THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
Isaiah 42:1-7
Mark 1:1-11
January 11, 2009

     In the United Methodist Church we have a device called the Revised Common Lectionary, which offers us a Scripture suggestion to preach on for every Sunday in the year.  I’m not required to use the Lectionary, but it’s often helpful.  Each year the Lectionary draws from a different set of Scriptures.  Last year we worked almost exclusively from the Gospel of Matthew.  This year we will focus on Mark’s Gospel, with occasional side trips to the Gospel of John. 

     Now, the author of Mark was most likely a young man named John Mark.  John was his Hebrew name, Marcus was his Roman name.  We have so many John’s in Scripture that it’s easier to refer to him as Mark.   His mother, another Mary, was very involved in the Jesus movement, and Mark may have met Jesus personally.  There is a strange incident which appears only in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 14:51-52).  On the night Jesus was arrested his supporters fled away from him in the chaos.  One young man, wearing nothing but a loin cloth was grabbed by the waist.  He pulled free from his clothes and ran away naked.  The unusual nature and placement of the story has led many to conclude that the young man was John Mark himself.   If so, the author of Mark was there during the final week of Jesus’ life. 

     After the resurrection Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas, until they had a personality conflict and Mark was sent back to Jerusalem.  At that time he became Peter’s apprentice.  They became so close, and spent so much time together, that Peter eventually referred to Mark as “my son” (1 Peter 5:13).  Most of us believe that the Gospel of Matthew was written by the Apostle Matthew, and the Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John.  Many of the church fathers, and I as well, believe that when you read Mark you are reading the Apostle Peter’s Gospel.  

     Mark’s Gospel opens with a bang.  There is no infancy narrative, no baby Jesus, he goes straight to the story of Jesus’ baptism.  Which, by the way, is the exact way Peter does it when he tells the story (Acts 10:37).   Mark does tell us a little bit about John the Baptist, but only because it’s absolutely necessary to get to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.   Luke and John tell us about the life and death of John the Baptist.  Mark doesn’t care.  The only important story is Jesus, and he’s in a hurry to get there.  His entire Gospel is going to move at a very fast pace, because we need to know about Jesus and we need to know right now. 

     Mark’s very first sentence says that Jesus is the Son of God.  Then, he gives us a very short Old Testament prophecy.  Next, in a minimal amount of words, he shows that John the Baptist fulfills that prophecy.  Mark wants us to understand from the very beginning that Jesus is not an accident, he is not a coincidence, and he is not a fluke of history.  Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan before he even created the universe.  This coming together of Jesus and John is a divinely ordained, intentional and deliberate event. 

     Mark does give us one sentence that describes John’s dress and diet.  And, you might wonder, if Jesus is the focus why share those odd details?  Well, Mark can either waste an entire paragraph explaining that John the Baptist is a classical Old Testament prophet, or he can show us with one picture.  John’s unusual clothing reveals him as the quintessential prophet (2 Kings 1:8, Zechariah 13:4).  His diet is also interesting; it’s usually translated as locusts and wild honey.  I don’t care how much honey you put on a grasshopper, I’m not eating one.  The Greek word for locust carob can also mean a bean or nut which grew wild, and was the primary food for the poorest people.   The religious establishment of Jesus’ day had life pretty good.  They were in the upper ten percent of the population for wealth and lifestyle.  Whether were talking about a bean or an insect, Mark is showing us that John the Baptist is definitely not part of the status quo, he is totally disassociated with the religious machine. 

     And yet, Mark says people are coming from Jerusalem in huge crowds to see John.  Now, it is not an easy trip from Jerusalem down to the River Jordan.  You have to descend four thousand feet to get from the city level down to the desert floor.  Then, you have to walk twenty miles to the location where John was baptizing.  You listen to his message, you make your decision, and you get baptized.  Then, you have to walk twenty miles back home, and climb four thousand feet to get back to your house.   And yet, people are making that trip in droves.  Christianity is not for the faint of heart, or for those looking for a quick and easy fix to life’s challenges.  But, the payoff, the endgame, the reward, far outstrips the sacrifice. 

     I’ll tell you what else is very interesting about the picture Mark has drawn.  The Jewish people were familiar with baptism, but not for Jews – only for Gentiles.  When a Gentile wanted to become a follower of the God of Israel he had to do three things; he had to be circumcised, he had to make a sin offering, and he had to be baptized.   Doing these three things allowed him to finally be as clean and acceptable as a Jew.  There was no reason for a Jew to be baptized, he was already clean and acceptable.  And yet, Mark tells us huge Jewish crowds are coming down to the river and submitting to this baptism of repentance.  Mark wants us to understand, this is something completely new.  In the history of the world, you have never seen anything like this before.  A man who is completely unassociated with the religious establishment is performing a ritual which has never before been applied to the sons of Abraham. 

     When John the Baptist shows up it has been four hundred years since the last time Israel had heard concrete, definitive, undeniable words from the mouth of God.  Four hundred years of silence.  Let’s put that in perspective.  Two hundred and thirty three years ago the United States was founded as a nation.  A nation that had absolutely no doubt that God is real, and Jesus is his Son, and that our politicians and government needed to be of the Christian faith.  Now, two hundred and thirty three years later we are in a rapid faith de-evolution.  Last week a group of concerned atheists filed a lawsuit in Federal court, with the purpose of preventing President-Elect Obama from either praying himself or having anyone else pray at his inauguration. 

     That’s how much we have changed in a little over two hundred years.  For twice that long Israel had not heard from God.  Instead, they had only the Bath Qol, the ‘daughter of a voice’.   Have you ever gone through a period in your life where you desperately wanted to hear from God, and you weren’t sure if you were being guided or not?  One of those times when you think the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you something, but you’re not exactly sure.  You read your Bible, and it doesn’t seem to give you concrete guidance about the issue; you talk to the Pastor and he doesn’t seem to have anything to offer; you pray but there is no obvious sign from above.  You’re pretty sure God is talking to you, but you can’t get a solid grip on the message – that is the Bath Qol – the daughter of the voice.  For four hundred years that’s all that Israel had.  But now, something completely new is happening. 

     What is this new thing, what is so different?  Well, as we’ve already said, pure blood Jews are being baptized.  But, it’s more than that.  It’s a baptism of repentance, which means confession has been added.   Before this, having your sins forgiven was a very straightforward contractual agreement.  You come once a year to the Holy Temple and you bring a sacrificial animal, or you purchase an animal; the priest sacrifices the animal on your behalf, and your sins are forgiven.  There is no emotion involved.  If any emotion does exist it is unhappiness at the skyrocketing price of sacrificial animals.  “Man, it’s getting expensive to be forgiven.”  Now, John the Baptist says we don’t get off that easy anymore.  We don’t have to purchase a sacrifice.  Instead, we have to be sorry for our sin if we want to be forgiven.  That’s a horse of a different color; that’s a whole new ballgame; that’s not business as usual.  We have to confess our sins and be sorry (James 5:16, 1 John 1:9).  The religious establishment is not going to like this. 

     Confession and repentance have three significant steps.   First, we must confess to ourselves, we must admit our sin.  I spent nine years working with the inmates of the Denton County Prison.  Getting those guys to admit they had done something wrong was almost impossible.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve this exact same conversation.  “Why are you in jail?” 

“Well, I had been drinking.  And, my wife knows better than to push my buttons when I’ve been drinking.  So, she got all in my face, and I hit her, and she called the police.” 

“So, why are you in jail?”

“I’m in jail because of my wife.” 

The very first step of repentance is to admit that we have sinned.  God has established standards, and our behavior is wrong (Romans 3:23). 

     The second step is to confess to those we have sinned against.  Let’s say I pull Nancy DiMarco aside and tell her that Brandon Akins is a terrible person; he cheats on his wife, he cheats on his taxes, and he steals from work.  Nancy confronts me with facts and proves it’s all a lie.  I don’t get off easy by going to a quiet room, getting on my knees and praying, “Lord, God.  I have slandered Brandon.  Forgive me.”  No sir!  I have to confess my sin to Brandon and ask for his forgiveness.  (By the way, Brandon has not done any of those things.) 

     The third and final step of repentance is to confess my sin to God.  No more paying for a sacrificial animal and walking away from my actions.  John the Baptist says I have to admit to the Lord God that my actions against my brother are also actions against Him.  I have to be sorry for those actions.  I must genuinely regret that my actions have injured my relationship with my Creator. John is baptizing lifelong Jews with the understanding that my heart, just as much as my hands, are an indicator of my faith.  If I murder someone with my hands, I am guilty, and there will be consequences.  If I hate that same person in my heart, I am just as guilty, and the consequences will be just as serious. 

     At this point you may be asking, “Then why is Jesus being baptized?”   If this is to confess our guilt and sin, why is Jesus there?  I thought Jesus was perfect and sinless (Hebrews 4:15).  Maybe I’m wrong.  Maybe Jesus was just another guy, no different than me.  The Apostle Matthew was concerned about this idea getting around.  In his Gospel John balks at baptizing Jesus and they have to come to an agreement before he will continue (Matthew 3:4).  It’s interesting that Mark isn’t bothered by this issue at all.   Remember, Mark is in a hurry to get to Jesus.  Mark’s Gospel says, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.  It must have been entirely correct to baptize Jesus because look what happens next!” 

     For our sake, we’re going to back up just a minute and explain what Jesus was doing there.  First, Jesus was showing the entire world that he had chosen to follow God the Father’s will, and not his own.   Jesus had complete free will, just as you and I have.  Jesus was not a slave, and he was not a robot.  He could have decided not to go to the cross.  Stepping into the river that day was a public confession that whatever it might cost him, he would follow the will of the Father. 

     Secondly, Jesus was identifying with this new movement.  The Pharisees and the Sadducees are going to be plenty angry when they find out John the Baptist is telling people don’t worry about giving your money and animals to the church.  You can have your sins forgiven directly from God himself.  They are going to come down hard on this new behavior.  Jesus is baptized to lend his support for this new movement against the old establishment. 

     Finally, Jesus is baptized to give his approval to the practice of baptism.  He is sanctioning baptism as a correct and proper procedure for defining our new ‘heart centered’, rather than ‘sacrifice centered’, relationship with the Father.  Jesus is using his body to say, “Baptism is a good thing.  I want you to do this (Matthew 28:19).” 

     And, Mark is right, it must have been the right move, because look what happens next!  Jesus comes up from out of the water.  Let’s stop right there and agree that Jesus was probably baptized with full immersion.  Mark’s Greek can also be interpreted as when Jesus stepped out of the water onto dry ground.  But, the traditions of early Israel, and the logic of the grammar, imply that he most likely was ‘dunked’.  If that’s the case, why do Methodist’s baptize with sprinkling instead of immersion? 

     Our tradition goes back further into Israel’s history.  During the forty years in the wilderness the priests were cleansed of their sin by sprinkling them with water (Numbers 8:7).  The people were then made clean when the priests sprinkled them with water (Numbers 19:17-19).  Later, in the Temple period, Israelites were forgiven of their sins when the High Priest sprinkled blood on the top of the Ark of the Covenant (Leviticus 16:14).  But, most importantly, we believe Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.  And, we believe John the Baptist had just redefined repentance to include our hearts and not just our hands.  So, we look to the words of the prophet Ezekiel when he says that God will sprinkle us with water, and put a new heart and a new spirit in us (Ezekiel 36:25-27). 

     At that moment, three very important things happen.  All three of these events, when combined, are signs of the end according to Jewish thought.   First, the heavens are torn.  Sometimes when a prophet gets a glimpse of heaven he will say that the heavens were opened.  Mark is very specific.  The heavens don’t open to reveal a small view, they are torn to show the entire glory of the Lord God.  Secondly, the Spirit of God descends onto Jesus alone.  This is the same Spirit that hovered over the waters during the creation of the world.  The Spirit has been gone for four hundred years, but now it’s back.  Finally, the voice of God speaks and validates the decision Jesus has just made. 

     The wording in the Greek implies that Jesus is the only one who saw the heavens tear, who saw the spirit descend, and who heard the voice of God.   Most likely, no one else that day – not even John the Baptist – was aware that the beginning of the end had just been inaugurated.  It wasn’t the right time for them to know.  They needed to wait until the resurrection. 

     Mark packs a lot of information into a very few verses.  In eleven verses he tells us; God has just done something completely new, something completely unheard of.  And yet, this was not an accident.  This was the intentional will of God.  This new thing has permanently changed our relationship with God forever.  No longer is our salvation a business contract.  Now, God requires our hearts as well as our hands.  The Bath Qol has been broken.  No more voice of the daughter.  Through the prophet John the Baptist, and through God’s only Son – Jesus Christ – the Father is speaking loud and clear to his people. 

     Have you been struggling to hear the voice of God?  Are you caught in the Bath Qol?  There could be a lot of reasons for this.  Perhaps you have given Jesus your hands but not your heart.  Perhaps you have chosen to maintain control of your life, as though it belonged to you, instead of surrendering to the will of God.  Perhaps you have not fully embraced the three steps of confession; admitting your sin to yourself, admitting your sin to those you have sinned against, or admitting your sin to the Father.  Perhaps you’re comfortable with the status quo, and you don’t want to rock the boat for the religious establishment.  There could be a lot of reasons.  Only you can make the decision to be a part of this new thing.  Only you can make the long demanding trip from Jerusalem to the river.  Only you can make the decision to be fully baptized in the Spirit, to come out of the water, and to see what the unsaved will never know is there. 

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