Part 2 of 6 of the theme 'Nonviolence' by Gijs van den Brink

Jesus' public ministry begins at His baptism. When He comes out of the water, the Spirit descends on Him like a dove. And a heavenly voice proclaims the following: "This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased" (Mat. 3:17). The voice confirms in words what the outpouring of the Spirit on Jesus means. The words recall Psalm 2 (vs.7 "this is my Son"), but especially the "Servant of the Lord" in Isaiah 42 (vs.1 "in whom I am well pleased").

The Father's proclamation implies that Jesus is his only begotten Son, who will accomplish the messianic task of the "Servant of the Lord" from Isaiah. Thus, at his baptism, Jesus is filled by the Spirit of God. He receives the call of God to be His messenger and to bring to fulfillment the salvation time promised by God. From His baptism, Jesus knows Himself called to fulfill the task of the "Servant of God" promised by Isaiah (Isa. 42, 49, 50, 53).

There are also texts in Psalm 2 (vs.9) and Isaiah (e.g. 63:1-3) that speak of the use of force, but these are deliberately not quoted by Jesus at His first coming (in humility). When He reads from Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue of Nazareth, He stops halfway through verse 2 and does not mention "a day of vengeance for our God" (Luke 4:16-21). Judgment is for later. At His first coming
Jesus the fulfillment of the promised Servant of the Lord from Isa. 53, about whom it was prophesied "He was mistreated, but did not resist and did not open his mouth.
Nonviolence is part of Jesus' calling.

Author: Gijs van den Brink
From: Study Bible Magazine

This is part 2 of 6 brief blog on the theme of "Nonviolence" from Study Bible Magazine, Some of which we will be posting online in the near future. We hope this will help you understand the Bible better!