Lesson Focus:
We are called to live into our baptism with a sense
of God-given mission.
Lesson Outcomes:
Through
this lesson students should:
1.
Become
familiar with some of the connections that Mark makes between the Old Testament
and the story he is beginning to tell.
2.
Identify
Jesus as the Son of God, the one for whom Israel has waited.
3.
Recognize
that in Jesus’ baptism he is confirmed as God’s Son who is to embark on God’s
mission of redemption and salvation for the world.
4.
Recognize
that as Jesus has been sent through his baptism, so we have been sent through
ours.
5.
Seek
to live into his or her baptism by finding ways to practically participate in
Jesus’ mission of redemption and salvation for the world.
Catch up on the story:
Mark
begins his account of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection in a manner that will
be quite characteristic of his writing: concise and to the point. Unlike Matthew, Mark does not give us a
genealogy for Jesus. Unlike Luke,
we have no nativity story. We
begin literally with “the beginning” as Mark’s first words. What is beginning? The answer: a story of the gospel:
literally, the good news concerning Jesus. Right off the bat we are told in no uncertain terms the
point that Mark wants his writing to make, that Jesus is the Messiah, the very
Son of God. While in Mark’s
narrative the disciples will be very slow to catch on, Mark wants us to know
exactly who Jesus is. By the end
of this week’s passage there will be no doubt as to Jesus’ identity.
After
this short description of the nature of the narrative that will follow, Mark
sets about quoting Old Testament prophets. Verses 2-3 are a combination of quotes from two different
prophets. The first half of verse
2 is from Malachi 3:1 while the rest is from Isaiah 40. The identity of the messenger who will
appear is none other than the first character we meet in Mark’s drama, John the
Baptist (or baptizer, as we find it in verse 4). Indeed, John is a voice of one calling from the
wilderness. Why the wilderness? “For
the wilderness was a place of hope, of new beginnings. It was in the wilderness
that Yahweh had met with Israel and made them into his people when they came
out of Egypt.”[1] It is now, from the wilderness, that
the good news will be heard once again.
God will come and meet Israel, and all people, to form them into his people.
Finally,
Mark is placing this narrative about Jesus squarely in line with Old Testament
salvation history. John, in his
role as one that prepares the people for the coming messiah, connects Mark’s
narrative with all that took place in Israel since creation. John is the
beginning of this good news, the good news that Israel had been longing for for
so long a time.
The Text:
Just as soon as Mark gets done
quoting Isaiah and Malachi, John the Baptist shows up on the scene (literally,
“appeared”). We are not given any
background information on John and his relationship with Jesus as we get in
other accounts. What we are given,
however, is an immediate thumbnail sketch of what John is doing. He is “proclaiming a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
While it might seem, at first glance, that baptism itself is the focus
of John’s message, it is not.
France notes that John’s “object was not simply to get people baptized,
but to call together the repentant and restored people of God…”[2]
John is bringing together baptism and the forgiveness of sins with a continued
citizenship in the Kingdom of God.
Baptism had been practiced in wider Jewish circles before John, but that
baptism was for ritual cleansing and was repeatable. The baptism that John proclaims is much different. In some sense, it is an initiatory
event, which brings the one being baptized into the family of God. Entering into a new family often
requires a major readjustment in behavior.
We are not told exactly where John sets up shop, but it is
likely in the southern portion of Israel along the Jordan River. The text tells us that a good number of
people were coming to John to be baptized from the Judean countryside and from
the capital city of Jerusalem. The
Jordan River meets the Dead Sea roughly inline with Jerusalem. This is an important point. Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish
world. Jerusalem was the home of
the Temple, and the Temple was where God’s presence dwelt. Here, however, we have a new movement
of God through John that comes, not from the expected centers of power, but
from the wilderness.
In times of national distress or of infidelity in Israel’s
history, a prophet often came from the wilderness. It was from outside the centers of established power that a
call for renewal and repentance usually came. Mark, giving us a vivid description of John’s dress and
dietary behavior, further places him inline with some of Israel’s greatest
prophets, namely Elijah. Indeed,
in Israel, there was a tradition that linked Elijah with the coming messenger
talked about in Malachi. It was
thought that in the last days, before God would come fully and finally, Elijah
would return to prepare the way.
Later on (in 8:28), Mark will explicitly make the connection between John
and Elijah.
Mark, in identifying John with Elijah and the above quoted
Malachi, seeks to pick up where the Old Testament left off. Malachi was copied with a group of
prophetic literature known as the “Book of the Twelve.” There is good evidence that Mark was
using the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, in
which Malachi is the last book.
One commentator believes that “If Mark thought of [Malachi] 3-4 as the
concluding words of Scripture, John’s appearance as the promised Elijah is all
the more significant: his book begins where Scripture let off, and as its
continuation and fulfillment.”[3] John, and thus Jesus whom we will meet
shortly, are part of God’s continuing salvation for Israel and for the
world.
In verse 7 we learn that John rightly understands his place
in this unfolding drama. He has no
allusions to his own greatness or importance. He is merely a messenger who has been sent by God. Indeed, there is one who is coming
after John. In keeping with Mark’s
sparseness in regard to some details, we do not get the information that John
and Jesus are cousins. John
obviously knows whom Jesus is and that the beginning of this ministry is near.
John declares that one is coming who is “more powerful” than
himself. The one who is coming is
so great that John is not even worthy to stoop down and undo his sandals. This image would have helped the
original readers understand exactly what kind of “powerful” is being dealt with
here. The removal of someone’s
sandals, perhaps a guest as they enter the home, or of a master who returns
after a long day, was a job for the lowest of servants. A Jewish master could not make his
Jewish slave undo his sandals; it was beneath even the Jewish servant’s
dignity. John is declaring that
the one who comes is very great indeed.
John, and the crowds who gathered to hear him preach, would
not have expected this coming one to be human. Rather, they would have expected him to be divine. In both of the Old Testament passage quoted
at the beginning of the chapter, the one for whom the messenger prepares the
way is God himself. This speaks
volumes about who Mark believes Jesus to be: he is God incarnate.[4] This coming one, as God, will not
baptize in the same way as John has done.
No, the coming one’s baptism will not be with water, but with the Holy
Spirit.
As the text moves forward we immediately shift into a new
scene depicting Jesus’ baptism.
While verses 4-8 depict, in general, scenes of John’s baptismal
ministry, verse 9 shifts to a specific date. We are told that Jesus comes from his hometown of Nazareth
to be baptized by John. That Mark
includes the place from which Jesus comes is important. Nazareth was located in the region of
Galilee, which was in the north. Separating
Judea in the south and Nazareth in the north is the area of Samaria, which good
Jewish folk liked to avoid.
Nazareth, for its part, was an insignificant little town. It is unlikely that anyone in the south
would even have heard of it. In
fact, there was a general distrust of the Jesus’ home region of Galilee by
those in the south, especially in regards to any religious issue. Remember, John’s main audience was
comprised of people from Jerusalem and Judea. That Jesus comes from such an insignificant and distrusted
region is important.[5] Once again, God’s coming is often from
unexpected places.
As fast as Jesus comes, John baptizes him. Again, Mark is sparse with the
details. We are not told about
John arguing with Jesus about his ability to baptize Jesus. Rather, John baptizes Jesus and
immediately (one of Mark’s favorite ways of marking time) upon emerging up out
of the water we are treated to a divine display.
The “he” of
“And just as he was coming up out of the water” refers to Jesus. We are not sure, but we assume that
what will follow is not visible, nor audible to those around Jesus. This revelation of who Jesus is, the
words of God to Jesus, are for Jesus himself and for us as Mark’s readers. While the characters in Mark’s narrative
will struggle with Jesus’ identity, from the outset we know who he is.
Mark tells us that Jesus saw “the heavens torn apart.” The opening of heaven is a theme that
reoccurs throughout biblical literature.
It indicates that a vision of things beyond our earthly sphere is happening.[6] The only other time that Mark will use
the word for “torn apart” will be in 15:38 when the Temple curtain is torn
apart at Jesus’ death. This
tearing apart is, in fact, what we have cried out for God to do way back in the
first week of Advent. Our cry then
was that God would tear open the heavens and come down, like he did in days
past when he did great deeds that we did not expect (Isaiah 64:1-3).
Jesus is also the only who sees the Spirit descending down
on him. The Spirit descended like
a dove on him fulfilling the prophetic expectations for one who is sent by God
to do God’s saving work. It was
common in the Old Testament for God’s Spirit to rest on specific people for a
time while they accomplished God’s work.
For example, God’s Spirit rested on Gideon and King David. Both were instruments of salvation for
God’s people through the power of the Spirit. Though, the Spirit’s involvement in Jesus’ life is not
situational as it had been for others. Jesus has been in unity with the Spirit
from all eternity. The Spirit is
part and parcel with who Jesus is as he accomplishes the work that he and the
Father have agreed upon.
As soon as the dove descended upon Jesus, Jesus hears a
voice from heaven. The voice declares
Jesus to be God’s Son whom he loves very much. The phrase is a quotation which combines Psalm 2:7 and
Isaiah 42:1. “Psalm 2:7 evokes the
royal imagery and inauguration ceremony of the Judean king, who was declared to
be God’s Son…The citation of Isa 42:1 is from the first of the Servant Songs,
with the immediate context referring to the Servant’s diving endowment with the
Spirit to bring God’s justice to the Gentiles (42:2-4)…”[7]
There is no doubt left who the speaker is, it is God himself (that is, God the
Father; as the term Son implies Father), and the one he addresses is none other
than the divine Son of God who will, nevertheless, be unrecognized as the one
sent to take away the sins of the world.
It might be easy, at this point, to view Jesus’ baptism as
an adoption of sorts. That view would say that Jesus receives the Holy Spirit
and God declares him to be his son.
This is not, however, what Mark wants us to believe. Rather, Mark has acknowledged from the
very opening lines of his story that Jesus is the divine Son of God. Thus,
Jesus’ baptism is not the beginning of his divine sonship; rather, it is a
confirmation of his divine sonship.
We are told outright what the characters of Mark’s story will need to
discover for themselves, that Jesus is the messiah, the savior, the one we have
been waiting for. Jesus is
baptized to mark the beginning of his ministry. In this way, Jesus is connected to what God has done in the
past in Israel and is connected with all of Israel’s deepest hopes about what
God will do in the future. Jesus,
now that he has been baptized, moves onto the mission that he has been
given.
So What?
Something happens when we are
baptized. Sure, baptism marks our
repentance, our turning from our sin and old way of life, but it is more than
that. Baptism not only marks our
movement away from sin, it marks our movement toward something as well.
Some will argue that it marks our movement toward purity and holiness as
we seek to allow the Holy Spirit to baptize us as well. They would be right, of course. We come up out of the baptismal waters
clean, washed of our sins and ready to continue to walk toward Christ. Some will also say that in our baptism
we walk toward inclusion in a new family, the family of God known as the
church. We have been adopted as
children of God. They too, would
be correct. These images are
important for us as we seek to live our faith. There is, however, another thing that we move toward as we
emerge from the baptismal water, our God-given mission.
We stand at the beginning of a
brand new year with new challenges and new goals. Many of us will create a list of resolutions, goals which we
would like to keep in the coming year.
Let us add one more: living into our baptism with a sense of God-given
mission. Our passage depicts for
us Jesus’ baptism, and it is in that baptism that we have revealed to us the
identity of Jesus. We see the
heavens ripped open wide. We see
the Spirit of God rest on this Jesus to signify that Jesus will indeed be the
one who comes to be our rescuer.
We hear the very voice of God proclaim that he loves and is well pleased
with Jesus. What we do not hear,
explicitly anyway, but we do pick it up in the verses that lead up to Jesus
emerging from the water, is that Jesus baptism marks the beginning of Jesus’
divine mission. Mark takes pains
to connect Jesus with God’s work in the past and to Israel’s hopes for the
future. Jesus is up to
something. In Mark’s narrative
Jesus will be on the move, doing God’s work and preaching God’s message.
It is the same way with our
baptisms. We may not visibly see
the heavens tear open. We may not
see the Spirit of God descend upon us and we may not hear the words of God
himself declare us to be his sons and daughters, the children he loves and is
pleased with, but that does not mean that this is not what is happening. As we emerge from the baptismal waters
we begin our journey. Yes, it is a
journey away from sin and the death that is a result of our sin, but we also
begin to take the first steps in fulfilling the mission that Jesus has given
us. And what is our mission? It is the same mission that Jesus
embarked on after his baptism: it is the mission of salvation, the mission of
bringing good news of release for those imprisoned, healing for those who are
sick and broken, comfort for those who are sad and mourn. It is a mission that declares that
there is one who is coming who is stronger, stronger than all that seems to
defeat us day in and day out, the small things and the large things.
Like Jesus, as he began his
mission we will be tested and tried.
We will be told that the way of Jesus is not practical, that it does not
work. We will suffer as Jesus
suffered. We will go unrecognized
as ones who know the truth about the world and how it should work. We might even be called upon to
die. But we will be vindicated by
the resurrection power of God.
As we move into this new year, may
we walk toward fulfilling our mission.
May we do so knowing that the one who has called us, loves us, is
pleased with us, and will help us on our way.
Critical Discussion Questions:
1.
How does this text reveal to us the
nature and character of God/What is God doing in this text?
a.
Mark wants us to see very clearly that
God is the same God who has been working in, through, and for Israel. This same
God now walks among men as Jesus.
Israel’s hope for salvation can now be touched and felt.
b.
God is in the process of sending Jesus
to fulfill his mission. God sends
us too.
2.
What
does holiness/salvation look like in this text?
a.
Prior
to the sending that takes place at our baptism, we must first repent and
confess our sins. This is a
turning away from the old life and mindset to a new life and a new family. As we turn from our old life we turn
toward our new life with our new identity and new mission.
b.
We
are defined by our status as beloved children of God.
3.
How
does an encounter with this story shape who we are and who we should become?
a.
Children,
good ones anyway, do the will of their Father. Our baptism signifies our adoption as children of God. We are shaped by this new identity.
Specific Discussion Questions:
Read
the text aloud. Then, read the text to yourself quietly. Read it slowly, as if you were very
unfamiliar with the story.
1.
Have you been baptized? Why or why not? What
happened at your baptism?
2.
Why does John the Baptist appear in the
wilderness? Why does his ministry
start and largely remain there?
3.
Mark tells us that the content of John’s
messages was that people should repent and have their sins forgiven. John specifies that this repentance and
forgiveness happens in baptism.
Why does John bring together baptism with repentance and forgiveness?
4.
John proclaims that one is coming after him who
is very powerful. Whom do you
think John’s original hearers might have thought was the identity of the one
who was coming?
5.
John says that the one who is coming will
baptize with the Holy Spirit, unlike his baptism of water. How might John’s baptism and Jesus’
baptism be similar? How might they
be different?
6.
Right after Jesus’ baptism we are told that the
heavens were torn apart. Read
Isaiah 64:1-4. How does what
happen in Jesus’ baptism relate to the hopes of Isaiah?
7.
Why does the Spirit descend on Jesus? Why does God say what he says at the
end of the passage?
8.
Jesus’ baptism is a public sending. Jesus is commissioned to go on his
mission of redemption and salvation for the world. Is our baptism similar or different than Jesus’? If similar, why? If different, why? What is our mission
after our baptism?
[1] R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the
Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI;
Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002), 57.
[2] R. T. France, 65.
[3] M. Eugene Boring, Mark: A
Commentary, The New Testament Library (Westminster John Knox Press, 2006),
41.
[4] France, 70
[5] Ibid., 75
[6] Ibid., 77
[7] Boring, 45
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