Today's scripture focus is Mark 1:9-11
The Baptism of Jesus
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”It always surprises me, but this is one of my kids' favorite stories. They love the idea of a dove out of heaven, of a voice from the sky.
It had to be pretty awe-inspiring.
I've often asked myself - how many people understood God's voice? Did everyone there hear the words, or just John and Jesus? Did the others just hear thunder from a sunny day?
Matthew 3 shows a bit more of the story - of John uncertain he should really be the one to baptize Jesus. After all, John was Jesus's cousin (on his mother's side), but he also already knew exactly who Jesus was. Before this he had been preaching the Messiah's coming.
According to my pastor husband, this is the moment in which Jesus starts his ministry. It is a moment in which he is praised by God, claimed by God as His Son. It reveals that Jesus is the Christ. And later, Jesus calls all believers to be baptized in His name to signify death to ourselves and rebirth into God's family.
When my husband and I discussed baptism as a death to ourselves, I was surprised. Did Jesus really have to die to self? He's Jesus! Fully God..... but fully human. We'll discuss tomorrow Jesus's 40 days in the desert, and his temptation to follow his own will, and not that of His Father.
1 comment:
Great post Tiffany. So much we don't fully understand, but this much we know. The Holy Spirit confirms Jesus is God by descending upon Him as God told John would happen. The heavens open and God the Father declares Jesus to be His Son.
Can you imagine being there to witness this? How amazing!
In the sermons I read it seems they all agree that Jesus was baptized, for one, out of obedience to God. God said He should, so He did.
Also, He was baptized to signify His taking upon us our sins - in some ways this foreshadowed what He would do in full for us on the cross. He was taking on our sin, and undergoing a baptism of repentance because of that.
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