Jesus and His Baptism

Introduction

Good morning and welcome to Countryside Vineyard! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Joe Fager, one of the pastors here.

Today we’re continuing our study of The Gospel According to Mark by looking at Mark’s account of the baptism of Jesus, found in verses 9–11 of chapter 1. So if you have your Bible, please open to Mark 1:9–11.

We’re going to answer some fundamental questions this morning—questions like: Why did Jesus need to be baptized? What’s with all the imagery here—the heavens being torn open, the Spirit descending like a dove and resting on Jesus, and that voice from heaven declaring, “You are My beloved Son”? What’s going on here, and why does Mark include these details—especially since his account leaves out what the other Gospels include and adds things they don’t?

Let’s look closely at this all-important moment in Jesus’ life and ministry, and see what God is revealing to us through it.

If you remember last week, Bill talked about verse 1—where Mark says, “The beginning of the gospel (the good news) of Jesus the Messiah.” These first fifteen verses form Mark’s prologue—his introduction—where he’s saying, “This is who Jesus is.”

As I studied these three verses, I noticed something remarkable: even though Mark rarely quotes the Old Testament, his gospel is saturated with it. He writes in layers. A Jewish reader would recognize the echoes of Scripture immediately—but even a Gentile, unfamiliar with those texts, could still understand the story and feel its power.

In these few short verses, Mark weaves together the language of creation, redemption, exodus, conquest, and prophecy. His writing breathes with the life of Israel’s story, fulfilled and embodied in Jesus.

Here, Mark presents the very Jewish Messiah to a Roman world, and at the same time shows that Jesus is greater than Rome’s emperor—greater than the world’s power structures, greater than any false “son of god.”

Because in this scene, God Himself tears open heaven, sends His Spirit, and declares Jesus as the true Son of God.

And that revelation isn’t meant to just inform us—it demands something from us. If God tore heaven open to draw near through Jesus, then we must open our hearts to Him. If the Father spoke that day, we can’t pretend we didn’t hear. This passage calls us to attention, to obedience, to worship—to surrender our lives to the One the Father delights in.

The Triune God tore heaven ______open__________ to draw near through Jesus—so I must open my _______heart__________ to Him, surrender fully to His love, and walk in His _______ways__________________.

So today we’re not just studying the baptism of Jesus—we’re standing beneath an open heaven, hearing the same voice that spoke that day. Let’s ask God to speak it fresh over us now.

(pause)

Father, open Your Word to us today. Tear open our hearts like You tore open the heavens that day. Let Your Spirit rest on us as He rested on Jesus. And may we hear Your voice afresh—calling us sons and daughters, fully loved, fully Yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.

I. Submission (v. 9)

Mark 1:9 “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”

This is such a simple sentence, but it’s loaded. Jesus shows up, seemingly out of nowhere, from a small, obscure town in Galilee. Nothing fancy. No fanfare. No royal announcement. Just a carpenter walking out to a wild prophet standing knee-deep in muddy water.

Think about it—John’s baptism was for repentance (verse 4). It was a public confession of sin. And yet here comes the one person who has no sin to confess.

Why? Why does the sinless Son of God submit to a baptism of repentance?

He’s identifying with us. He steps into the same water as the sinners. He’s not standing on the bank shouting, “You all need to repent!” He’s in the water, standing shoulder to shoulder with us.

Already—before the cross—Jesus is showing us the heart of God: He’s not distant. He’s not ashamed to stand where we stand. He goes down into the waters of our world to lift us up out of them.

Philippians 2 says He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant.” Here, we see it in action. The Servant-King goes ____low___ before He goes high.

And that’s how every real ministry begins. Not by climbing higher, but by stepping lower. He identifies with the broken, not the proud. He begins His public work with humility, not spectacle.

Application: If the first thing Jesus did in His ministry was go low—to identify with the guilty—how can we think we’ll follow Him any other way? Real revival begins in humility. Real power begins in surrender.

II. Heaven Torn (v. 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.”

Now, Mark’s language here is unique. Matthew and Luke say the heavens “opened.” But Mark uses a much stronger word: “torn open.” (Greek: schizomenous – from which we get “schism.”)

This isn’t a polite opening of the clouds. This is a violent ripping—like God can’t hold Himself back any longer.

And you have to catch this: The only other time Mark uses that same Greek word is at the crucifixion—when the veil of the temple was torn in two (Mark 15:38).

At the beginning of the Gospel, heaven is torn open for Jesus. At the end, the veil is torn open for us.

Heaven opened at His baptism so that it could stay open at our salvation.

This is not just poetic—it’s prophetic. Isaiah 64:1 said, “Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down!” And right here, in the Jordan River, God answers that ancient prayer.

And this would have been even more strong to a Roman hearing this for the first time.

“When a Roman heard that the heavens were torn open, they’d feel the chill of cosmic disruption.

To them, this meant the gods were on the move, history was about to change. And they were right—except it wasn’t Mars or Jupiter coming down in wrath. It was the God of heaven stepping into human history—not to destroy, but to redeem. Heaven ripped open… and love came through.

In Rome, when the emperor’s star appeared in the sky, it meant a new ‘son of god’ had taken the throne. But in Mark, God Himself tears the heavens and descends like a dove.

This isn’t the rise of another Caesar. This is the beginning of new creation.”

If you’ve walked with God a while, you’ll spot the patterns—creation, exodus, promise. If you’re brand new, you still catch the headline: heaven opens, Spirit comes, Father speaks. Mark feeds both at once.

The heavens tear, and the Holy Spirit descends—heaven invades earth. It’s as if God is saying, “I’m not staying up here anymore.” The separation is ending. The invasion has begun.

And notice how the Holy Spirit comes—like a dove. That’s not random. Where do we first see a dove in Scripture? Genesis 8—Noah sends out a dove, and it finds rest only when judgment is over and peace has come.

Here, too, the dove finds rest—on Jesus. Judgment and peace meet in Him. He’s the place where the Spirit rests, because He’s the one who brings peace between God and man.

So the same Spirit who hovered at creation, who filled prophets, priests, and kings, who rested on Jesus in the Jordan— but not just on Jesus, but in Jesus now resides in you.

And when that Spirit comes, He doesn’t come quietly.

He doesn’t come to patch—He comes to crucify and raise (Rom 6:4–11).

He doesn’t tidy our chaos—He speaks, and new creation begins (Gen 1:2–3; 2 Cor 4:6).

He doesn’t make the flesh stronger—He gives a new heart and a new Spirit within (Ezek 36:26–27).

He doesn’t just fill us—He indwells us as His temple (1 Cor 6:19; Eph 2:22).

The Spirit’s presence in Jesus was the Father’s way of saying,

“Everything you need for your mission is already in you.”

And believer, that’s true for you too. The same Spirit who came upon Jesus comes to live within you. The same power that ripped open heaven now fills your heart. And when the Spirit comes, He doesn’t just mark you—He equips you. He gives you gifts. He gives you boldness. He turns ordinary fishermen into apostles, and frightened disciples into witnesses.

Mark wants his readers to know— the Holy Spirit isn’t a luxury for the super-spiritual. He’s the lifeline for every follower of Jesus.

That’s why this scene matters so much: When heaven tore open, the Spirit didn’t just descend for a moment; He descended to remain. He came to stay, to rest, to empower, and to reveal the Son.

The heavens are _______torn________ open (v. 10). The Spirit descends _______into________ Him like a dove and _________remains________ on Him (John 1:32–33). New creation begins (Gen 1:2; 2 Cor 5:17).

Because that’s what the Spirit does. He doesn’t draw attention to Himself— He points to Jesus. He empowers you so that through you, the world can see Jesus.

And that brings us to what happens next. Heaven is open, the Spirit has descended, and now— the Father speaks.

Because the Spirit always prepares the way for the voice of the Father.

III. Father Speaks (v. 11)

“And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.’”

This is the moment of divine affirmation—heaven’s public declaration. The Son is in the water, the Spirit is descending, and the Father is speaking. All three Persons of the Trinity, manifest in one scene.

And what does the Father say? Before Jesus ever preaches a sermon, heals a leper, or calls a disciple—before He performs a single miracle—He hears,

“You are My beloved Son. In You I am well pleased.”

Identity before activity. Sonship before service. Belovedness before ministry.

We often live like we need to earn that voice. “If I can just do enough, then God will be pleased.” But the Gospel flips that completely: Because of Jesus, we start from the place of the Father’s pleasure.

Application: Can you imagine living every day from that place—knowing you are already fully loved and fully accepted in Christ? That’s what it means to live “in Him.”

The Triune God Revealed

And here—right here in the Jordan—we see the fullness of God on display. The Son stands in the water, the Spirit descends and rests on Him, and the Father speaks from heaven. Mark isn’t trying to explain the Trinity; he’s simply recording what happened. He didn’t have to force a doctrine into the text—this is just who God is.

In one breathtaking moment, the curtain lifts, and we glimpse the eternal relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit acting together in perfect unity. The Father delights in the Son. The Spirit empowers the Son. The Son obeys the Father.

This is not a distant, abstract doctrine—this is relationship in motion. Love flowing between Father, Son, and Spirit—and now, by grace, that same love is extended to us. When heaven tore open, God wasn’t revealing three gods. He was revealing the one God who has always been love, and who now invites us into that love.

IV. Open Hearts (Close)

When Jesus came up out of that water, heaven tore open. When He hung upon that cross, the veil tore open. And through both, God was saying,

“I’m coming to dwell with My people again.”

The same Spirit that descended on Jesus now lives in you. The same voice that declared Him beloved declares you beloved.

So the question today isn’t, Will God open heaven for me? He already did. The question is: Will you open your heart to Him?

And that is the question.

You see what we see here in the Jordan demands a response from you.

You aren’t here to sit and hear a pithy preacher, no preaching by definition is supposed to challenge you, to make you want to do something, inspire if you will.

When God tears the heavens, you don’t get to stay neutral.

This isn’t a pretty vision—it’s a summons.

The Father’s voice doesn’t echo through history so we can nod politely; it’s calling for a response.

If Jesus really is the beloved Son in whom God is pleased, then our only right response is to give Him our full attention, as Hebrews says: “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away” (Heb. 2:1).

His revelation demands that I agree with Him—that I see things the way He sees them.

“Isaiah condemned Judah’s moral inversion—calling evil good and good evil (Isa 5:20). The New Testament tells us this same inversion will characterize the last days (2 Tim 3:1–5; Rom 1:24–32). So Isaiah’s warning is as relevant now as ever.”

It demands that I obey Him—that I step where He steps.

Revelation is never just something to admire—it’s something to submit to.

Down into the water, up again—Jesus is already pointing to a cross and an empty tomb.

The Joy Set Before Him (Gospel Call)

Hebrews 12:2 says,

“For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.”

What was that joy? It wasn’t escape from pain. It wasn’t earthly glory or power. It was you—the people the Father would give Him.

He looked past the thorns, past the nails, past the shame… and He saw you.

Isaiah 53:11 says,

“After He has suffered, He will see the fruit of His labor and be satisfied.” Satisfied—because His suffering would bring sons and daughters home to the Father.

Jesus endured the cross knowing what John 6:37 says:

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.”

He went willingly, because Ephesians 5 tells us,

“Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, to make her holy… to present her to Himself in splendor.”

And one day, Revelation 19:7 declares,

“The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.”

That’s the joy that held Him on the cross— not nails, but love. The joy of redeeming His people. The joy of being united with His bride forever.

So if you’ve never surrendered your life to Him, hear this: You were the joy set before Him. He endured the cross for you. Come home to the One who already carried your shame.

And to every believer— if you were His joy, then let Him be yours. Live faithful. Live holy. Live grateful.

Because the One who endured the cross is coming soon— to receive His joy… His Bride.

In Jesus Name, let’s pray...