The blessing before the performance
A teaching for fathers · Matthew 3:16–17
16As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
Context
Jesus was about thirty and had not yet preached, healed anyone or called disciples. He goes down to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, along with the people. As he comes out of the water, the Father, the Son and the Spirit appear together in the same scene. The words from heaven echo Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42, texts about the king and the servant chosen by God.
What the Bible teaches
Before any miracle, the Father speaks: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” The order matters. Love and approval come before ministry, before performance, before the temptation in the wilderness that would come right after (Matthew 4). Jesus faces the tempter knowing who he is.
Many children grow up trying to earn a sentence like that. They chase good grades, wins in sports, professional success, and never heard: you are my child, I love you, I delight in you. In the Bible, to bless is to declare out loud the good God wants for someone. Parents can and should do this. It isn’t praise for results; it’s an affirmation of identity.
Three elements fit into a father’s blessing: belonging (my son), love (beloved) and joy (well pleased). Say it to the difficult child too, to the one who disappointed you, to the teenager shut in their room. A blessing doesn’t approve everything they do; it declares who they are to you. If you never heard this from your own father, you can break that cycle, and you can hear that voice first from God himself, who calls those who believe in Christ his beloved children.
In practice
This week, tell each child, looking them in the eye and for no special reason, a three-part sentence: you are my son (my daughter), I love you, I delight in you. If they’re far away, write it.
To talk about
What sentence would you like to hear more often from the people you love?
Prayer
Father, you told your Son he was loved before he did any work. Teach me to bless my children like that, without waiting for them to deserve it. Heal in me the blessings I never received, so that I don’t pass on the silence. Amen.
See also: The Baptism.