The Baptism of Jesus
Journey to The Cross • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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We are currently in the season of Lent.
We began this season with Ash Wednesday and read Matthews account of Jesus in the wilderness.
Jesus wilderness temptation where he fasts for 40 days in devotion to His father to prepare Him for ministry and facing Satan.
So too Christians developed the tradition of Lent.
Lent is a season of confession, repentance, and prayer.
The motivation is holiness, or living a life God can bless.
To live Christ-like lives in a world corrupted with sin!
With this is in mind I felt inspired to take us on Jesus’ journey to the cross.
In these next few weeks considering significant moments in the Life of Jesus leading up to the cross and resurrection Sunday.
We will spend our time in the gospel of Mark, and where appropriate include the other gospel accounts of the same event to get a fuller picture.
The first significant event is the baptism of Jesus and wilderness temptation.
Do you remember the day you were baptized?
Mine was July 4th, 1983 — Tell story and my conversation with Aunt Mel.
Baptisms are significant, and our Lord’s is no different
Our text this morning is Chair Bible pg. 669
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him;
11 and a voice came from the heavens: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
12 And immediately the Spirit brought Him out into the wilderness.
13 And He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving Him.
Which we have read already
Are you ready for the message God has for us today?
Great let’s dig in!
The Gospel of immediately
The Gospel of immediately
First we should know it is understood by many that Mark’s Gospel is the account given to him by the apostle Peter.
There are certain events recorded that make more sense in this light.
The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law — Mark 1:29-31
A key word in the gospel of Mark is immediately.
Appearing 39 times just in this gospel.
The word means without delay, or hesitation, no intervening time.
It will become obvious how important this word is on our journey.
There is an immediacy in the gospel its self as it begins with John the baptist and hurriedly takes us into the public ministry of Jesus in Galilee
The account of Jesus baptism opens with telling us that Jesus traveled from Nazareth to the Jordan specifically to be baptized by John the Baptist.
This simple allusion to the home town of Jesus can get lost on us if we read to fast.
Think about the words of Nathaniel in John 1:46
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Just take this in, there are no prophecies of the Messiah coming from Nazareth, nor is the town in any prophecy concerning the Messiah.
Just think of the shock on the 1st Century readers of the Marks’ gospel. Especially, Jews familiar with the Messianic prophecies.
Another stand out is that Jesus is baptized.
Even John, according to Matthew protested the baptism of Jesus
14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?”
15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
I think we are just as shocked as Mark’s first readers that a man who had knew no sin would need to be baptized!
Yet so important is this event that all four gospels mention it.
In our passage we again see the immediacy because Mark does not spend a lot of time on the baptism either.
What does Mark tell us?
What does Mark tell us?
There is a missing phrase where the NASB does not translate a Greek word in. The text, I don’t know why.
Notice a different translation Mark 1:9
9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
The “It came to pass” is missing.
It helps to know where we are in the passage because Mark opens with a brief account of the ministry of John the Baptist.
So that it can read, “It came about in the days of John the Baptist’s ministry that Jesus left Nazareth, traveling to the Jordan to be baptized by John.”
The words in this passage also tell us something else. This really did happen!
This is a reality — Develop
Also our word “immediately” appears twice in this passage.
Verse 10 — Develop
Verse 12 — Develop
Also what did Jesus see?
“Opened” — to be forcefully or violently divided into parts, pieces, or factions.
To cleave, to shatter, to tear!
WOW! This is almost like a passage out of Revelation, but it is so important!
The use of the word “opened” means divine revelation is coming.
1 Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down, That the mountains would quake at Your presence—
1 Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
The vale between heaven and earth was tore open and the Spirit of God descends.
Then a voice is heard saying Mark 1:11
11 and a voice came from the heavens: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Two Old Testament passages are quoted:
1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
7 “I will announce the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have fathered You.
This establishes the divine authority of Jesus which will be seen in Mark’s account of the ministry of Jesus.
Jesus is part of the Trinity!
Father, Son, and Spirit are in this passage!
What is the purpose of the Baptism of Jesus?
What is the purpose of the Baptism of Jesus?
This is a legitimate question.
First it served as a sign for John to know who the Messiah was — John 1:32-34
32 And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.
33 And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
It then serves as certification of who Jesus is as testified by the John the Baptist — John 1:29-30
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is He in behalf of whom I said, ‘After me is coming a Man who has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’
It also connects Jesus with all those who come after Him, connecting with them in baptism as He Himself is the example to follow.
On author noted: “In submitting to Baptism of repentance for the remission of sins Jesus identifies with sinners and becomes their substitute representative, symbolically undergoing the washing of water on their behalf in prophetic anticipation of His Baptism in death by which sins are atoned.”
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
That is where this event then connects with us.
We follow the steps of Jesus into the waters of baptism as we declare our faith in him, who washed our sins way, and in like manner to his death burial and resurrection we declare that we are reborn into new life in Jesus.
Conclusion:
This account of Mark though short is so very powerful.
Mark points out that immediately after this Jesus was taken into the wilderness by the Spirit.
I thought about something where this connect Jesus as the Messiah to Israel.
First isn’t interesting to consider Moses spent forty years in the wilderness before being called by God to lead Isreal.
Then Israel spent forty years in the wilderness wondering and being tempted and often failing.
Then Jesus spends forty days, perhaps one day for every year, in preparation for His ministry and does what Israel could not, tempted but without sin.
Then it also connects with us when we go through season of wilderness — Hebrews 4:15
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.
He knows what we go through!