Luke 9:56 says the Son of Man has not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. 1 John 3:20 says even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts. In today’s word we hear the Father say to His Son, Jesus, “This is my beloved Son; hear Him.” This is the voice of God concerning His sons and daughters, and we know that God (Adonai) is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should change His mind. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, and in Him we have sonship through salvation, which is why we can say, “As He is, so are we in this world.”
Thereafter in Luke 9:38 we see the picture of a desperate father pleading with Jesus to heal his only son, highlighting faith, urgency, and recognition of Jesus’ authority. It is a striking parallel: as this father recognized Jesus, he came pleading for his only son’s life. It mirrors how God the Father looked upon us, sending His only begotten Son to the cross so that we could become sons and daughters in Christ Jesus.
When we know in whom we believe, we hold fast to John 3:16, knowing that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. We have life in Christ Jesus for eternity as long as we believe in Him. And every time we doubt the love of God for us, it is a powerful picture to remember that desperate father in the crowd calling out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.” We all need His healing grace.