Mark 1:9-11

Mark 1:9-11  At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:13-17  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”  Then John consented.  As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Jesus of Nazareth, the sinless, perfect One, came to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  His baptism, as with all baptisms, symbolized putting off the old, and putting on the new: dying to this world with its all consuming needs and self-interests and rising alive to a new world under the auspices of the perfect will of God.  The Spirit of God descended on Jesus that day when He was baptized in water, revealing God's approval of his Son and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The scriptures note that from the day of his baptism, Jesus was totally committed to bringing the Kingdom of God to the people.  The Bible says: From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  (Matthew 4:17)  Christ's daily concerns would no longer revolve around food, drink, and shelter; for his Father had now made him the heavenly manna and living water for others to eat and drink to find eternal life.  He clearly stated, "I am the bread of life.  Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.  But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”  (John 4:48-51)  He proclaimed one must enter the kingdom of God by believing in him, by eating and drinking of him, by putting their trust in his deeds, not their own.  After Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness where He would lay down all his physical wants and needs, the interests of the flesh, to face the torments of his enemy, Satan.  There in the wilderness, Jesus became hungry, thirsty and weak.  Yet through the power of the Holy Spirit and the written Word, He resisted the temptations of the devil and defeated his adversary.  He dismissed the physical and psychological needs that every human being experiences.  He dismissed these needs of the flesh for the will of the Father.  After this difficult experience in the wilderness, He followed God wherever the Spirit led him, doing the works of his Father.  Eventually, we hear him pray in emotional and physical agony on the Mount of Olives,  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  (Luke 22:42)  As we know, the Father's will was the cross: his destination, the place where Jesus would shed his precious blood for the sins of all mankind. 

To do the will of the Father, Jesus had to hear the Father's voice.  As Jesus often said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  (Luke 14:35)  This is also a cry to each of us today who is sitting at this breakfast table.  Do we have ears attuned to the voice of the Father?  The Spirit says to each of us, "Those who hear my voice are mine."  Are you hearing his voice?  We read of our inheritance in the Word: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  (John 1:12-13)  Has the baptism in the Spirit caused you to be a sensitive son or daughter, desirous to fulfill God's plan in your life?  We who are born again are made alive to a set of senses that extends beyond this world of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching.  We are alive to a better set of spiritual senses, that does not falter or grow weak with age: love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Our newborn lives should no longer be consumed merely by seeking food, drink, shelter, and other worldly amenities.  Rather, our new lives should have new ears, attuned to the words of our dear Father.  How easy it is to write these words; how difficult it is to live them.  How easy it is for us around this table to discuss what we should do or what our nature should reflect, but how difficult it is when we are struggling on the Mount of Olives in our weak flesh, sweating blood, asking God to remove the task.  That is when we need the Holy Spirit not only in us but in those who surround us, who are literally part of the body of Christ.  At those times, we need to hear from within and from without those words that come from God.  My friends, are we willing to commit to God and to each other?  When we see Jesus on the Mount, He is really alone.  Yes, He brought three of his disciples with him to hold him up in prayer.  They did not hear the still, small voice of the Spirit that night.  Jesus was left alone to face the terror of that night.  They fell asleep, still under the control of their five senses and their own self-interests.  We need each other, just as Jesus needed the disciples when they slept instead of praying with him.    

Yes, John baptized the sinless Jesus.  Jesus' baptism was the cleansing of the worldly dust off of his body and soul.  However, Jesus knew, as Paul knew, as the disciples knew, that when they went under the water, they would come out "all in," as a sign to the world there are no lukewarm Christians in the Kingdom of God.  In Revelation 3:16 we read, So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  Christ was all in, totally surrendered, after receiving John's baptism of repentance.  He was no longer a carpenter: He was a servant of the Most High, on the road to Golgotha.  We who are alive IN CHRIST are servants of the Most High too, for we are members of the body of Christ, where every part works in unison for the effective functioning of the whole body.  The body is alive to spread the Good News, to serve God and a world in need of his love and mercy.  As Jesus was baptized so are we baptized in water and in the Spirit because of his work at the cross.  As He lives so do we live as newborn creatures made in his image with his life in us and his inexpressible joy strengthening us.  We are sojourners on a holy mission, just passing through.  Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  (Matthew 8:20)  He was just passing through, with his eyes fixed on his Father's face and his ears tuned to the Father's voice.  Paul wrote to the church:  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  (Philippians 2:5-8)  Let the mind of Christ be in us.  As we pass through, whatever work the Lord has for us to do today, let us do it.  May our ears be attuned to the Spirit as the Spirit abides richly in our lives.  And we pray the Lord will allow our lives to give off an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.  (Philippians 4:18)  God is pleased with obedience and faithfulness.  He will say, "Well done my good and faithful servant."