought nigh. But we are brought near by His blood, Who knew no sin, and was so full of moral excellence, that being upon earth, heaven must needs delight itself by opening upon Him.
Then from the opened heaven the Holy Ghost descended upon the Lord in bodily shape as a dove, and a voice arose from heaven—
“Thou Art My Beloved Son; in Thee I Am Well Pleased.”
Thus do we behold the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Father, the three in One, the One in three, the holy Trinity. And Jesus, the perfect Man, addressed as the Father’s beloved Son. There is in the voice from heaven as thus recorded a peculiar personal emphasis. “Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee—” The words are addressed to Jesus privately. They are not official, and about Him, but to Him as the Man, the perfect Man whom the Father loves. We may well thank God that such a record is given for our joy. Jesus is the beloved of God the Father, and in Him the Father has everlasting satisfaction. He has pleasure in Him. “In Thee I am well pleased,” was the voice of love from heaven the moment that Jesus began His service of love on earth. The path that the Lord trod on earth was for men, but in working for men He magnified God.
The Father’s voice from heaven had never before been heard upon this earth. God, as Jehovah, had spoken in majesty and from the midst of the fire, and men had heard that voice, and lived, but, when God speaks as the Father, Jesus alone hears that voice, and alone sees the sight of the opened heavens, and the Holy Ghost descending upon Him. It is for us to read the record, and bless God for having given us such a privilege.
Let us listen to the testimony of Matthew.
“This Is My Beloved Son,
In Whom I am well pleased.” This is a call to us, to which we are bidden listen. It is the record of a voice from heaven for us to heed. It is about Jesus, not a personal address to Him. Luke shows us the Lord alone with His Father, and seeing the Holy Spirit descending upon Him. Matthew records what took place, and in such a way as to appeal to us. He points out the Lord as the beloved of His Father— “This is,” not “Thou art,” “my beloved Son” —for us to inquire of ourselves what are our thoughts and affections concerning Him.
Look upon the Father’s blessed Son—He is well pleased in Him—and inquire, Is Jesus the joy of your heart? It is a personal question, dear reader. Heaven was opened upon Him when in His weakness and humiliation on earth, and assuredly heaven is open to each of the children of men who love Him.
The great need on this earth at this present hour is
A Heart for Christ
Christianity is more simple than many think. It is a heart for Christ. What say we to this voice from heaven? God, even the Father, has permitted us to hear His words, and to meditate upon His thoughts concerning His Son. As we think of Jesus, the perfect Man, the willing Servant, the rejected King of the Jews, that is according to the three-fold testimony of the three evangelists who record the words of the voice from heaven, let our hearts declare themselves. There is heaven on earth, and heaven to come for such as love the Lord.
H. F. W.