Project 119: Mark 1:9-15
| Project 119
“God’s Beloved Son”
As far as we know, Jesus spent most of His life in Nazareth before embarking on the ministry that would take Him to Calvary. Nazareth was a sleepy village in Galilee, not the sort of place from which anyone would have expected the Messiah to come. But the mention of Jesus coming from Galilee down to Judea to be baptized by John foreshadows the movement of Mark’s gospel.
John’s baptism was not necessary for Jesus to undergo because of any sin Jesus needed to confess and be forgiven for. Rather, His baptism in the Jordan symbolizes Jesus’ commitment to God’s mission, one that will eventually lead Him to the cross. Jesus’ willingness to give public testimony to His dedication to such a mission, regardless of its cost, is a testimony for all disciples to follow. It is why we Baptists interpret the ordinance of baptism as a public testimony of our faith and “the first step of our obedience.”
As John lifts Jesus from the water (a symbol of resurrection), the “tearing apart” of the heavens is a sign of how God’s new age of salvation has come to pass in the person of Jesus. The astute reader will keep this passage in mind when reading the last chapter and the way the temple curtain will also be torn apart as a signal of God’s new day (Mark 15:38). Moreover, the descent of the dove reflects God’s approval of Jesus. At the baptism of Jesus, all three persons of the Trinity are present: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is as if the fullness of God’s being celebrates the work that Jesus is about to do.
But no sooner does Jesus emerge from the waters of baptism than the same Spirit that descended upon Him in the Jordan drives Him into the nearby wilderness to be tempted of Satan. Granted, Mark’s temptation account is briefer than those in the other gospels. Nonetheless, the emphasis on the 40 days (Mark 1:13) recalls the experience of Moses in the desert and the period of testing through which God’s people had to go on their journey to Canaan (Exodus 23:18, 34:28). Mark adds how it wasn’t just Satan that Jesus had to contend with. There were also “wild animals” (Mark 1:14). But God kept Jesus safe in the face of all His trials by means of angels, even as God’s angels also had attended the children of Israel during their wilderness sojourn.
What’s important for us to note in this text is that even God’s “beloved Son” had to undergo a period of testing. Far from being a manifestation of God’s wrath, this time proved to be one of preparation for the mission God sent Jesus to fulfill. The next time you go through a difficult period, instead of seeing it as God’s displeasure, ask yourself how you might be strengthened from it for the work God has for you to do. The same Spirit that accompanied Jesus is also with you. You have nothing to fear. The reality of your tribulation may in fact be the best evidence of God’s pleasure with you and His confidence that you are a worthy servant for His mission in the world.
Mark 1:9-15 (ESV):
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.”
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”