Mark 1:9-13 (Volume 1: Part 2)

The Greatness of Jesus

Text: Mark 1:9–13 - Scripture reading

When I first got saved, I went into a program called Master’s Commission.  It was a 9-10 month program where people who felt a call to ministry would memorize 400 scriptures, pray 2 hours a day, do 1-2 hours a day of Bible study, and work with and in a lot of different ministries.  Think of it as a supped up internship.

I did my journey in Dallas at my home church that was in a rough part of town.  We had to work in various ministries, throughout the process and one ministry I was assigned to for a month was a ministry called “Church on the Street.”

Now, I was a blue collar suburban kid like most of the kids in the program.  So the idea of working with street people was a foreign concept to me.  And at their ministry nights, there would be all types of people there.  People at the margins.  There would be drug addicts, pimps, prostitutes, homeless, sick and abandoned folks in group homes…it was an eye opening experience.  

When I envisioned my ministry career, this was not what I imagined.  

Well, one night while working, they had a baptism night.  Now mind you, I was an 18 year old kid, and I was assigned to assist our children’s pastor in the tank for baptism.

And the reason I was asked to assist were the people getting baptized.  The first convert was a man with Aids and an exposed colostomy bag dangling from his side.  My job was to hold the bag up so it would get soaked and potentially break in the water…WELCOME TO MINISTRY.

The second candidate was a blind man who was a big man, and not only was he blind, he was terrified of water.  So my job was to hold his hand as he entered the water.  I, as an 18 year old suburban kid, was to be the voice of calm to a huge blind man who was deathly afraid of water.

His baptism was quite dramatic.

The whole night was a crazy night.  And I remember talking to my pastor over the program about it.  I was frustrated, arrogant, and did not believe this would ever help me.  As I was expressing my frustration to him and wondered why I had to navigate those tough experiences.  He gently told me that he wanted me in that tank to understand the greatness of Jesus…

I have got to be honest…I did not understand it then, but I do now.

You see, we live in a world obsessed with greatness—great athletes, great leaders, great influencers. Greatness is usually measured by power, platform, and applause.

But when Mark introduces us to Jesus’ public ministry, he redefines greatness in a way no one expects. There is no throne, no crown, no crowd—only a river, a wilderness, a wild man and a cross already in view.

In just five verses (50 short words in the greek), Mark shows us that Jesus’ greatness is not displayed through domination, but through devotion; not through privilege, but through obedience; not through comfort, but through surrender.

So follow me here, Mark introduces two revolutionary concepts in 13 verses…Jesus being deity when he tells us in…

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:1

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

And in Jesus’ humanity being baptized and dealing with temptation.  Both concepts deity and humanity points to a GREAT GOD.  Let me show you.

I. Jesus Is Great in His Humility (vv. 9–10)

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:9

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

Think about this moment. Jesus—sinless, holy, perfect—steps into waters meant for repentance.

John’s baptism was for people confessing sin. Yet Jesus stands in line with sinners. He doesn’t separate Himself from broken humanity—He steps into our story. He steps into the ordinary, the common, and the fractured.

This is greatness:

Not standing above us

But standing uswith

Not distancing Himself from our mess

But entering it

Paul later captures this in Philippians 2:

BIBLE VERSE

Philippians 2:7-8

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The greatness of Jesus begins with humanity and humility, not hype.

II. Jesus Is Great in His Identity (v. 11)

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:11

11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased

Before Jesus heals anyone… Before He preaches a sermon… Before He performs a miracle… The Father declares His identity.

Notice something powerful: Jesus’ worth is not based on what He has done yet—but on who He is.

Greatness flows from sonship, not success.

In a world that says:

Prove yourself

Build your brand

Earn your value

God says:

You are loved

You are chosen

You are mine

And if Jesus—the eternal Son—needed to hear that affirmation before His public ministry, how much more do we?

True greatness begins when you know whose you are. THIS IS ESSENTIAL.

III. Jesus Is Great in His Obedience (v. 12)

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:12

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.

The same Spirit who descended like a dove now drives Jesus into difficulty.

We often think God’s favor leads us into ease. But here, favor leads Jesus into testing.

Greatness is not proven in comfort zones—it is revealed in obedience when life is hard.

Jesus says this about following him:

BIBLE VERSE

Matthew 16:24-25

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Obedience is rarely comfort…it is often death.

Jesus does not argue. He does not delay. He does not negotiate.

He goes.

Greatness is seen when you follow God even when:

You don’t understand the timing

Jesus’ baptism was a royal coronation that started his ministry, but yet he goes not towards the people but away from them. Yet Jesus went.

You don’t like the terrain

The wilderness in Israel and around this region is rugged, hot, and rocky.  Navigating steep peaks, thorns, and wild animals. Yet Jesus went.

You don’t see or like the outcome

Jesus is going to be tempted by the Devil himself.  In other words all fury and forces the devil had, he was going to unpack his arsenal and throw it at Jesus.  A difficult moment, yet Jesus went.

But he had to go because in his obedience and going…

IV. Jesus Is Great in His Victory (v. 13)

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:13a

13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. 

Mark doesn’t give us the details Matthew and Luke do—but he gives us the reality: Jesus faced the devil—and stood firm.

Where Adam fell in a lush and comfortable garden, Jesus stands firm in a rugged and lonely wilderness.

Where Israel failed in forty years, Jesus remains faithful in forty days.

This is not just a moral example—this is spiritual warfare victory.

Jesus defeats Satan not with spectacle, but with submission to God.

Greatness is not avoiding temptation. Greatness is overcoming it through faithfulness.

BIBLE VERSE

Revelation 12:11 

11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

What is there testimony?

It is testifying that time after time through the spirits help, they overcame temptation.  

Jesus was tempted.  We will be tempted, but he overcame his temptation so that we have a path to do so as well.

V. Jesus Is Great in His Servanthood (v. 13)

BIBLE VERSE

Mark 1:13b

And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. 

This line is more than poetic—it’s theological.

Jesus enters a world marked by danger and disorder. Wild animals represent a fallen creation. Yet angels serve Him—not because He demands it, but because heaven recognizes His worth.

Even in isolation, heaven is watching. Even in obscurity, God is at work.

The greatest King in history is cared for—not in a palace—but in a wilderness.

That’s greatness upside down.

In an interesting moment in Matthew as Jesus is headed toward the cross.  James and John’s mom approaches Jesus to ask if her boys could have a place of prominence in the kingdom.  Imagine that audacity.  Jesus says this:

BIBLE VERSE

Matthew 20:26-28

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus always and will forever demonstrate greatness because he is the embodiment of this. 

Conclusion: What Makes Jesus Truly Great

When Jesus comes up from the water he experiences three things that in Jewish tradition signified the inauguration of God’s great kingdom: the heavens were opened above him, the Spirit descended into him, and the heavenly voice spoke to him.

The Testament of Levi, composed perhaps in 250 B.C., anticipates Mark’s baptismal narrative by expressly mentioning all three signs noted above.

“The heavens will be opened, and from the temple of glory sanctification will come upon him, with a fatherly voice, as from Abraham to Isaac. And the glory of the Most High shall burst forth upon him. And the spirit of understanding and sanctification shall rest upon him [in the water].”

A similar passage from the Testament of Judah speaks of the messianic king as the Star of Jacob, upon whom “the heavens will be opened … to pour out the spirit as a blessing of the Holy Father” T. Jud. 24:1–3

The opening of the heavens at the baptism thus inaugurates the long-awaited return of God’s presence.

It appears in Jewish literature for cataclysmic demonstrations of God’s power, such as the dividing of the Red Sea (Exod 14:21), Moses’ cleaving the rock (Isa 48:21), the splitting of the Mount of Olives on the Day of the Lord (Zech 14:4),

There is this GRAND MOMENT.  ITS SIGNIFIES THE GREAT THING THAT GOD WOULD DO IN A VERY HUMBLE WAY.

Mark 1:9–13 shows us that Jesus is great because:

He Himselfhumbled

He knew His identity

He walked in obedience

He won spiritual victory

He embraced servanthood

The greatness of Jesus is not loud. It is not flashy. It is not self-promoting.

It is holy. It is faithful. It is redemptive.

And this same Jesus— Who stepped into the water, Who stood in the wilderness, Who defeated the enemy— Will one day stand in glory as King of Kings.

I had to enter that baptismal tank 32 years ago to see the greatness of Jesus. A Jesus who accepts the cast offs, the broken, the failing, and me, the prideful.  This is his greatness.

Call to Response

If Jesus is truly great, then the only proper response is:

– for who He isWorship

– for what He has doneTrust

– to where He leadsSurrender

You don’t make Jesus great by praising Him. You recognize His greatness by following Him.