St. Timothy's Church

Lent 1  Year B

March 1, 2009

The Baptism and Testing of Jesus

Mark 1.9-13

 

We’re into the first week of Lent – and I hope we all take advantage of being a bit less busy – and a bit more contemplative, introspective.

 

One of the reasons why we read this particular part of the Gospel on this Sunday is to lay the firm foundation of Christ as God’s instrument of salvation – the Son of God – who leads His people into a new Exodus out of the wilderness in the KOH.

 

This particular part of the Gospel teaches a crucial fact: God is making a new Israel through a decisive judgment.

 

Jesus comes to the Jordan to both confirm His Son-ship and to make the declaration that He is associating Himself with His people and will take upon Himself the guilt of those He came to save.

 

So this morning I’d like to look at this because we may be wondering:

Did Jesus have sins to confess since he was human as well as divine?

Was He God’s SON before baptism or did this make Him God’s Son?

Why was He baptized?

 

To make some effort to answer these types of questions I’ve laid out more of Marks Gospel then is called for today but I think it’s helpful to get the wider context of the story.

 

John the Baptist (Yo-chanan the Immerser),  is referred to as being "in the wilderness".

This is an area near the Dead Sea.

It’s inhabited by a number of people, including certain religious groups seeking to get away from the established authority in Jerusalem.

 

John’s message is to turn back to God (recall Joel) and be Baptized (immersed) in the Jordan as a sign of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

 

Repent = "T’shuvah," (teh-SHOO-vah) and means turning from sin and returning to God.

 

We’re told all of the country of Judea and Jerusalem were going out into the wilderness to find John and be baptized in the Jordan.

 

He warned that his baptism would be overshadowed by the coming One – Messiah - would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

 

One is an outward ritual cleaning the other is an inward life-changing act of faith whereby Jesus has brought the Father and the sinner into reconciliation through His death upon the Cross.

 

Mark connects Jesus to what John is doing . . . he says, Jesus then suddenly (in those days – the days John is ministering in the wilderness) appears at the Jordan having come from Nazareth of Galilee.

 

OBSERVATION:  All came from Judea and Jerusalem – the established areas of faith.  Jesus comes from Nazareth a town not well thought of and a region labeled for its lukewarm attitude toward Torah.

 

The implied dichotomy would not go unnoticed in the first century.

 

OBSERVATION 2:  John is a prophet of the wilderness.  He fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah as being the one who announces the coming of Messiah. 

 

OBSERVATION 3: The Rabbi’s believed Messiah Himself would come out of the wilderness. . . . Jesus enters into the wilderness and will be tested there as He is introduced to the people He came to save.

 

Okay let’s look starting at 1.9.

 

 ⁹At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

 

Jesus is the one true Israelite. . . . . He has kept the law to the fullest and stands before God as obedient – unlike the first Adam who failed the Last Adam will not.

 

The people came confessing their sins – notice – Mark says nothing about Jesus coming to confess his sins: He didn’t have any.

 

Yet he passively received the sign of repentance on behalf of the people. . . . .

            God is doing a new and radical thing – His judgment is coming upon the people

                        Jesus takes the judgment of the people upon Himself.

 

Is. 53.6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.

 

Later John was with his disciples and saw Jesus and remarked to them: “Look, the Lamb of God who is taking away the sin of the world”.  John 1.29

 

He identifies Himself with a rebellious people – He does not separate Himself from them – He associated with sinners and tax collectors – prostitutes, the poor and the wealthy.

 

Jesus humbled Himself – we see here a voluntary self surrender.

¹⁰As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

 

Someone said that “Jesus comes UP and the Holy Spirit comes DOWN”.

 

This act of submission and identification with the sins of the people doesn’t alter His eternal status . . . . . look at the signs of the cosmic significance of what Jesus did.

 

The heavens were opened; the Holy Spirit descended upon Him.

 

Isaiah 63.10-14 gives us a picture of what this means – God’s Spirit

 

¹⁰ Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy      and he himself fought against them. ¹¹ Then his people recalled ^[a] the days of old, the days of Moses and his people . . . Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them,

 ¹² who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses' right hand . . . This is how you guided your people to make for yourself a glorious name.”

 

Isaiah paints a picture of a rebellious people and God who made Moses a mighty leader and prevented ruin to befall Israel – all done through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

Not only does the signs of purity, gentleness, peacefulness and graciousness come to Jesus by Mark describing the Holy Spirit as descending like a dove, but the Dove can be associated as a symbol of the community of Israel. THE NEW ISRAEL IS SPIRIT LED.

 

All of Israel “comes to Jesus” where He takes them upon Himself.

 

¹¹And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

 

In the first Exodus God spoke to Moses and instructed the people were to consecrate themselves (set themselves apart for God’s purpose as a sign) for three days then He would come down to Sinai. . . . . until that was done He wouldn’t act.  (Exodus 19.10)

 

It took their committed action before God came down and His presence and voice heard.

 

God is ushering in the Second Exodus and once again action preceded Him: In this instance His Son set Himself apart as a sacrifice; a substitutional atonement for the guilt the people carry for their sins.

 

Heaven is torn open; God audibly spoke – Son-ship is acknowledged.

 

Even though the Son associated Himself with the sin of the people and identified Himself with them – knowing He would bear the weight of their sin on Himself – the Father loved Him.

 

God who is holy and hates sin loved His Son who would become sin for the sake of His people.

 

The voice of God is saying – You are my unique Son, I have chosen you for the task upon which you are about to enter. . . .

 

The Father loves the Son, offers His unconditional approval of Him, knowing He will fulfill the task He came for. . . . to save His people from their sins.  (Mat. 1.21)

 

¹²At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness,

 

“AT ONCE” (euthus)  An inevitable part of God’s plan

 

Some translations say the “Spirit Drove Him” giving the sense of being chased. . . the word used is most notably translations as “to expel demons” or when Jesus drove out the moneychangers from the Temple. . . .

 

There’s a certain amount of violent energy around that action.  But it can also mean Jesus had an inner urge, compulsion that was emotionally compelling.

 

It is clear that Jesus acting on His own volition is guided by the Holy Spirit.

 

[Romans 8.14, “because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Galatians 5.18, “¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”]

 

Desert/Wilderness: Israel became God’s “SON” in the wilderness and Hosea taught that God would renew Israel’s sonship in the desert.  (Hos. 11.1-4)

 

Jesus is the unique and true Israelite who now represents the people and will adopt them as son/daughters of the new Israel.

 

This wilderness is wild, dangerous, seemingly cursed because it has no fertile ground.

 

It’s ironic – the first Adam lives in the most idea situation one could imagine and failed; Jesus (the Second Adam) is driven immediately to confront horror, loneliness and danger and does not fail.

 

¹³and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

 

Jesus went immediately from the Father’s approval to the evil ones contempt.

 

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and would not let Him go for 40 days.

 

Let’s make no mistake – Jesus – like Israel (Exodus 15.25, 16.4, 20.20) is going to be tested.

There are consequences to submission to the Fathers will:

Confrontation with satan; temptation; exposure to wild animals

 

No food, sparse water, heat and cold, danger from jackals, hyenas, lions.

 

I can almost hear the evil one plotting to taunt Jesus; to play with His emotions and mind.  Hunger and thirst will do strange things to people:

 

If you are the Son of God . . . . . make bread of these stones; jump and let the angels catch you; worship me and I’ll give you everything in the world!

 

NO!  NO!  NO! 

 

Jesus says we are not to depend upon bread alone but rather on God’s faithfulness and word (8.3); we’re not to put God to the test (6.16) but we are to make God the exclusive object of our worship.

 

Israel was tested by God to see if they would keep His commandments – so was Job as was Abraham.  (Deut. 8.2, 16; Ex. 16.4; Gen. 22; Job 1).  SO ARE WE!

 

On the Cross – If you are the Son of God come down from the cross (Mat. 27.40)

 

Yet as much as Jesus is tested (peirazo) we know the Spirit was with Him and allowing only that which was within the Fathers will to occur.

 

Like Israel, this period of testing was preparation for what was to come; it acted to strengthen Jesus and further confirm His sonship and obedience to the Father.

 

So, does God put temptations in front of us that harm us?

 

James tells us ¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”  (James 1.13)

 

The sixth petition of the Lord’s Prayer says, “¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”  (Mat. 6.13)

 

Mark 1.13 tells us, “¹³and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

 

God will not tempt us – but God may allow us to be tempted, which is another way of saying to be tested.

 

We know that God tests His people (Abraham, Israel, Hezekiah, Job, etc.) but He never lures them into temptation.

 

Peirazo is the verb form of the noun peirasomos – trial – test.

 

Jesus was both strengthened and equipped by the Spirit but also taken into places and to people that were difficult, and dangerous.

 

Testing is not necessarily a bad thing; nor does ever test mean something horrible has to happen.

 

Aren’t we often tested in the smallest of ways more than any other way? Maybe we don’t see it that way but we are.  Every test is not a life or death challenge; yet every test could possibly bring life or a type of death to a relationship.

 

Our obedience is often tested – and Jesus tells us that obedience to Him shows our love for Him – it’s a witness to the world.

 

The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”  (Heb. 4.15)

 

Jesus is fully aware of our weaknesses and failures – yet His compassion and Mercy endures forever.

 

Thankfully, Peter reminds us that God knows how to rescue us from trials (2 Pet. 2.9);.

 

I would pray to be kept from testing and trials BUT if found in a test I pray God rescues me from it!

 

As He said to His disciples in Gethsemane, “watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation.  The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

 

So, did Jesus NEED to be baptized?  No.  Did He have sin to confess? No.

 

Why did He do it?

 

He loved the people so much He was willing to suffer Hell in their place;  The Holy Spirit freely cooperated by strengthening Him for His task; the Father is so pleased with Him he tears open heaven and speaks to the earth in pure delight!

 

If we carefully consider Mark’s Gospel we’ll find that Jesus engages the evil one constantly in any number of ways from the beginning to the end.

 

In the end evil knows it is utterly defeated by God’s unique Son whom the Father loves.

 

That’s the Good News of today. 

 

Amen.

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