2. The Arrival of the Son of God(Mark 1:9-13)
This sermon was preached on 10/1/2010
Having described the appearance of the forerunner or messenger, Mark now tells his readers about the arrival of the Son of God. Sometimes our familiarity with the story can prevent us from experiencing its full impact. So, imagine if we were reading this story for the first time, what questions would come to mind? They would include, ‘Where will he come from? What will happen when he arrives? How will we recognise him? What will be the first thing he will do? Mark perhaps anticipated such questions because he does provide answers to them.
Where did the Messiah come from?
In a very brief comment, Mark informs his readers that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee. Mark does not say how Jesus was guided to leave his work as a carpenter and begin his public ministry – perhaps he heard about what John was doing near the Jordan and realised from his knowledge of the Old Testament that the Forerunner was preparing the way. Or Jesus may have experienced heavenly communication that led him to take this journey away from Nazareth. In any case he now knew that the time had come. His readers would known that normally an important person would come from a prominent location such as a capital city or a royal location. So when they read that Jesus came from an unknown village, they would be very surprised; and if they knew about Nazareth, their surprise would probably have been stronger. At the same time, the initial readers, who are Gentiles in the main, would be encouraged because Galilee was a region in which many Gentiles lived. The readers would think that the promised Messiah, although coming from the race of Israel, would understand what it was like to live in a Gentile environment.
What happened when he arrived?
Mark again gives a very brief description when he says that Jesus was baptised by his forerunner John in the Jordan. Given that Mark has just said that those baptised by John were persons who publicly confessed their sins, we would expect that some readers would assume that Jesus was doing the same. Mark would have been aware of this possibility so how does he deal with this possible misunderstanding by explaining what took place after Jesus was baptised. His account tells us three things about what followed the baptism.
First, Jesus saw the heavens opened. Is this a literal disruption of the sky or was it a vision that Jesus saw? It is the case that it was common to describe a vision in this way – look at Peter’s vision of the sheet in Acts 10:11. The difficulty with limiting it all to a personal vision is that the descent of the Spirit was seen by John (John 1:33). There is no evidence that indicates anyone else was present when Jesus was baptised by John. So it is possible that a literal disturbance in the heavens was a divine way of indicating to John that the very important event, for which he was preparing, was now taking place. Whether it was a vision or a literal event, it was an important sign to Jesus as he stood in the place of sinners.
Second, Jesus saw the Spirit descend in the form of a dove. The coming of the Spirit was the equipping of Jesus for his work. From now on, he was going to experience the involvement of the Spirit in an increased manner compared to what had happened until now. But why did the Spirit come in the shape of a dove? The likely reason is that the dove is an emblem of peace, which is a visible display that there were no reasons in Jesus to prevent the Spirit resting on him, a reminder that Jesus was sinless even although he had undergone the rite of baptism.
Third, Jesus heard the voice of the heavenly Father speaking to him. The voice was not designed to assure Jesus that he was God’s Son, rather the words were said as an expression of the Father’s delight in his Son. The delight would encompass many aspects, but we can mention two of them. One is that the voice is a verdict on the Son’s silent years in Nazareth when he lived a perfect life for almost thirty years –what great delight every second of those years had brought to the Father. The other is the delight of anticipation as his Son dedicates himself publicly to the work to which he was called by his Father, even although both the Father and the Son knew the task would involve the cross.
So the Son has arrived, the messenger has completed his role. Mark has informed us that the Son, despite his lowly background in Nazareth, received heavenly affirmation and now possesses all that is needed to move ahead. But where will he go?
Where did he go?
Again Mark uses an economy of words to describe the first place to where the Messiah went. Instead of heading up to the capital city or finding a suitable site as a power base from which he could forward his campaign, Jesus compelled by the Spirit goes further into the wilderness. Can we suggest reasons why the desert was his destination?
A familiar one is that Jesus here exemplifies a common experience of his followers when a mountaintop experience of meeting with God is followed by a valley experience of undergoing an assault by the devil. There is no doubt that such an experience occurs frequently, indeed many times in a Christian’s life. But I don’t think that is a prominent reason why Jesus went into the wilderness, according to Mark‘s account.
The first feature of Jesus’ journey to the wilderness is that he was compelled to go there by the Holy Spirit. We don’t know how this was done, but we can deduce from it that what took place there in the wilderness was at God’s initiative.
Secondly, Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, which seems to be a common period of preparation for serving God – both Moses and Elijah spent periods of forty days away from other people. I cannot say if that is why Jesus was sent into the desert, but it does look as if the wilderness environment was a living picture of what his work would involve.
Thirdly, Jesus was in the desert engaged in conflict with the enemy of God’s people – the devil. Because of the detail found in the accounts of Matthew and Luke we tend to think that Jesus was only tempted three times, each in a different way. Yet, as Mark point out, Jesus was tempted throughout the entire period. Whatever else was discovered in the desert, it was clear that Jesus had come to engage in battle with the kingdom of darkness.
A fourth detail to note is the wilderness was a confused place, in a sense a picture of the world in which dangers (illustrated by the wild beasts) are all around. In the desert, Jesus experienced the effects of sin on his creation. He was in a desert, not a garden in Eden; he was his animal creatures, but they were wild; he was attended to by angels, a reminder that heaven gets involved in the confused state of affairs on earth.
Fifthly, although it was a confused place, the wilderness with Jesus in it seems to have been a contented place. Mark does not merely say that Jesus was in an area inhabited by wild animals; instead he says he was with them. There seems to have been peace in the lower creation. Perhaps Mark is pointing to the fact that in the presence of Jesus it is possible for the lion to lie down with the lamb. This picture of contentment is further illustrated by the activity of the angels, as they served Jesus and provided for his needs. When was the last time that angels were able to help man among contented wild animals? In Eden, before Adam fell. Here Mark is indicating that Jesus achieved in a wilderness what Adam failed to achieve in the garden of Eden. So Mark is saying that Jesus in the wilderness gave a foretaste of the harmony he will yet bring into the created order, when he brings into existence the new heavens and new earth. The way confusion will turn into contentment will be through the Champion’s conquering conflict with the tempter.
What do we say?
We were not present when Jesus was introduced to the world by his forerunner. We were not there when Jesus was baptised and when he went into the desert. Yet what happened then is of great significance for us.
His baptism is important for us because it was the first occasion when Jesus publicly identified himself with sinners. While we were not there physically, we can ask ourselves what we would have done if we had been there. Would we have responded in repentance to the message of John the Baptist?
His baptism is also important for us because it was the occasion when Jesus dedicated himself to the work of saving sinners. This was the first step in a public ministry that was going to lead him to the cross, where he would deal with sin. His journey was going to take him to the cross of Calvary. As we think about his dedication, is there thankfulness in our hearts to him?
His time in the wilderness is important for us because it reveals to us his determination to battle with the enemy of our souls. Although we may not realise it, if we are unconverted, we are trapped in the chains of the devil who has blinded such as to the dangerous situation in which they are in. They do not realise that they cannot defeat the devil themselves. But when they realise that they should trust in Jesus, and once they do, then he becomes their champion and delivers them from the snares of the devil. He gives sinners spiritual victory from his time in the wilderness.
The time in the wilderness is also important for us if we sense we are living in a confused world in which there seems to be a mixture of heavenly and demonic at times. On the one hand, we hear the heavenly music of peace, on the other hand we hear the dark growls of hell. We need someone who can come into such a situation and take us safely through it. Jesus is such a one. He gives us meaning in the present from his time in the wilderness.
Again, the time in the wilderness is important because it shows us that Jesus is capable of creating a perfect world in which the effects of sin will be gone. During these forty days he brought about a temporary change even in the wild animals. That short period is a picture of the eternal peace and harmony he will yet bring into existence when he returns. Jesus gives us hope for the future from his time in the wilderness.
So what do we say to the King who came to the Jordan two thousand years ago?
Where did the Messiah come from?
In a very brief comment, Mark informs his readers that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee. Mark does not say how Jesus was guided to leave his work as a carpenter and begin his public ministry – perhaps he heard about what John was doing near the Jordan and realised from his knowledge of the Old Testament that the Forerunner was preparing the way. Or Jesus may have experienced heavenly communication that led him to take this journey away from Nazareth. In any case he now knew that the time had come. His readers would known that normally an important person would come from a prominent location such as a capital city or a royal location. So when they read that Jesus came from an unknown village, they would be very surprised; and if they knew about Nazareth, their surprise would probably have been stronger. At the same time, the initial readers, who are Gentiles in the main, would be encouraged because Galilee was a region in which many Gentiles lived. The readers would think that the promised Messiah, although coming from the race of Israel, would understand what it was like to live in a Gentile environment.
What happened when he arrived?
Mark again gives a very brief description when he says that Jesus was baptised by his forerunner John in the Jordan. Given that Mark has just said that those baptised by John were persons who publicly confessed their sins, we would expect that some readers would assume that Jesus was doing the same. Mark would have been aware of this possibility so how does he deal with this possible misunderstanding by explaining what took place after Jesus was baptised. His account tells us three things about what followed the baptism.
First, Jesus saw the heavens opened. Is this a literal disruption of the sky or was it a vision that Jesus saw? It is the case that it was common to describe a vision in this way – look at Peter’s vision of the sheet in Acts 10:11. The difficulty with limiting it all to a personal vision is that the descent of the Spirit was seen by John (John 1:33). There is no evidence that indicates anyone else was present when Jesus was baptised by John. So it is possible that a literal disturbance in the heavens was a divine way of indicating to John that the very important event, for which he was preparing, was now taking place. Whether it was a vision or a literal event, it was an important sign to Jesus as he stood in the place of sinners.
Second, Jesus saw the Spirit descend in the form of a dove. The coming of the Spirit was the equipping of Jesus for his work. From now on, he was going to experience the involvement of the Spirit in an increased manner compared to what had happened until now. But why did the Spirit come in the shape of a dove? The likely reason is that the dove is an emblem of peace, which is a visible display that there were no reasons in Jesus to prevent the Spirit resting on him, a reminder that Jesus was sinless even although he had undergone the rite of baptism.
Third, Jesus heard the voice of the heavenly Father speaking to him. The voice was not designed to assure Jesus that he was God’s Son, rather the words were said as an expression of the Father’s delight in his Son. The delight would encompass many aspects, but we can mention two of them. One is that the voice is a verdict on the Son’s silent years in Nazareth when he lived a perfect life for almost thirty years –what great delight every second of those years had brought to the Father. The other is the delight of anticipation as his Son dedicates himself publicly to the work to which he was called by his Father, even although both the Father and the Son knew the task would involve the cross.
So the Son has arrived, the messenger has completed his role. Mark has informed us that the Son, despite his lowly background in Nazareth, received heavenly affirmation and now possesses all that is needed to move ahead. But where will he go?
Where did he go?
Again Mark uses an economy of words to describe the first place to where the Messiah went. Instead of heading up to the capital city or finding a suitable site as a power base from which he could forward his campaign, Jesus compelled by the Spirit goes further into the wilderness. Can we suggest reasons why the desert was his destination?
A familiar one is that Jesus here exemplifies a common experience of his followers when a mountaintop experience of meeting with God is followed by a valley experience of undergoing an assault by the devil. There is no doubt that such an experience occurs frequently, indeed many times in a Christian’s life. But I don’t think that is a prominent reason why Jesus went into the wilderness, according to Mark‘s account.
The first feature of Jesus’ journey to the wilderness is that he was compelled to go there by the Holy Spirit. We don’t know how this was done, but we can deduce from it that what took place there in the wilderness was at God’s initiative.
Secondly, Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, which seems to be a common period of preparation for serving God – both Moses and Elijah spent periods of forty days away from other people. I cannot say if that is why Jesus was sent into the desert, but it does look as if the wilderness environment was a living picture of what his work would involve.
Thirdly, Jesus was in the desert engaged in conflict with the enemy of God’s people – the devil. Because of the detail found in the accounts of Matthew and Luke we tend to think that Jesus was only tempted three times, each in a different way. Yet, as Mark point out, Jesus was tempted throughout the entire period. Whatever else was discovered in the desert, it was clear that Jesus had come to engage in battle with the kingdom of darkness.
A fourth detail to note is the wilderness was a confused place, in a sense a picture of the world in which dangers (illustrated by the wild beasts) are all around. In the desert, Jesus experienced the effects of sin on his creation. He was in a desert, not a garden in Eden; he was his animal creatures, but they were wild; he was attended to by angels, a reminder that heaven gets involved in the confused state of affairs on earth.
Fifthly, although it was a confused place, the wilderness with Jesus in it seems to have been a contented place. Mark does not merely say that Jesus was in an area inhabited by wild animals; instead he says he was with them. There seems to have been peace in the lower creation. Perhaps Mark is pointing to the fact that in the presence of Jesus it is possible for the lion to lie down with the lamb. This picture of contentment is further illustrated by the activity of the angels, as they served Jesus and provided for his needs. When was the last time that angels were able to help man among contented wild animals? In Eden, before Adam fell. Here Mark is indicating that Jesus achieved in a wilderness what Adam failed to achieve in the garden of Eden. So Mark is saying that Jesus in the wilderness gave a foretaste of the harmony he will yet bring into the created order, when he brings into existence the new heavens and new earth. The way confusion will turn into contentment will be through the Champion’s conquering conflict with the tempter.
What do we say?
We were not present when Jesus was introduced to the world by his forerunner. We were not there when Jesus was baptised and when he went into the desert. Yet what happened then is of great significance for us.
His baptism is important for us because it was the first occasion when Jesus publicly identified himself with sinners. While we were not there physically, we can ask ourselves what we would have done if we had been there. Would we have responded in repentance to the message of John the Baptist?
His baptism is also important for us because it was the occasion when Jesus dedicated himself to the work of saving sinners. This was the first step in a public ministry that was going to lead him to the cross, where he would deal with sin. His journey was going to take him to the cross of Calvary. As we think about his dedication, is there thankfulness in our hearts to him?
His time in the wilderness is important for us because it reveals to us his determination to battle with the enemy of our souls. Although we may not realise it, if we are unconverted, we are trapped in the chains of the devil who has blinded such as to the dangerous situation in which they are in. They do not realise that they cannot defeat the devil themselves. But when they realise that they should trust in Jesus, and once they do, then he becomes their champion and delivers them from the snares of the devil. He gives sinners spiritual victory from his time in the wilderness.
The time in the wilderness is also important for us if we sense we are living in a confused world in which there seems to be a mixture of heavenly and demonic at times. On the one hand, we hear the heavenly music of peace, on the other hand we hear the dark growls of hell. We need someone who can come into such a situation and take us safely through it. Jesus is such a one. He gives us meaning in the present from his time in the wilderness.
Again, the time in the wilderness is important because it shows us that Jesus is capable of creating a perfect world in which the effects of sin will be gone. During these forty days he brought about a temporary change even in the wild animals. That short period is a picture of the eternal peace and harmony he will yet bring into existence when he returns. Jesus gives us hope for the future from his time in the wilderness.
So what do we say to the King who came to the Jordan two thousand years ago?
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