Last week’s post introduced the Gospel of Mark. I would encourage you to read it before reading this post.
Sermon Text: Mark 1:9-13
The Baptism of Jesus was a Declaration of Sonship (9-11)[1]I’ve borrowed my outline from Daniel L. Akin, Christ-Centered Exposition: Mark, 10.
Jesus comes to John in the middle or latter days of John’s ministry. Jesus’ baptism was a significant event; it is one of the few that is recorded in all four Gospels.
Why was Jesus baptized? We know that baptism is a picture of a cleansing from sin. It’s an outward act that is symbolic of an inward transformation. However, we know from the testimony of Scripture that Jesus was perfect and had no need to be cleansed. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that John was hesitant to baptize Jesus. John told Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matt 3:14). Jesus told John that his baptism was, “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15). What does Jesus mean that his baptism was “to fulfill all righteousness”?
Let’s answer that question by looking at the significance of the baptism of Jesus. The first thing we notice is that Jesus’ baptism inaugurated his ministry.
Jesus’ Baptism Inaugurated His Public Ministry (9)
The text says that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee (v. 9). Nazareth was a small town in the middle of nowhere. Nazareth was so small that it didn’t even have a Dollar General. Galilee was a region that was despised by the religious leaders because of its distance from Jerusalem and the presence of many Gentiles.
Jesus was a nobody from nowhere. When Jesus came to be baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, he effectively stepped onto the public stage. He had grown up in Nazareth in obscurity but that was about to change.
Also remember that John was baptizing in the wilderness (v. 4). We’ll talk more about that later. So first, Jesus’ baptism inaugurated his public ministry. Second, Jesus’ baptism identified him with sinful humanity.
Jesus Baptism Identified Him with Sinful Humanity (9)
By being baptized, Jesus identified himself with lowly sinners. Remember, those being baptized by John the Baptist were repentant sinners who were preparing themselves for God’s coming kingdom (vv. 4, 7-8). However, we know that Jesus was perfect. He didn’t have to confess his sin or repent of it because he had no sin (2 Cor 5:21). But in his baptism, Jesus identified with sinful people.
Third, Jesus’ baptism associated him with John’s ministry.
Jesus’ Baptism Associated Him with John’s Ministry (9)
Jesus was not ashamed of John the Baptist—far from it! Jesus was not concerned about John’s appearance or the fact that the religious leaders didn’t approve of him. Instead, Jesus praised John for he was faithfulness even in the face of death. By being baptized by John, Jesus showed his approval for John’s ministry.
Next, Jesus’ baptism was a supernatural act of God.
Jesus’ Baptism was a Supernatural Act of God (10)
When Jesus came up out of the water (which means he was immersed by the way), the text says that Jesus “saw the heavens being torn open” (10). This was not an ordinary event. The only other time the word translated torn open is used in Mark is when the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). Clearly, at Jesus’ baptism God was at work in a supernatural way. As we will see in v. 15 next week, the kingdom of God had come in the person of Jesus.
Not only was Jesus’ baptism a supernatural act of God, but it revealed the triune God.
Jesus’ Baptism Revealed the Triune God (10-11)
As Christians, we believe that there is one God who exists in three persons – Father, Son, and Spirit. In verses 10-11, we clearly see all three persons of the Trinity. Jesus, the perfect Son of God in human flesh was being baptized. When he came up out of the water, the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended on him like a dove. In verse 11, the Father spoke from heaven and said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The baptism of Jesus gives us a glimpse into the nature of God. He is the great Three in One. Verse 11 also clearly identifies Jesus as the divine Son of God.
Jesus’ Baptism Demonstrated His Dependence Upon the Holy Spirit (10)
Remember from verse 8 that John the Baptist said that his baptism was of water but that the one coming would baptize with the Holy Spirit. In v. 10, the text says that the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. The Spirit was not literally a dove but in gentleness and purity came to rest within Jesus. As the Spirit entered Jesus, he was prepared and equipped for ministry. Consider these verses from Isaiah:
Isaiah 42:1
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
Isaiah 11:2
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Jesus’ ministry would be empowered by the Spirit of God. And finally, Jesus’ baptism was a declaration of his Messiahship (11).
Jesus’ Baptism was a Declaration of his Messiahship (11)
In v. 11, the Father speaks to the Son from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am will pleased.” This announcement combines three important Old Testament texts.
The phrase “You are my Son” comes from Psalm 2, which I recently preached. By referring to this Psalm, the Father is declaring that Jesus is the Messiah-King and the Son of David who will rule the nations.
The Father adds the word “beloved.” This is a reference to Genesis 22 when Abraham was called to sacrifice his beloved son. In contrast to Abraham, God the Father would go through with his son’s sacrifice.
And finally, the Father says that he is well pleased with the son. This phrase comes from Isaiah 42:1, which starts a section in Isaiah that culminates in Isaiah 53 where the suffering servant lays down his life.[2]Robin Sydserff, Teaching Mark, 129.
All three of these phrases from the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus. He is the beloved Son. He is the Messiah-King. He is the suffering servant who will give his life as a ransom for many.
In Jesus’ baptism, we see that the Father declared him as the Son. He will be empowered by the Spirit. Now, it is time for Jesus to go to war with the evil one.
The Temptation was a Declaration of War (12-13)
If you’ve read the New Testament, you are familiar with Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. While Mark’s account is much shorter than Matthew and Luke’s, we can still see the importance of this event even in these two short verses.
In the previous verses, we saw that Jesus’ baptism was a declaration of his sonship. We might say that Jesus was commissioned for ministry. Often, after God calls someone to ministry there is a time of testing. Here, Jesus does battle with Satan in the wilderness. The first thing we notice is that “the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness” (12). We again see that Jesus was led by the Spirit.
Jesus was Led by the Spirit (12)
The word translated “drove” is the same word that Mark uses to describe when Jesus cast out demons. Jesus’ encounter with Satan was no accident. Jesus embraces the leading of the Spirit and embraces the test.
Jesus was led by the Spirit, but he was also engaged by Satan.
Jesus was Engaged by Satan (13)
Verse 13 tells us that Jesus was in the wilderness 40 days and that he was tempted by Satan during this time. This was the deep wilderness. This was like Bear Grylls in Man vs. Wild. The conditions were grueling and it would have been easy to give up. Matthew and Luke tell us that Jesus had no food during the 40 days.
The 40 days remind us of the time that Moses spent on the Mount Sinai before receiving the Law (Deut 9:9). During that time, Moses neither ate nor drink.
The 40 days in the wilderness also remind us of Israel. After succumbing to their fears about taking the Promised Land, they were condemned to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Where Israel crumbled in fear, Jesus would be victorious. Jesus was the true Israel, and he would not fail.
Jesus is also the second Adam. Consider how Jesus overcame where Adam had failed:
- Adam met Satan in a perfect garden, but Jesus met Satan in the wilderness.
- Adam had Eve but Jesus was alone.
- Adam had access to food, but Jesus was hungry.
- Adam was at peace with the animals in the garden, but Jesus was with the wild animals in the wilderness.
Mark’s Gospel is the only account that includes the statement about the wild animals. Why does he mention them? Remember, Mark is writing to a Roman audience. The Romans, especially later under Nero would used animals to torture Christians.
Despite these stacked odds, Jesus overcomes Satan.
He is the second Adam. He is the true Son of God.
He is greater than Moses. Moses delivered the people of Israel but Jesus would deliver people from every tribe, nation, and tongue.
He is the true Israel. He overcame where Israel failed. He will lead his people into an even greater Promised Land.
He is greater than the Roman emperors. These emperors used wild animals to torture Christians but Jesus overcame them even in the deep wilderness. Jesus, not the emperor is the true King.
Jesus’ conflict in the wilderness with Satan shows us that Jesus has come to destroy Satan’s dominion in this world and over humanity. Jesus has declared war on Satan.
1 John 3:8b
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Satan won a victory in the Garden. Humanity sinned and sin, sickness, and death entered creation. But Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and to restore us to our Creator.
Conclusion
Christian, I want to encourage you. Jesus knows what you are going through. Jesus did battle with the devil and overcame him. One day, Satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:10). Like Jesus, we can be victorious in temptation through the power of the Spirit. Perhaps God’s angels will come to our aid as well (v. 13).
Jesus would battle Satan throughout his life. Likewise, we are in spiritual battle. Even if we lose some battles, we know that ultimately, we will win the war if we are on Jesus’ side for he has already won it through his death and resurrection.
Last week, we saw that John the Baptist spoke of Jesus. Today in vv. 9-13 we’ve seen Jesus commissioned for ministry through baptism and tested in the wilderness. Jesus has come to represent humanity in a way that all others before him had failed.
Next week we’ll see the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God and the king who calls people to enter into it.