Who Is Jesus? part 5: The Called and the Blessed

 

Who is this Jesus? We have seen He was regarded as the son of Joseph, but God the Father keeps telling us He is His Son. He didn't come to be just a carpenter, but to do the works of His Father. The works involved performing miracles. However, the purpose of the miracles was not to make Himself popular, but to demonstrate the mercy and love of God, showing the time of Redemption--The Jubilee--has come, when all debts are forgiven. The healings demonstrated that God has forgiven their sins. 

Now Jesus is going to show more about Himself by choosing Disciples, and talking about a new way of doing things. We have already seen a glimpse of this in how women are portrayed in the Gospel. He is already stirring things up by telling the people in His hometown that they were like their ancestors who rejected Elijah and Elisha's message from God. He is also beginning to assert His authority over the Jewish leaders. He refuses to make a hostile takeover by force. His method is love and forgiveness, offering the common people compassion and mercy. He is by no means a milquetoast, a whimp, or a delicate snowflake. He was more than willing to speak up to the leadership of the day who were addicted to religious and political power, and harshly treated people. 

What will this new way look like? What is this Kingdom of God He has been preaching about? Luke 5:27 through 6: 49 tells us more.

The Kingdom is not for the "Righteous" 5:27-32

We have already seen Jesus call four fishermen to be His Disciples. This just was not how Rabbis did it. You didn't call someone who worked a stinky job like that, who was obviously not a scholar. Simon even admits he is a "sinful man." exactly what Jesus is looking for. What is He doing?

Now Jesus approaches someone from the most despised business of all. Tax collectors were considered traitors. No one likes taxes, but when you are required to pay them to enemy invaders, that's even worse. Add to that that the tax collectors were known for their unfairness, extracting more revenue from the people than required in order to line their own pockets. You really want this guy, Jesus?

The Pharisees were quick to question Jesus hanging out with "tax collectors and sinners." Jesus reply was that He didn't come to heal healthy people or call for the righteous to repent. There is an undertone to what Jesus was saying that the Pharisees may or may not have missed. He was basically saying, "Why would I hang out with you? You think you're healthy and righteous already." This would not be the last time Jesus called out the Pharisees for their arrogance, and the insults will get much more explicate. 

The Kingdom is not a patch job 5:32-39

Within Christian circles, I often see one set of believers criticizing another for differences in how they practice various rituals. This season of the year, many observe Lent by fasting on certain days, or giving up doing or eating certain things. I definitely don't see anything wrong with that, even though I come from a non-liturgical background. The important part, I think, is doing it with the proper attitude toward God, and toward those who don't follow the same "rules" as you do. 

“One of the marks of a certain type of bad man is that he cannot give up a thing himself without wanting every one else to give it up. That is not the Christian way. An individual Christian may see fit to give up all sorts of things for special reasons--marriage, or meat, or beer, or the cinema; but the moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who do use them, he has taken the wrong turning.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

We have a tendency to look at fellow Christians and judge people for not being as outwardly devote as we are. I gave up "such and such" for God; they should have to, too. It is the same kind of jealousy the elder brother had for the prodigal. (Luke 15) "I did all this extra work while my brother was off enjoying himself, and what did I get for it?" There is also a nostalgic element involved, or "We never did it that way before," or "I like the old wine better (even though I haven't even tasted the new wine)."

Each situation calls for something different. It was not appropriate for the Disciples to fast at that time; they would fast when He was gone. But also notice that Jesus is hinting beyond the question of fasting. He is saying that something new is coming which will not just be a patch over the old, but a whole new garment. The Gospel of the Kingdom is not just some patches to cover a few holes that have become evident with the old garment; that would not work, and would ruin the new. The new garment fulfills the requirements of the old worn out garment, and replaces it. (See Romans 8:4.)   

The Kingdom establishes a new relationship with work 6:1-11

The next scene reminds me of some Hobbits traipsing through Farmer Maggot's fields and stealing some of his crops. But that is not what is happening here. Whoever was in charge of that field was apparently following the law that made provision for the poor.

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. (Lev 19:9-10).”

 

There was nothing unlawful about gleaning from the fields, and Jesus and His Disciples were happy to take advantage of this. There are many different ways that a government can provide food for the poor. In the United States, the Agriculture Department administers the SNAP and other programs. My wife and family and I benefitted from these programs when our children were very young. We also took advantage of private food banks from time to time. 

Jesus was not breaking any laws by gleaning, but the Pharisees still tried to put a stop to what they were doing. The Pharisee had a long list of what was considered work you could not do on the Sabbath, and gleaning was on the list. Talk about your red tape to try to get a bit of legitimate help!

But Jesus answers them that there was a higher authority than their traditions, and He was it. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and He decides what work can be done on that day. The Sabbath was made for the benefit of people (Mark 2:27). It wasn't made so the leadership could come up with a set of rules to make it harder for people to live. Jesus also gives an interesting history lesson which affects the applicability of laws. Old Testament laws were not meant to be a list of do's and don'ts that applied to every situation. The law stated that only the priests were allowed to eat the consecrated bread. Yet, David and his companions ate it. Exceptions to the rules--the law--could be made under certain circumstances. What's more important? The law that requires that only priests could eat the bread, or the needs of those who are famished? The law of love always trumps any other law. Always.

Which leads us to the next scene. Here are those pesky Pharisees again. They are just waiting to have a chance to find Jesus doing something wrong. They bring along their mental list of Sabbath no-no's, including the one about healing on the Sabbath. Jesus knows their intentions, and asks, "which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” (verse 9) I am imagining Him staring down each and every one of the Pharisees and daring them to answer. But they knew Jesus had the upper hand. They knew He was right, but they still were angry when the man's hand was restored. Their power was more important than the welfare of the man with the shriveled hand. 

The Kingdom includes diversity 6:12-16

Talk about inclusion and diversity! Jesus pulls together an amusing assortment of protégés to teach. These are to be the Apostles--the ones He's going to give authority to? Who are these guys?

• Four fishermen: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John
• Two more Hicks from Galilee: Philip and Bartholomew 
• A tax collector: Matthew (apparently the one also called Levi)
• Three we know very little about: Thomas, James the son of Alpheaus, Judas (called Thaddeus elsewhere) son (or brother) of James
• A Zealot, from a sect which sought to overthrow Rome: The other Simon
• The traitor: Judas Iscariot

This is not a list any Rabbi except Jesus would have chosen. At least Judas was good with money... oh, wait. Okay, Simon the Zealot might be good in a fight... oh, wait. Okay there's Matthew: he ought to be accepted readily into the group... oh, wait. Seriously, I wonder how many squabbles Jesus had to settle along the way.  But this is the group He chose. 

The Kingdom has a new standard 6:17-49

The scene here is often referred to as The Sermon on the Plain to differentiate it from The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. A large crowd of people gathered, and they were apparently not all Jews. The text specifically mentions people from Tyre and Sidon. This reminds me of the passages in Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua 8 which describes the reaffirmation of the Sinai Covenant after the people enter the land. Joshua 8:33 specifically mentions that there were foreigners living among the Israelites who were present. 

In Joshua 8, the whole nation was gathered in the valley of Shechem where the tabernacle was being set up until it would get a more permanent home in Jerusalem. Four of the tribes stood before Mount Gerizim representing the blessings of the covenant; the other four stood before Mount Ebal representing the curses in the covenant. Joshua says all the law of Moses was read to the people at that time.

Jesus was inaugurating at new covenant. It is much shorter, and the blessings and curses (woes) are not based on following the minutia of the Mosaic Law, but on the law of love. Jesus offers mercy and justice to those who the system had said were the ones on the outside. Their lot in life (according to the system) showed they must not be worthy of God's blessing. On the other hand, He pronounces woes on those who thought they had God's blessing now because of their positive circumstances, but would eventually find themselves of the other side.

The poetry uses repetition and symmetry, but loses some of its symmetry at the end. If we put the repeated ideas together, it helps us understand what Jesus is getting at. (From the NIV)

Blessed are you who are poor,                        But woe to you who are rich,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.       for you have already received your comfort.

Blessed are you who hunger now,             Woe to you who are well fed now,                for you will be satisfied.                                for you will go hungry.

Blessed are you who weep now,                Woe to you who laugh now,
    for you will laugh.                                        for you will mourn and weep.

Blessed are you when people hate you,    Woe to you when everyone speaks
    when they exclude you and insult you        well of you
    and reject your name as evil,                        
        because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, 

because great is your reward in heaven. 

For that is how their ancestors                    for that is how their ancestors

treated the prophets.                                    treated the false prophets.

Israel had a history of treating false prophets well, because they told them what they wanted to hear. They also had a history of persecuting the true prophets, because they didn't like what they had to say. The people of The Kingdom know how to wait. They know their reward is in heaven. That doesn't mean that their reward is all in the future. Those in God's Kingdom are able to rejoice even while they are being hated, excluded, insulted, and called evil if it's because of Jesus. We should not rejoice, thinking we are being persecuted for the sake of Jesus, if we are just being obnoxious, uncaring, selfish, or butting in to people's business. (See 1 Peter 4:15. That's a whole sermon in itself!) 

If we are being persecuted because of Jesus, it will be because we are are following His way of love. This goes way beyond just loving people who are nice to us. We are to do good things to people who hate us. There are those who interpret the response to the slap on the cheek and the extra mile as ways of shaming those who take advantage of us. It is sometimes interpreted as a call for "audacious civil disobedience." However these ideas are meant, the whole tenor of Jesus argument is an attitude of love. Treat other as we would like them to treat us. I can see how it could be argued that we would want to be treated that way if we were so out of line like the perpetrators in Jesus' examples. But we need to be careful not to indulge in a smug attitude that says, "Well, I showed them, didn't I?" 

A corollary to loving our enemies is not judging. This is perhaps the hardest teaching of Jesus to follow. It is so easy to criticize others while letting ourselves slide. Being non-judgmental does not mean that we close our eyes to evil. Jesus didn't come to condemn, but He sure was upfront about calling out evil. There is a difference. Jesus treated people with compassion and understanding. He didn't put up with sin, but He recognized that what the leadership was calling sin was not always really sin. And He freely offered forgiveness.

Jesus was the only One who did not have His vision impaired with objects in His eyes. We need to remember we are not Him, which calls for us to examine our own imperfections and motives before attacking others. (I know that pokes me in the eye.) I am not calling for us to constantly browbeat ourselves. Finding fault with ourselves to the point we become nonfunctional is not what Jesus intended, and ignores His grace and mercy. 

Being nonjudgmental does not men we should not be discerning. Eating from the wrong tree can kill us. Fortunately there are signs which indicate what type of tree we are looking at. I am not a mushroom hunter, but those who are had better know the difference between species. "The mouth speaks what the heart is full of." If you have a discerning heart, you can know the basic character of a person by how they talk. Are they speaking words of compassion and encouragement, or are they spewing hate and judgment? 

Finally, those in the Kingdom are not those who just call Jesus Lord, but those who do what He says. Putting His words into action is like building a house on a firm foundation. Those who hear but don't put His words into practice are like a house built on sand. If the foundation isn't love, the house will collapse in hard times. If you are building your life on love, it with weather the storm.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who Is Jesus? part 4: Forgiveness over Fame, Mercy over Might

 

Please read Luke 4:1 through 5:26. Or you can just read the shorter passages before each section.

It's not about self-serving power 4:1-13

The first thing I notice about this passage is that Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit, and led by by Him into the wilderness. Everything Jesus did was apparently under the direction of the other two Members of the Godhead. In chapter five of John's Gospel, Jesus asserted that everything He did was under the direction of the Father. He is God, but, as Paul tells us, He did not insist on using the power of God for Himself (Philippians 2:6-7). 

• He refused to use His powers for His own needs. Although he would provide bread on at least two occasions for the crowds, He refused to use His power to feed Himself. 
• He refused to make a deal with the devil in order to control the world. God's method for bringing us back into His kingdom is not by force or coercion. He wants to restore the cosmos to Himself through mercy and love. Since He is the Root of Jesse and the Lion of Judah, He has the right to rule. However, instead of taking the world by force like a lion, He conquers it by demonstrating His love for us as the slain Lamb (Revelation 5). 
• He refused to use His power as a way to impress people. Later in this blog post, we will see that the use of His power was not a way to gain a following, but a way to show God's forgiveness.

It's not about overcoming hometown prejudices 4:14-30

After the temptations, Jesus begins to travel around to the villages in the area. Again, Luke says the the Holy Spirit is involved. What He is doing involved the "power" of the Spirit. It would be easy to assume the "power" Luke is referring to has to do with the ability to do miracles, but that does not seem to be what is being emphasized. Luke would again reference the "power" of the Spirit when he quotes Jesus' words to His disciples after the resurrection: "... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) 

While the beginnings of Jesus' ministry did include miracles, the emphasis was always on His teaching. "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." (4:43) 

Jesus now returns to His hometown and gets up to speak in the synagogue. His scripture choice is Isaiah 61:1-2, and Luke gives us the passage from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the day. 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (18-19 NIV)

But Jesus cut off the passage in mid sentence and rolls up the scroll. The next phrase is very significant: "...and the day of vengeance..."  The common belief of the Jews at this time was that the Messiah was going to bring vengeance upon the enemies of Israel. But Jesus had a different message. 

"The year of the Lord's favor" is a reference to the Old Testament Jubilee. It was a time when all debts were forgiven and land returned to the original owner. Again there is a reference to the Holy Spirit. Luke does not want us to miss it. The good news of the kingdom was about hope for the poor, the prisoner, the disabled, and the oppressed. In the first century, there was no hope for those Jesus would describe as "the least of these" in Luke 10. Those who were the unfortunate of society were looked down upon by a religious system that viewed them as less than worthy. Their circumstances were seen as evidence they were sinners, unworthy of being helped. But Jesus came to proclaim that they were forgiven; God is declaring that their debt is paid. 

At this point, the crowd is all for Jesus' message. They are "amazed at the gracious words." (vs. 22) But Jesus knew what they were saying amongst themselves. They were ready for the Messiah to bring in a time of Jubilee. But certainly the rumors going around that He could be the Messiah couldn't be true. We watched this kid grow up. He's just a carpenter's son.  

Despite the positive things the people of His hometown were saying, Jesus is about to incense the crowd... and I don't mean He was about to release a pleasant sent. He knows what they are looking for. They want to see the show. They had heard rumors about what He had done in Capernaum. They don't want to hear His message. They want to be entertained. If they can see a couple miracles, maybe then they could believe He has the power to get rid of the nasty foreigners around them. 

I have often wondered why Jesus quotes the proverb, "Physician, heal yourself!" The best answer I've seen on that is that even those who were starting to believe thought Jesus had a image problem. He needed to do something drastic to heal His reputation in that town. Show us something spectacular, and we'll get behind you. But Jesus had already rejected that route. His power was not for demonstrating how fabulous He was; it was for showing the people that God was offering them forgiveness. 

To emphasize His point, Jesus uses two examples from the Old Testament. One from the ministry of Elijah, and one from the ministry of of Elisha. These were the two prophets in the Old Testament most famous for doing miracles. The two examples of miracles performed were done for people outside Israel. The people of Nazareth got the point, and they were so angry they tried to throw Jesus off a cliff. But it wasn't His time; He just walked right through the crowd and went on His way. They did get their miracle, but in their anger, they missed it. Maybe even a few of them were thinking if they threw Him off the cliff and He just floated to the ground, they would have the spectacular feat they were looking for. But He would have none of it.

It's about demonstrating mercy and forgiveness 4:31-5:26

After Jesus leaves Nazareth, there is a dramatic change. The next few passages are filled with miracles. In between two accounts about people being released from demons, Simon's mother-in-law is healed from a fever. In chapter five, there is the miracle of the catch of fish, and other healings. But notice that the emphasis is still on teaching. The people keep begging Him to stay, but He insists on going on and spreading the good news of the kingdom to other towns. 

Note also that the healings and other miracles were not about spreading His reputation around. In chapter 4, Jesus commands the demons not to make Him known. The miracle of the catch of fish was not about showing off; it was about making it possible for four fishermen to be shown mercy and forgiveness. They are invited to follow Him, which means that they are being invited to be His disciples, a privilege usually reserved for scholars. Fishing was not a very profitable business under the Roman empire. The boats were probably rented, and the fish were taxed. The government usually took the best fish for themselves. The miraculous catch undoubtedly made it possible for them to pay off their debts, enabling them to leave. 

After the fish incident, Jesus heals a man with leprosy, but tells him not to spread the news. He is only to go to the priests as the Old Testament law prescribed. He didn't want the crowds to know; He did want the Jewish leaders to know. I'm sure it wasn't often that someone was cleansed from leprosy. It was important the leadership knew what was happening.

It was also important that the leadership knew why this was happening. The healing of the paralytic was a demonstration that God was offering forgiveness to the people. He was doing it through His Son. The healings were a demonstration to the leadership that God was forgiving those who they considered outcast. The ones who they thought must be horrible sinners because of the afflictions they had. They should have known better.  

    

Who Is Jesus? part 3: The Voice of the Father

 

Please read Luke 1:57 through 3:51 before proceeding. Or you can read each section as you go. 

The father speaks: His name is John 1:57-80

Last time we saw that Luke begins his Gospel with an emphasis on women. Zechariah is silenced until John is born. Joseph is kept out of the loop (apparently for at least three months) when Mary agrees to become the mother of Jesus. In fact, we never read any words of Joseph through the whole book! In an era when women were thought of as property, even more than they are today, this was very subversive. Luke is challenging the cultural norms from the get go. 

But now, Zechariah gets his turn to speak. Notably, his voice is loosed only after he agrees with his wife about the name of their son. Before giving us Zechariah's prophecy about John, Luke notes that people where wondering about John from the time he was born, and as they observed his life. There was something different about him: "the Lord's hand was with him." The angel had told Zechariah that the Holy Spirit would fill him even before he was born (vs. 15). 

Even though John would be a prophet with a special relationship with God, he still was not the Messiah. He was just the forerunner. Never confuse those who are intended to point to Jesus with Jesus Himself. This is a recurrent theme in Luke. 

Some highlights of Zechariah's prophecy:

• God has come to His people to redeemed them. Please note that Jesus has not yet been born, yet the redemption being prophesied is viewed as already accomplished. This is the language of Jubilee, the time when all debts are forgiven. 
• God is coming to fulfill His promises to their ancestors. They will be saved from their enemies so that they can serve God without fear. We will see later that this salvation with be accomplished in ways Israel is not expecting.
• John will prepare the way to show the people God's mercy and forgiveness. He will point them to the light that will shine in the darkness. That Light will give peace even for those living in the "shadow of death." 

The angels and the shepherds speak: Glory to God! 2:1-20

There has been some controversy over this passage of scripture. Was there really a census during the time Luke is describing? Were the conditions really as bad for Mary and Joseph as has been described so often in books and sermons? What exactly was this Inn (KJV)? It is beyond the scope of this blog to address these questions. But I do want to address a couple ideas that Luke seems to emphasize, for what it's worth.

First of all, it is certain that Jesus was born during a time when Rome ruled, and the government was constantly doing things to harass and inconvenience the people they had conquered. Secondly, Luke is very specific about where Jesus was laid. A manger is not a comfortable cradle made for babies. It is, quite simply, a feeding trough. Luke repeats the word manger three times so we don't miss it (vss. 7,12,16).

How could Mary and Joseph treat Jesus so? The answer is not that they were cruel caretakers of the Christ. Even in apparently difficult circumstances, they were prepared enough to bring the standard gear for newborns--what the King James version calls "swaddling clothes." Unfortunately, some of the newer translations, such as the NIV, translate this simply as wrapping Him in "cloths," making it appear to modern readers that He was just carelessly clothed in rags. This is not the case at all. In recent years, the benefits of swaddling have increasingly been noted. The practice was a bit different in the ancient world, but the idea is that swaddling was an evidence that a baby was cared for. 

Luke gives us a glimpse of what life was like when Jesus was born. Israel was under the thumb of Rome, harassed and inconvenienced. Into this environment, the angels announce the birth of a Savior, with an unusual sign: a manger and swaddling bands. Jesus came and identified with their circumstances, but God was also making sure He was being taken care of. The promised peace is come. It will not look like they think it will, but God is showing them He is going to make good on His promises. Glory to God, indeed.

Jesus in the Temple: the Father's business 2:21-51

In Galatians 4:4, Paul reminds us that Jesus was "born under the law." His Jewish "parents" made sure to follow the requirements of the law. He was circumcised, and they presented the required sacrifice. They followed the light they had. One thing I have learned over the years is that when you follow the light you have, God is always ready to step in and give you more light. In the temple passages, Mary and Joseph are surprised. They are learning something knew. God's revelation is not stagnant. Our lives should be filled with learning moments where God is consistently showing us new things. God wants to astonish us (verse 48 NIV). Frankly, if we are not completely taken aback once in awhile, we probably aren't growing. That doesn't mean we don't have to beware of swallowing every new thing that comes out. But we do need to be open to what God is trying to teach us. None of us has arrived. (Philippians 3:12)

Here comes some more prophecy. Simeon reminds them that the salvation coming wasn't just about Israel. Salvation was "prepared in the sight of all nations (verse 31)." This salvation was to be Israel's glory, but its purpose was also to reveal light to the Gentiles. Simeon tells Mary that there is not only peace and salvation coming, but a sword which will pierce her heart. Anna also prophesies, but we only know she was spreading the message to everyone she could--those who were looking for the redemption of Israel. What exactly she had to say Luke does not tell us. The news is getting out that something unusual was afoot. 

Jesus' "parents" didn't stop with just following the the rituals required right after He was born. They continued by going to the Passover Festival every year. Even before Jesus comes of age, He is found in the Temple dialoging with the teachers of the law. His answers amaze everybody even then. 

In the midst of all this, Luke contrasts Mary's question with Jesus response: 

• Why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. 
• Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?

They didn't understand. They were so used to the relationship of Joseph as the "parent" of Jesus that perhaps they had lost sight of the fact that Jesus needed to learn not only carpentry, but also His true Father's business. There is a gap in the life of Jesus at this point. We are not told much beyond the fact that Jesus maintained an obedient relationship to His parents. We don't know when Joseph died, or how exactly Jesus got His training in the scriptures and Jewish traditions. He will certainly show His knowledge of these in the rest of Luke. 

Even though Jesus was the Son of God, He still "grew in wisdom." He grew in favor with God and man. According to orthodox theology, He is completely God and completely Man. But He grew as a Person.    

The Father speaks: This is My Son 3:1-38

Jesus continued to grow. But His public ministry did not begin until he was "about thirty years old (verse 23)." As prophesied, John the Baptist was not the Messiah, but pointed people to Jesus. Luke uses a passage from Isaiah to show what his vocation was all about. When royalty would travel back then, a large crew of workers would go before them to work on the road so the entourage would have a pleasant experience. The hilly parts and low areas of the roads would be worked on until the roads were as level as possible. The crooked parts of the road would be straightened. John was the messenger going before the caravan telling the people to get the road ready because royalty is coming.   

John's baptism was a sign that people had a transformation of the heart (repentance), and were willing to change their ways. The message was that real transformation will produce evidence (good fruit). It wasn't enough that they were physical children of Abraham. There also needed to have a spiritual transformation. Here are the changes that they needed to make:

• People in general needed to be generous and help the needy.
• Tax collectors should be honest and not take more from the people then the government required.
• Soldiers were to be satisfied with their pay. In other words, they were not to take advantage of their positions to plunder people's livelihoods.  

(John's message was not received by all. Herod became angry about John speaking out about his evils, and had John put in jail. We'll see more about this in chapter 7.)

Jesus Himself was baptized by John, which was the occasion where He was introduced as the Messiah. Everyone thought that Jesus, even though there was something unusual about Him, was just Joseph's son (chapter 4). Joseph is used at the beginning of the genealogy (verses 23-38), even though this probably trances Mary's ancestry, not Joseph's.  But God the Father wanted to use the occasion of His baptism to proclaim that He is the Father of Jesus. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove is the first sign; His voice is the other: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”  (verse 22 NIV) Quite the endorsement. And He will do it again in chapter 9.