The birth certificate

I'm sure by now you've seen it. It would be almost impossible not to; it's all over the news. President Barack Obama has released his Hawaii birth certificate hoping to satisfy critics once and for all that he's a U.S. citizen. A man's origin came into question, and some official proof was needed to settle the argument.

That got me thinking, something very similar happens to Jesus in the Gospel of John. The Jews accuse Jesus of being a fake, a fraud, an impostor. They seriously doubt whether He is the Son of God. After all, there is no certified paper with these words:

Name: Jesus Christ
Heavenly Father: God
Biological Mother: Mary
Conceived By: Holy Spirit
Birth Date: Existed Before the Foundation of the World
Physical Place of Birth: Bethlehem in Judea

So, how can God prove to mankind that Jesus is truly His Son? He does it at the very outset of Jesus' public ministry, when Jesus is baptized. And John the Baptist is standing by to report the event for us:

“I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." (Jn. 1:32-34)

When no birth certificate is available to verify His Son, God does something even better. He speaks audibly from heaven, He sends down His Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and He puts John on the scene to witness and report the events for us. 

If there was ever a question about Obama's origin, today's release of the birth certificate would seem to settle the case. And if there was ever a question about Jesus' origin, John chapter 1 provides all the proof we need to believe that Jesus is truly the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, we would have life in His name (Jn. 20:30-31).