Last week we heard about the nature of who
Jesus is from John who was the latest of the gospel writers; his recounting of
the events of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, was the final
one written. This week, we are looking at a passage, which is found at the
beginning of Mark; Mark’s gospel being the last one to have been written.
The Mark’s gospel begins like this, “The
beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ.” Mark in his book is attempting present
to all who will listen, who Jesus is, as well as the purpose of his life, his
teachings, his death and his resurrection. As the first gospel writer, he would
have been the first person to record accurately the events of Jesus’ life. John
is pulling back the curtain and revealing the man of mystery behind it, whom
he, as well as so many others, had come to know as the Messiah, the one and
only true Son of God, who was himself God. In many ways, Mark is saying, “So
here is Jesus. Perhaps we have all heard a little about him; rumors, snippet of
his sayings and teachings perhaps, the thing a friend of a friend of a friend
might tell you, but draw close, and I will tell you who he really is. I will
let you know the truth of the man behind the legend.”
As he begins his story, Mark almost
immediately moves into this passage here. The good news, the gospel, begins
with Jesus being baptized. And Jesus’ baptism begins with, John the Baptizer,
out in the desert, looking and acting like Elijah, crying out for the people of
Israel to prepare the way for the Lord, and proclaiming a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins. The implication being, by being baptized in this
way a person is making preparations for the coming of the Lord, which John is
declaring as imminent.
The baptism he is offering is a water
baptism, to be done for the forgiveness of sins. This baptism marks the preparation
the person wishes to make in their lives, through the repentance of sin. John’s
baptism is the outward sign of the person’s repentance, and confession of sin
and the marking of the inward work of God, in a person’s life through
forgiveness. John preaches, saying all those accepting and participating in
this baptism are preparing for the coming of the one who will come after him,
who is not merely another prophet to follow him, but who is one whom John is
not even worthy to untie the thong on his sandal. This One for whom they are
preparing, whom John is proclaiming, will come after him and will not baptize
with water, as John is baptizing, but will instead baptize with the power of the
Holy Spirit. With his words and his call, John is proclaiming the coming of the
Lord's messiah, and is calling for the people to make ready their hearts and
lives for him.
Then, suddenly Jesus is there. Jesus
appears on the scene, and is baptized by John. “In those days Jesus came from
Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” Mark has had an eight-verse
lead up and then, bam, one short sentence; Jesus is introduced, and comes to
John and is baptized. Out of all the Gospel writers, Mark is the one who gives
the briefest account of almost everything (if Marks spends more words on
something than Matthew or Luke you should slow down, and really pay attention
to what it is Mark is saying). Mark is not much on the details, or elaborating.
Mark will not give you two words when only one will do. So, in concise Markan
fashion, he presents the facts in their rawest and most concise form. Jesus arrives
on the scene, is baptized and then the Heavens are ripped open, from which the
voice comes declaring that this is the Son God.
But, since Mark’s telling of these events
are so concise I need to be careful not to just bowl on ahead and skip over what
is perhaps the most frequently asked question of any of the gospel accounts of
Jesus’ baptism, the question, “Why?” “Why does Jesus come to John to be
baptized?” “Why would Jesus participate in this baptism for the forgiveness of
sins?” “Why is Jesus being baptized when John is baptizing people to help
prepare them for the coming messiah, who is Jesus?” “Why does one who has no
sins to confess; who does not need to be forgiven; who all these others are being
baptized in preparation for, come and get baptized?” “Why does Jesus participate
in something which does all these things, he does not need to do?”
Let us begin to unravel this question by talking
about baptism. Baptism is an outward action serving as a sign of that which God
has and is doing inwardly in a person’s life. John baptized people who had
repented and had confessed their sins, and whom God forgave. Baptism was an
outward sign of the forgiveness God was giving the person inwardly, it was an
outward sign of the relationship God has with the person who is baptized.
So what does it mean for Jesus to be baptized?
First, it is important to note, Jesus does not come to John to repent and
confess his sins. Mark says nothing of him doing this or needing to do this. Nor does he tell us God needed to forgive him
of anything. Jesus does not seem to be coming as a response to the message John
is giving. So, if baptism is an outward sign of something God is doing
inwardly. What then would God being doing inwardly in the life of Jesus here?
Baptism is a sign of the inward relationship a person has with God and the work
God is doing in their lives because of this relationship. In order for God to
begin to be at work, most people would first need to repent, confess, and then be
forgiven of their sins in order to be in right relationship with God, but we
have already noted Jesus has nothing for which he would need to repent, confess,
and be forgiven. He has lived a sinless life. He was already living in right
relationship with the Father. We have
already established, it is not the baptism itself, which does anything, but it
is simply a sign of the grace of God at work inwardly in a person. The baptism
of Jesus is therefore an outward sign of the inward grace of God, for Jesus,
just as it is for any of us. The main difference being, Jesus is already experiencing,
close and personal relationship with God, the Father. His baptism is a sign of
his relationship with God.
After coming to this understanding, it is
interesting then to note what happens after Jesus is baptized. The Heavens are
torn open and the Spirit descends on him as a dove. Now, in modern
Christianity, the dove has come to be associated with the Spirit, because of
this event right here, but to John and any other who might have also witnessed
this event, they did not immediately think of the Spirit when they saw a dove.
The dove, for them would have been a symbol for the community of Israel. In effect,
the dove descending upon Jesus, told all those who observed Jesus was the
epitome of what it meant to be a member of the people of God, living in right
relationship with God. The dove would have been a symbolic way of indicating
Jesus is living the way, God desires for people to live. The dove is revealing
Jesus as the prototypical child of God, living in total obedience to God.
Not only do we have the Holy Spirit in the
form of a dove descending upon Jesus, but there is also the voice of God, heard
speaking, revealing who Jesus is. The voice of God coming from the Heavens
saying, Jesus is not only the prime example of what it means to be living as a
member of God's people, but he is also God's beloved Son, AND in him God is
well pleased. What an amazing statement indeed! Even if we just take it at face
value, this is significant, but there is more going on here than we might be
able to see on the surface.
In the ancient Middle East, they knew very
little about reproduction, that all that entailed, but they did know it was
possible for a person to be born of a woman, yet not belonging to the husband,
so every child had to be claimed as a legitimate child by their father. Therefore,
on the eighth day after a child was born the father would claim the child and
name the child. The father would stand before the members of the community and
say, "This is my beloved child," and then the father would name the
child.
So Jesus is baptized, and as he comes up
out of the water, the heavens split open and the voice of God is heard claiming
Jesus as son. This moment is pregnant with so much meaning and so much
symbolism. It is a moment, in which we have this outward sign of Jesus’ inward
relationship with God. It is also a moment, which serves to proclaim Jesus as
the prime example of what it means for a person to live in right relationship
with God, setting Jesus, life and teachings up as the pattern for all to follow
from this time forward. Finally, it is a moment in which God claims Jesus as
beloved son, with whom God is pleased.
Jesus is standing in the river, the water
running down off his face and his bear, he is dripping having just come up out
of the water. The Spirit then comes descending
upon him in the form of a dove. Through his baptism, he is outwardly
proclaiming his inward and intimate relationship with God, the same
relationship God desires to have with each of us, and then God declares Jesus
to be beloved Son. Mark, through his brilliant conciseness, is saying so much,
while saying so very little.
Mark begins his gospel declaring, this is
the beginning of the good news. For Mark the beginning of the “good news, is
Jesus’ baptism. In the baptism, without Jesus saying a single word, the good
news begins to be proclaimed. With the baptism of Jesus, we have standing in
the water the very One who brings all of humanity into right relationship with
God. Jesus is the only human who has lived fully in right relationship with
God. As such, he is the proto-type of what it looks like truly to live a
Christian life. All others who desire to be a part of the people of God, are to
pattern their lives after him, using his actions, interactions, the way he
communicates with those around him and his teachings as the pattern on which to
pattern our own.
Before Jesus begins to live out that example,
without preaching a sermon or saying a word, through sign and act of God, his
true nature and purpose is revealed. Mark, who never minces words, or uses flowery
words, has recorded this, in straight and simple language, for us all to hear
and to understand, so the good news of the truth of the gospel can be revealed
to us, so our eyes can be opened and we can see who Jesus really is. We need
only to look at the sopping wet Jesus to see him revealed as the one who has
come to bring salvation to us all, so that we might all have the relationship
with the Father that he has.
The baptism of Jesus, an event which on the
surface seems so strange and unneeded, is an event which reveals to us, at the
beginning of Jesus ministry, the beginning of the proclamation of the good
news, exactly what Jesus is all about. His life, his death, his ministry here
on earth is all about standing in the gap, so we might live in total obedience
to God, so we too might know what it means to live, to really and truly live as
the people of God, full of the spirit of God and free of all sin.
Let us rejoice today! The Jesus who is and
was, has always been God, one with the Father (as we heard from the beginning
of John’s gospel last week), came to this earth, was baptized, ministered and
died, so we might all know God and live in perfect relationship with God, just
as Jesus did. Let all of us who have been baptized walk daily with God
remembering God is at work inwardly in all of our lives filling us with his grace,
allowing us to walk in right relationship with him.
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