Getting to Know Jesus by Name #6: Beloved Son

 

Mark 1:9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus is God's Beloved Son.  At first glance, that just sounds like old King James English, but the term is significant.  It means: "Dearly loved, dear to the heart, very much loved."* The emphasis is on the fact that this Son was not some cheap, lowly-valued object that God sent on a sacrificial mission; this was God's most-valued possession and relationship.  He knows what it is to be loved, so when He gave Himself for us, and offers us the privilege of connection to the Father, He is also able to help us appreciate how much God the Father really does love us.  This is no shallow, rote statement; it is deeply meaningful: God loves us that much, to give His Beloved Son. Do we understand then how much He values us?

(*Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus.)