Proclamations of love have always stirred a varied kind of emotion. Some are embarrassed, some can’t stop laughing, others blush or cry. But one emotion that most people can’t identify right off the bat, is the feeling of certainty. To be loved publicly adds to our own sense of self-worth.
Now imagine being Jesus, Christ Himself in human form, who needs no reminder of His worth, might I add! Imagine the certainty He felt when His Father tore the heavens apart in today’s gospel to say, ” This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Such a public display of affection affirms why Jesus had the certainty and strength to carry out His Father’s will. He was affirmed of His Father’s love. Love makes you do the craziest things! That very love is what brought Him to His cross and that same love transcends the cross and touches our lives everyday.
Each new day given to us is just another opportunity to acknowledge the public displays of affection our Lord orchestrates. And like Jesus, we should be affirmed of our Lord’s love for each of us, individually & collectively, and from that love we should draw the same certainty that motivated the beginning of one of the greatest displays of affection known to man; the public ministry that ensured our salvation.