Bible Study series: Mark 1:9-11. Jesus got water baptized. He is our example.
Friendly greetings and a warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together how to apply these truths to our lives.
I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
To read the Greek text, click here:
At that link, I also offer more commentary and a Summary and Conclusion, geared towards discipleship. Scroll down to the bottom and check it out!
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Mark 1:9-11
9 And so it happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately, as Jesus came out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting open and the Spirit like a dove descending on him. 11 A voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son, in you I am delighted!” (Mark 1:9-11)
Commentary
After this brief introduction, let’s take it verse by verse.
This whole scene is a “family photo” of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Very nice. See v. 1 for quick comments on the Trinity and some links.
John the Baptizer’s announcement says prepare the way of the Lord, and Jesus comes on the scene. Jesus is the LORD. This is high Christology, for Jesus is the LORD God, but Mark’s Christology is subtler than John’s Christology.
9:
Joseph chose Nazareth, which was his former hometown (Luke 1:26-27; 2:39; Matt. 13:53-58). Nazareth was a despised place, even among the Galileans (John 1:46; 7:42, 52). In John 1:46, Nathaniel asked Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” So, Matthew’s Christian readers would have instantly picked up on Jesus being despised (see Pss. 22:6-8, 13; 69:8. 20-21; Is. 11:1; 49:7; 53:2-3, 8; Dan. 9:26).
“Nazareth is never mentioned in the OT, in the Jewish Talmud, of by Josephus, and most Judeans in the south probably would never have heard of it” (Wessel and Strauss, comment on 1:9). It was an insignificant town. But it was close to building projects in nearby towns.
“baptized”: for a word study, click back to this link and scroll down to vv. 4-5:
John the Baptizer Announces the Coming One
Why did Jesus submit to water baptism? To answer that question, I have to rely on the passages in Matthew 3:13-17 and Luke 3:21-22.
Jesus so identified with the people that while they were being baptized, so was he. Was he baptized for forgiveness of sins, when he was proclaimed to be sinless (John 8:45-46; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:21-22; 1 John 3:5)?
See my post on the sinless life of Jesus:
8. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Was Sinless
He was not baptized for the forgiveness of sins, as the voice from heaven confirms. Rather, his baptism accomplished these truths, as follows:
His baptism is not for the forgiveness of sins, as the voice from heaven confirms. Rather, his baptism accomplished these truths, as follows:
First, this was his ministry launch. The Messiah was here for those who had eyes to see and ears hear. Second, his baptism was a public consecration by God, and a public declaration of God’s love and acceptance and delight in his Son. The crowds did not get that declaration, so his declaration was unique. Consecration means to be set apart from the unclean and common. Third, however, Jesus also identified with the crowds, as noted. He was about to become the people’s sacrificial offering (2 Cor. 5:21), so he had to get down in the water to show he too was a human. This shows a double imputation. Jesus’s righteousness goes to the people by identifying with them. And the crowd’s sins go to him. This will be developed in Paul’s theology. Fourth, Luke records that John’s family was Levitical, descendants of Aaron, the first high priest. So John is in a sense preparing a sacrifice. Jesus will live the life of sacrifice. Fifth, by being baptized, he put his stamp of approval on John’s ministry (BTSB). Sixth, typologically, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, but Moses was not permitted to cross the Jordan. So Jesus surpasses Moses.
But there’s a seventh reason, which is relational.
Peter was Jesus’s lead apostle, and no doubt he observed this principle operating in his Lord’s life:
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because,
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.” [Prov. 3:34]
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Pet. 5:5-6, NIV)
James was Jesus’s (half-)brother and he too saw the same virtue being lived out in his Lord’s life:
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (Jas. 4:10)
Were Jesus, James and John First Cousins? Was Clopas Jesus’ Uncle?
I believe that to fulfill all righteousness, Jesus had to temporarily submit and humble himself before John and his ministry of the baptism of repentance, before Jesus’s own ministry could be launched. He may have followed John for longer than we think, just reading Matthew’s Gospel. Recall that Phil. 1:5 says: “rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.” John proclaimed that the one coming after was mightier than he was, and so he was surprised when his superior relative came down into the water.
Finally, Philippians 2:9-11 affirms:
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (NIV)
It all began with Jesus humbling himself before his cousin in water baptism, whose ministry would not be as long-lasting and far-reaching as Jesus’s ministry. Now Jesus was exalted to the highest heaven, all because he humbled himself first.
This humility could be reflected in Is. 53:11, where the Servant of the Lord, who is to suffer for his people, is righteous and will make many righteous. To make many righteous and to fulfill all righteousness, he had to humble himself. One translation translates “righteousness” as “requirement” since to live righteously is to obey the requirements of the law (France). Jesus was fulfilling the law.
See my posts on cleanliness in Leviticus, which includes washing:
Childbirth, Bodily Discharges in Leviticus 12, 15 from a NT Perspective
Skin Disease, Mold in Leviticus 13, 14 from a NT Perspective
It is not a far leap to see water as cleansing the soul, as well, though, as noted, that was not the purpose in Jesus’s case. But it is interesting that all sorts of ritual bathing places have been found in Israel, existing up to Jesus’s days.
10:
Jesus came up out of the water. Baptism is immersion. See my post on baptism:
“split”: heaven itself was opened. God opened it. In his comment on 1:10 France writes of “split open”:
The opening of heaven is a recurrent theme in biblical and other literature (Jewish and pagan) to indicate a vision which reaches beyond the earthly dimension (Ezk. 1:1; Jn. 1:51; Acts 7:56; 10:11; Rev. 4:1; 19:11). Ezekiel’s vision, also beside a river (and, according to one interpretation of the book’s opening sentence, at the age of thirty; cf. Lk. 3:23), provides a suggestive OT parallel, where a vision of God and a divine voice commissioned him for his prophetic role.
“descended”: this is the standard verb and adverb “come” and “upon.” The Spirit is often said to “fall on” and “come upon” people.
Baptized, Filled, and Full of the Spirit: What Does It All Mean?
Luke’s version says: “bodily” and “in the appearance.” Mark says “like” a dove. Matthew also says “like” a dove. All three agree: the Spirit of God came down like a dove.
Here is the OT background of the Spirit resting on Jesus:
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. (Is. 11:1-3, NIV)
The seven-fold Spirit rests on Jesus: (1) of the Lord, (2) of wisdom, (3) of understanding, (4) of counsel, (5) of might, (6) of knowledge and (7) of fear of the LORD
11:
Alternative translation: “You are my Son, the Beloved, in whom I have been delighted!” The Father addresses his Son directly. “You.”
“beloved”: it is the adjective agapētos (pronounced ah-gah-pay-tohss), and it means “beloved” or “dear.” It can be used of children, friends, fellow-Christians (1 Cor. 4:17; Col. 4:14; 3 John 2, 5, 11). Of the Messiah it has the strong connotation of “only beloved” (Matt. 3:17; Luke 3:22). I believe the Shorter Lexicon is a little off on the latter meaning and right on about the former one. That is, the adjective can mean that we too have God’s love. We too are well-pleasing to God after we repent and receive the baptism for the forgiveness of our sins. Are we well pleasing and beloved of God before our repentance? No, not in the same way. Yes, God loves people before they are born again (John 3:16), but God’s judicial wrath also remains on them until they repent and ask for his forgiveness (John 3:36).
“Son”: see v. 1 for more comments. This refers to Ps. 2:7: “You are my Son, and today I have begotten you.” No, Jesus was not begotten at his baptism, but it refers to the relationship between the Father and Son. The Psalm is an anointing psalm for the king. Also, Is. 42:1 says, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.”
“delight”: First, in some contexts it means, “consider good, consent, resolve” (Luke 12:12; Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 5:8; Col. 1:19; 1 Thess. 2:8). Further, in other contexts it means “be well pleased, take delight (Matt. 3:17; 12:18; Luke 3:22; 1 Cor. 10:5; 2 Pet. 12:17); or “delight in, approve, like” (2 Cor. 12:10; 2 Thess. 2:12; Heb. 10:6, 8). So God thought well of his Son Jesus. The Father loved and liked his Son. The Father took delight in and approved of his Son. See Ps. 2:7 and Is. 42:1 (“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights”) for further study.
Heaven opening up and the descent of the Spirit refers indirectly to Is. 64:1: “Oh that you would rend the heaven and come down.”
Before leaving this section, let’s get into some systematic theology. Here’s a quick teaching about the Trinity. The Father in his role as the Father guides the whole of creation and the plan of the ages. The Son carries out the plan, notably by being born as a man, humbling himself, taking on the form of a servant (Phil. 3:7-8). He humbled himself so deeply and thoroughly that he died a death on the cross, the instrument of the death penalty.
However, the Father and Son are equal in their essence or nature. The Father is fully God and the Son is fully God, in their essence. Phil. 2:6: Jesus did not regard equality with God as something to hold on to, but he surrendered the environment of heaven and took the form of a servant.
Picture an equal sided-triangle in a circle. The circle is monotheism, and the triangle is the three persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is no contradiction with placing a triangle within a circle. The circle is not bent out of shape, nor is the triangle.
Boiled down:
Function or role: the Father is over the Son in his incarnation and role in the redemptive plan
In their essence or essential nature: Father and Son are equally and fully God.
The Trinity: What Are the Basics?
The Trinity: What Are Some Illustrations?
The Trinity: Why Would God Seem So Complicated?
The Trinity: What Does He Mean to Me?
To conclude ….
Jesus was baptized to launch his ministry. He had to learn, first, that they way up was down, and then God was about to exalt him. So submitting to his his relative was a test for himself. He passed.
GrowApp for Mark 1:9-11
1.. What was your water baptism like for you? Tell your story.
2.. When you are in Christ, the Father takes delight in you. He likes you. Do you believe this? Why or why not?
RELATED
10. Eyewitness Testimony in Mark’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
2. Church Fathers and Mark’s Gospel
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCE
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