MARKAN MEDITATIONS

Meditations in the Gospel of St. Mark

St. Mark 1:9-13

=====

THIS short passage takes in two very important aspects of the beginning of the ministry and saving work of Jesus. They are his baptism and temptations. Other Gospels, specially concerning the temptations, give much more detail. However there is much we can glean from this short narrative of Mark.

Immediately that Jesus commences his public ministry we see him taking on the work of salvation as our substitute who takes our place before God in order to save us from our sin. This is the golden thread through scripture, and the reason Jesus became man.

We see this first in the baptism of Jesus. Why was Jesus baptised when he had committed no sin. People were baptised by John the Baptist to demonstrate their repentance from sin. John plainly saw this dilemma when Jesus came to be baptised, because in Matthew's Gospel he is reluctant to baptise Jesus, knowing that he needed much more to be baptised by Jesus. John knew the complete purity of Jesus. In Matthew 3:15 Jesus tells John that he must be baptised to fulfil all righteousness.

What did Jesus mean by this statement? Jesus was baptised so that he left nothing undone to procure a righteousness acceptable to God as a man on our behalf - a righteousness that could then be imputed to the believer for salvation. He that knew no sin was ready to be accounted a sinner, that is accept the responsibility for our sin so that he could work a righteousness which could then be given to us. Jesus could do this because he was perfectly righteous already, and so the righteousness he worked could be made over to others. No sinful human being can gain merit before God for any other human being. Only the sinless Saviour could do this. See how Jesus was baptised to leave nothing undone to fulfil all righteousness on our behalf. See how Jesus shirked nothing in his work to save us. See how perfect and complete that work was. See that great love of Jesus that he was willing to be accounted sin for us.

Then we ought not to miss the wonderful testimony to Jesus which was given by divine audible word, which John heard and testifies to. John heard the testimony that Jesus is divine. God calls him his Son. His unique son-ship is heard in the words "whom I love". Jesus lived eternally in oneness of love with the Father. Jesus was totally one with God, the Father. The divinity of Jesus was essential, as it was his divinity which made his sacrifice of infinite value. Next we hear God saying that he is well pleased with Jesus. God is bearing testimony to the perfection of Jesus in character and work. God was pleased with Jesus - God incarnate - because he was the only sinless man ever to live on this earth. Jesus fully carried out God's original purpose for humanity, the purpose Adam failed to perform. God was also pleased with Jesus because he is the one who perfectly carries out God's redeeming work of love so others by faith in Jesus might be made to please God also. The fact Jesus underwent baptism revealed his total willingness to do God's will of redemption to fulfil all righteousness. Then we see Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus. He is one who can baptise with the Holy Spirit, as John prophesied, because he possesses the Spirit and is filled with the Spirit. Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit all who believe on his work for them. What a wonderful testimony. If we heard no more than this concerning the Lord Jesus, we could believe in Jesus with complete confidence as our effective Saviour.

In passing we should not miss the evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity which is revealed so clearly here. This is the doctrine that God is one in three persons. Here we have the Father, acknowledging the Son on whom God the Holy Spirit descends. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are seen to be real. It is God the Father who bears testimony to the Son's Godhead. The divinity of the Holy Spirit is clear because he descends from God. However confusing we find the teaching concerning God in Trinity, there is no doubt that God has revealed himself as such. There is no idea here that God is three Gods, but there is clear evidence that the one God is in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Even if we find this teaching difficult to understand, we find in our experience that this is just the God who meets all our needs, and we know him to be the one true God. In our approach to God in prayer, we find no difficulty in addressing God either as Father, or as Son, or as Holy Spirit, believing them to be the same God. We do not believe the doctrine of the Trinity because we understand it, but because that is how God has revealed himself to us in the Bible. We believe it on the evidence of revelation.

Lastly in this short passage we see Jesus immediately engaging further in his saving work as he takes on the devil and works perfect righteousness for us by his total victory over temptation. In this way he continues to work the righteousness of God for us because he does not succumb to the temptation and remains sinless. Jesus keeps the law of God perfectly. Also Jesus shows himself to be the one and only Saviour by overcoming the devil and defeating him. We must not minimise this victory. The devil attacked when Jesus was at his weakest. The devil brought the most subtle and powerful temptations. Yet in all his weakness Jesus was stronger than the devil and overcame him.

Let us lay hold of the revelation of the saviour-hood of Jesus which is so beautifully set forth in these few verses. Let us never let this understanding go. Let us never doubt that we can rest our eternal salvation upon this Saviour.