Untitled Sermon (14)

The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus

Mark 1:9-13

Welcome (Recap)

Good evening! Welcome to Redeemer. If we haven’t met, my name is Connor Coskery and I have the privilege of leading our student ministry. Tonight we are going to continue our study through the gospel according to Mark, so if you have your bible go ahead and turn to Mark, chapter 1. We are going to focus our time on verses 9- 13.

Last week, Joel introduced us to Mark. We learned that Mark was a missionary with Paul and Barnabas, but most notably he was a close friend of the apostle Peter. In Peter’s first letter, Peter describes Mark as his “son”. Mark was a beloved helper and scribe for Peter, which is why most scholars believe that Mark’s account of Jesus’ life is written from the perspective of the apostle Peter.

Last week we looked at the first 8 verses and tonight we are going to look at verses 9 through 13. The first 15 verses serve as “the preface” of Mark’s account of Jesus’ life. In literature, the point of a preface is meant to draw readers in by presenting the purpose of the story about to unfold.

Mark uses these first verses to tell us some really important information about who Jesus is. He is giving us essential information before he moves on to tell us about Jesus’ public ministry, which he gets to really fast.

For those of us who like context, Mark can be challenging. Particularly in the beginning, Mark writes at a fast clip. He doesn’t bog down in ancillary details. He’s straight forward and to the point.

The temptation, at least for me, is to run to the other gospel accounts and cross reference to clear up the parts that get confusing. Tonight, I’m going to try my best not to do that. I’m going to let Mark be Mark, because I really believe that Mark has written his account in this way to give us a picture of who Jesus is. That is what he wants his readers to get!

So, let’s let Mark be Mark and jump in. Last week Joel set the the scene…

We meet John the Baptist, who is described as the long-awaited messenger prophesied by Isaiah and Malachi. This messenger was going to be sent to prepare the way of the LORD.

John the Baptist is in the wilderness, the location the prophets predicted God’s deliverance would begin.

In the wilderness we learn that revival was in full swing. Mark says, “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.”

Repentance, here, is best understood in the general sense. Repentance, very simply, means to “turn around!” So we see mass numbers of Jews responding to John’s call by acknowledging their stiff-necked disobedience and turning around, returning to God.

John, however, makes clear that he is just the messenger. He isn’t the savior. Someone else much greater is coming, who will not merely baptize with water but will bestow the Spirit. And who could be so identified with he Spirit that he has control to command the Spirit? The long anticipated Messiah must be God, himself, in the flesh.

This is the setting of our passage tonight. Read with me Mark 1, verses 9 through 13.

Read Mark 1:9-13

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.

Pastoral Prayer

Introduction

With the scene set, the mood of this moment in is charged with anticipation. We have “the messenger” in “the wilderness” “baptizing in the Jordan River”.

The beginning of Mark is helpful reminder us that the Bible isn’t written and placed in neat and tidy compartments. The Bible is first and foremost a grand story about what God has done and what He promises to do now and into the future.

Mark is communicating, from the very beginning, that if we want to understand who Jesus is, we are going to need our whole bible. Specifically in these first few verses, Mark wants his readers to remember the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah was an important prophet to God’s people. He prophesied during a time of great upheaval in Israel’s history. As rival nations were conquering surrounding territories, Isaiah prophesied about God’s deliverance. Isaiah offers a sweeping vision where God is very active in saving, redeeming, and restoring his people.

Isaiah prophesied that God himself would rescue his people, that a messenger would come: “…[to] make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (Isa 40:3-5).”

It’s actually Isaiah who first coins the phrase “good news or gospel.” God’s people had been waiting for this good news of God’s glory, deliverance, and redemption, to arrive (Isa 61:1).

Soon after meeting John the Baptist we are introduced to Jesus of Nazareth and in five short verses Mark brings the sweeping promises of the past into the present. Verses 9 through 13 show us that the waiting is finally over. The promised Rescuer has arrived.

These verses describe two important moments for Jesus, just before he begins his public ministry — Jesus’ baptism and his temptation in the wilderness. During our time tonight, I’d like walk through these verses slowly.

What you are going to see is that Jesus isn’t what the Israelites expected when they imagined the Messiah. They were tempted just like we are to create their own personal messiah in their own image. Jesus might not be the Savior they expected, but what he shows is that He is the Savior that we need.

Jesus Baptism

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

In the midst of this revival we meet Jesus who has come from Nazareth. If you don’t know much about Nazareth, you aren’t alone, neither did most people at that time. The town of Nazareth was a backwoods settlement in Galilee. The town of Nazareth receives no mention in non-Christian sources from the Roman Period, meaning it was likely a town only known by the locals.

For as dramatic of a moment this is, Mark tells us very matter-of-fact that In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

It’s easy to read this familiar verse and miss the scandal of it. You aren’t wrong if reading these verses give you pause and ask:

Wait a minute —Why? John is giving a baptism of repentance. Jesus was not a sinner, and he did not need to repent! What is Jesus doing in that water?

The answer is Jesus is identifying with the need of the people that he has come to save.

Imagine this moment. In the midst of such a revival, droves of people were coming from all over to be dipped by John in the Jordan river to be cleansed both literally of their filth and symbolically of their sins. Every type of person is likely represented — rich, poor, afflicted, destitute. This water was probably filthy as all the dirt and muck and impurities were literally washed from their bodies.

And Jesus says, “I want in that water.” Jesus enters the water to take on the filth of his people. Before he even begins his public ministry he is preparing them for the salvation He will bring. It won’t look like great political conquest, but instead like a beautiful exchange where, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21).”

When you place your faith in Jesus, this exchange takes place immediately. Your sins are washed from you and placed on Jesus. You are no longer defined by your mistakes. You are relived of the pressure to get your act together. You are washed and made clean.

The way we do baptism here at Redeemer allows us to visualize the drama that takes place. We walk into the baptismal pool and vow to follow Jesus with all our hearts, souls, and strength. There isn’t something mystical or magical with the water. And the promise isn’t contingent on our obedience but we are secure in the Fathers arms because the perfect obedience of the Son. In baptism, going under the water means dying with Jesus, and coming out of the water means rising with Him to newness of life.

The ritual aspect of it can feel intimidating, but when I am preparing those for baptism I do my best to remind them that this is a moment of great celebration. Both for those being baptized and those watching, we remember the incredible exchange of the gospel - our sin is drowned in those waters and we are clothed in righteousness.

So, Jesus is baptized in order to fully identify with the people he came to save. But Jesus’ baptism was not an ordinary baptism. Look at verses 10 and 11.

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.”

Mark describes the heaven’s being “torn open.” This is a very unusual and rare word that Mark uses for two reasons. First, it connects back to Isaiah’s prophecy that God would come to save his people: “…Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down.” He’s declaring again that He is here!

Second, this phrase “torn open” foreshadows what’s going to happen in the future. The next time Mark uses this word is when Jesus is on the cross and the temple curtain is “torn” in two. The curtain had been a symbol of humanity separation from God. So, first the heavens are torn and God comes to us. Then later the curtain is torn so that we can go to God.

Next, the holy spirit descends upon Jesus like a dove and the voice of God the Father calls out “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

We’ve heard the testimony of the prophet Isaiah (vv. 1-2). We’ve heard the testimony of John the Baptist (vv. 7-8) and now we hear the testimony of God the Father as he declares that Jesus of Nazareth is in fact the Son of God.

But not just the Son of God…In this brief statement God the Father weaves two Old Testament texts together — Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42 — to say that Jesus is both God’s Son and the promised Suffering Servant, who would bear the sins of God’s people.

Scholars have commented:“the Father’s testimony [here] provides the structural framework for all of Mark. The powerful Son of God (Mark 1-8) is also the Suffering Servant (Mark 8-16). Throughout the book of Mark people struggle mightily to put those two aspects of Jesus’ identity together. But the Father does it seamlessly. His testimony highlights how he is going to address his rebellious world: the divine Son has come to be the suffering servant.”

The phrase “beloved son” would have also reminded the Israelites of another important moment in their history — God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, whom he loved (Gen 22:2).

[If you remember, Abraham and Sarah are given incredible promises but can’t have kids. It isn’t until they are really old that God provides them a child — Isaac. And then God tests Abraham by commanding him to take Isaac to the top of Mount Moriah (later Jerusalem) a sacrifice him. Right before the Abraham sacrifices Isaac God commands him to stop and provides a ram to serve as a substitute]

It’s subtle, but by describing Jesus as God’s beloved Son he is preparing the people that this Son will also suffer as a sacrifice. And it will take the rest of Mark to fully understand how all of this comes about, particularly Jesus’ death and resurrection.

But God the Father’s testimony — what he declares to Jesus — has massive implications for you and me.

Because if Jesus is truly God’s Son and if he is the promised suffering servant, sent to bear the sins of his people then he is a savior that can really save.

Unlike the messiah they anticipated He identifies with his people fully He rewrites Israel and Our story

Being “in Christ” means whatever God said about His Son, He says about me… He looks at me and loves me, like a father delights in his children