The Father’s Approval of the Son

JEFF TURNER

The Gospels show us two moments when God speaks from heaven about Jesus. Once at His baptism (Matthew 3:17) and again at His transfiguration (Matthew 17), the Father declares Jesus to be His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. These statements raise a question: why was God so pleased with Jesus?

The answer lies in the nature of who Jesus is. From the beginning, He was holy and without fault. He lived a life entirely free from sin. This wasn’t just because He chose not to sin, but because He had no capacity for sin. Every action He took, every word He spoke, and even the things He chose not to do were perfectly in line with the Father’s will. His life was a constant reflection of God’s holiness.

Unlike humanity, who can only be considered righteous through faith and God’s grace, Jesus did not need righteousness given to Him. He was righteous in Himself, fully God and fully man, without flaw. The Father’s delight in Him was not new, but eternal. From before time began, the Son was loved by the Father, and that love was never broken.

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens;

Hebrews 7:26