Mark 1:9-15 Good News Translation
9 Not long afterward Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove.
11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.”
12 At once the Spirit made him go into the desert, 13 where he stayed forty days, being tempted by Satan. Wild animals were there also, but angels came and helped him.
14 After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and preached the Good News from God. 15 “The right time has come,” he said, “and the Kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!”
9 Not long afterward Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove.
11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.”
12 At once the Spirit made him go into the desert, 13 where he stayed forty days, being tempted by Satan. Wild animals were there also, but angels came and helped him.
14 After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and preached the Good News from God. 15 “The right time has come,” he said, “and the Kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!”
Reflection
Jesus is baptized by John in all four gospels- kind of: kind of because the gospel of John can’t quite bring itself to say that Jesus was baptized by John just that John (the Baptist) gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” (John 1:32-34) Close enough I say! There was an encounter between the two men.
Now when something happens in all four gospels, you know it is important – so why is Jesus’ baptism important?
You see we just celebrated Christmas and Jesus birth in Matthew and Luke’s gospels, so we already know Jesus is important; maybe even divine:
Immanuel, God with us,
Prince of Peace
Light of the world
The Word which was with God
wise men, angels, shepherds – Gabriel , dreams and stars, - so why does Jesus even go to see John the Baptist?
Why does Jesus have to repent? Why does Jesus have to be purified?
Baptized by John, who is tasked with getting people ready for the Kingdom of God which is coming, and soon! And that raises the question of what Jesus has been doing for the past 15 or so years- or from the time he was about 14-15?
The answer is we don’t know, we assume he has been going about his life when he hears John’s message to get ready, to repent and be immersed in the Jordan.
And what we are told is that the experience is a blessed
event, an event that moves Jesus to change his life, an event that disrupts his life, an event that transforms him, or at least, opens him up to consider that Yahweh might be calling him in a different direction.
We all know those moments when you are going along and all of a sudden you are faced with an opportunity- a decision- a choice that has the potential of changing your life. A job, a move, a marriage or divorce, birth: these can be monumental but often the choices we make are more subtle- reading this book, following that course, befriending this person, volunteering in such an organization, seeking this path, yearning for this God – hearing a message of repentance and readiness from this fellow John coming out of the wilderness and baptizing people in the Jordan River. And deciding that maybe this is important for me to go and hear what this John has to say.
You see for Jesus it wasn’t just a story; it was his life! And in one special moment his life is transformed as the Message puts it:
The moment he came out of the water, he saw
the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like
a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit,
a voice proclaimed: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.” (Mark 1:1-11)
And immediately Jesus leaves and goes out into the desert to figure this all out. I know we read it all as one story Baptism-dove descending-God proclaiming-desert testing-angels-Satan-more angels-never a doubt in our minds that Jesus would prevail; after all Yahweh had spoken, hadn’t he?
Our job is not to take the story as fact but to take the story seriously: Jesus, a carpenter in the small town of Nazareth hears about John from the desert who has a message for Israel to get ready because the Kingdom of God is near- and he goes to hear this messenger with his call for repentance and he is baptized – and – is changed. Then Jesus goes off into the desert to think, to discern this call, this vision, this voice.
40 days of fasting is a long time, the same amount of time Moses spent fasting on Mount Sinai.
You know, there is so much we don’t know about Jesus, like if he were here we’d probably have a hundred questions to ask him; about his life, about the desert, what did he think about, pray about, did he believe John’s message, did he have faith in his own experience of Yahweh? Did he think maybe he was the Messiah come to save Israel?
We don’t know but this time in the desert means something!
At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels
took care of him.
The baptism leads directly to testing; in the desert; the dreams and goals and visions of the ego – (let’s call that Satan) can be seen clearly there.
The desert is a dangerous place, it’s not the place you run to it is the place you run from. It is place John the Baptist comes out of and Jesus goes into. It hides wild beasts, and exposes the wild beasts, I’m glad the angels took care of Jesus because then we can be assured that when we are in desert times in our lives, there the angels reside with us.
When the specters of self-sufficiency arise tempting Jesus to turn stones into bread, to satisfy his hunger with his own ingenuity and creativeness he is able to resist. Sure he cites Deuteronomy 8:3 “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” but it indicates a willingness to be subject to something, someone greater than one’s self.
And when the vision is one where reliance on the greater is tested – sort of like saying: “OK God, I believe in you -now prove to me that my belief is justified – prove to me that you exist!” Jesus resists a modern equivalent of throwing yourself in front of bus to prove that God will save you from being hit by said bus. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Deut 6:16)
today we might also say: “God will be with you but the bus will still hit you.”
Finally in Matthew we hear: “8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
And who doesn’t dream of power, of control, and it’s tempting-
imagine what we could do if we had the power, the authority, the dominion over, we could set things right, how different the world could, would be- the benevolent king, the good emperor, the righteous Lord over all – imagine what Jesus could do for Israel – the Messiah who restores the Kingdoms and conquers the world.
Jesus said to Satan, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Jesus comes out of the desert and returns to Galilee, beginning
his ministry, calling for people to repent and hear the Good News.
Good News for the people of Galilee, Good News for the people in Samaria, Good News for the people of Israel, Good News for all people who have ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts that are open. Good News for us!
May it be so Amen
Jesus is baptized by John in all four gospels- kind of: kind of because the gospel of John can’t quite bring itself to say that Jesus was baptized by John just that John (the Baptist) gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” (John 1:32-34) Close enough I say! There was an encounter between the two men.
Now when something happens in all four gospels, you know it is important – so why is Jesus’ baptism important?
You see we just celebrated Christmas and Jesus birth in Matthew and Luke’s gospels, so we already know Jesus is important; maybe even divine:
Immanuel, God with us,
Prince of Peace
Light of the world
The Word which was with God
wise men, angels, shepherds – Gabriel , dreams and stars, - so why does Jesus even go to see John the Baptist?
Why does Jesus have to repent? Why does Jesus have to be purified?
Baptized by John, who is tasked with getting people ready for the Kingdom of God which is coming, and soon! And that raises the question of what Jesus has been doing for the past 15 or so years- or from the time he was about 14-15?
The answer is we don’t know, we assume he has been going about his life when he hears John’s message to get ready, to repent and be immersed in the Jordan.
And what we are told is that the experience is a blessed
event, an event that moves Jesus to change his life, an event that disrupts his life, an event that transforms him, or at least, opens him up to consider that Yahweh might be calling him in a different direction.
We all know those moments when you are going along and all of a sudden you are faced with an opportunity- a decision- a choice that has the potential of changing your life. A job, a move, a marriage or divorce, birth: these can be monumental but often the choices we make are more subtle- reading this book, following that course, befriending this person, volunteering in such an organization, seeking this path, yearning for this God – hearing a message of repentance and readiness from this fellow John coming out of the wilderness and baptizing people in the Jordan River. And deciding that maybe this is important for me to go and hear what this John has to say.
You see for Jesus it wasn’t just a story; it was his life! And in one special moment his life is transformed as the Message puts it:
The moment he came out of the water, he saw
the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like
a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit,
a voice proclaimed: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.” (Mark 1:1-11)
And immediately Jesus leaves and goes out into the desert to figure this all out. I know we read it all as one story Baptism-dove descending-God proclaiming-desert testing-angels-Satan-more angels-never a doubt in our minds that Jesus would prevail; after all Yahweh had spoken, hadn’t he?
Our job is not to take the story as fact but to take the story seriously: Jesus, a carpenter in the small town of Nazareth hears about John from the desert who has a message for Israel to get ready because the Kingdom of God is near- and he goes to hear this messenger with his call for repentance and he is baptized – and – is changed. Then Jesus goes off into the desert to think, to discern this call, this vision, this voice.
40 days of fasting is a long time, the same amount of time Moses spent fasting on Mount Sinai.
You know, there is so much we don’t know about Jesus, like if he were here we’d probably have a hundred questions to ask him; about his life, about the desert, what did he think about, pray about, did he believe John’s message, did he have faith in his own experience of Yahweh? Did he think maybe he was the Messiah come to save Israel?
We don’t know but this time in the desert means something!
At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels
took care of him.
The baptism leads directly to testing; in the desert; the dreams and goals and visions of the ego – (let’s call that Satan) can be seen clearly there.
The desert is a dangerous place, it’s not the place you run to it is the place you run from. It is place John the Baptist comes out of and Jesus goes into. It hides wild beasts, and exposes the wild beasts, I’m glad the angels took care of Jesus because then we can be assured that when we are in desert times in our lives, there the angels reside with us.
When the specters of self-sufficiency arise tempting Jesus to turn stones into bread, to satisfy his hunger with his own ingenuity and creativeness he is able to resist. Sure he cites Deuteronomy 8:3 “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” but it indicates a willingness to be subject to something, someone greater than one’s self.
And when the vision is one where reliance on the greater is tested – sort of like saying: “OK God, I believe in you -now prove to me that my belief is justified – prove to me that you exist!” Jesus resists a modern equivalent of throwing yourself in front of bus to prove that God will save you from being hit by said bus. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Deut 6:16)
today we might also say: “God will be with you but the bus will still hit you.”
Finally in Matthew we hear: “8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
And who doesn’t dream of power, of control, and it’s tempting-
imagine what we could do if we had the power, the authority, the dominion over, we could set things right, how different the world could, would be- the benevolent king, the good emperor, the righteous Lord over all – imagine what Jesus could do for Israel – the Messiah who restores the Kingdoms and conquers the world.
Jesus said to Satan, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Jesus comes out of the desert and returns to Galilee, beginning
his ministry, calling for people to repent and hear the Good News.
Good News for the people of Galilee, Good News for the people in Samaria, Good News for the people of Israel, Good News for all people who have ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts that are open. Good News for us!
May it be so Amen
