Mar 1:9-13 | KingComments | STEP | The Lord comes from Nazareth in Galilee. Nazareth is a despised city ( ). The land of Galilee is despised because of its intermingling with the Gentiles ( ), where the people speak a dialect ( ). This backward area is the area where He grew up. In that respect, too, He has no prestige. The way of God leads Him from Nazareth in Galilee to the Jordan, for there He is to be baptized by John. From there He will begin His ministry. In baptism Christ takes the place of His people before God. He has nothing to do with sin. But by letting Himself be baptized He shows His desire to join those of His people who, under the influence of the Word, are taking the first step in the right direction. Coming up out of the water, He immediately sees the heavens opening, or being parted, and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. The word “immediately” appears about forty times in this Gospel. This word does not indicate haste, but indicates an action without hesitation, a decisive action. God shows Him that He is parting the heavens. The parting of the heavens occurs only in this Gospel, which presents the Son as the perfect Servant. It shows the full joy of God over Him Who, in His baptism, unites Himself with His repentant people. The Lord Jesus sees the heavens opening, it is meant for Him. Receiving the Spirit is also personal for Him because He is worthy of it personally. The dove is the symbol of cleanness and peace. We receive the Spirit because He made us worthy because of His blood. Then a voice comes out of the heavens that is also meant for Christ personally. The words are addressed to Him on earth. Earlier there was the voice, of John, in the wilderness to the people. Now the Father gives testimony concerning the Son, while the Spirit descends upon the Son. God shows His delight in His servant ( ). This is the first time the Trinity is fully revealed. Through this testimony of the Father from heaven concerning His Son, no one can misunderstand His baptism, as if He would be one of the many sinners who are baptized. This testimony precedes and supports His service. It is meant for bystanders, but addressed to the Lord Jesus personally. It is a personal encouragement before the beginning of His ministry.

‏ Mark 1:9-13

Baptism of the Lord Jesus

The Lord comes from Nazareth in Galilee. Nazareth is a despised city (Jn 1:46). The land of Galilee is despised because of its intermingling with the Gentiles (Mt 4:13-15), where the people speak a dialect (Mt 26:73). This backward area is the area where He grew up. In that respect, too, He has no prestige. The way of God leads Him from Nazareth in Galilee to the Jordan, for there He is to be baptized by John. From there He will begin His ministry.

In baptism Christ takes the place of His people before God. He has nothing to do with sin. But by letting Himself be baptized He shows His desire to join those of His people who, under the influence of the Word, are taking the first step in the right direction.

Coming up out of the water, He immediately sees the heavens opening, or being parted, and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. The word “immediately” appears about forty times in this Gospel. This word does not indicate haste, but indicates an action without hesitation, a decisive action.

God shows Him that He is parting the heavens. The parting of the heavens occurs only in this Gospel, which presents the Son as the perfect Servant. It shows the full joy of God over Him Who, in His baptism, unites Himself with His repentant people. The Lord Jesus sees the heavens opening, it is meant for Him. Receiving the Spirit is also personal for Him because He is worthy of it personally. The dove is the symbol of cleanness and peace. We receive the Spirit because He made us worthy because of His blood.

Then a voice comes out of the heavens that is also meant for Christ personally. The words are addressed to Him on earth. Earlier there was the voice, of John, in the wilderness to the people. Now the Father gives testimony concerning the Son, while the Spirit descends upon the Son. God shows His delight in His servant (Isa 42:1). This is the first time the Trinity is fully revealed.

Through this testimony of the Father from heaven concerning His Son, no one can misunderstand His baptism, as if He would be one of the many sinners who are baptized. This testimony precedes and supports His service. It is meant for bystanders, but addressed to the Lord Jesus personally. It is a personal encouragement before the beginning of His ministry.

Tempted in the Wilderness

After the Lord Jesus is irradiated by heavenly light, He now, impelled by the Spirit, enters into the presence of the prince of darkness. The first act of the Spirit is to lead Him to a field where He will be tested before He begins His public service. This also happens “immediately”, without delay.

He is also “impelled”, which indicates eagerness, determination to serve. This word indicates the great power of the Spirit that is available to Him as Man to defy the horror of the wilderness where satan tempts Him. It is His natural place to be with God, but love and obedience bring Him everywhere sin has brought us, to our deliverance.

When the first man appeared, he too was almost immediately tempted by the devil, and the first man failed. Now that the second Man appears, He must be tempted by the devil too. Mark speaks of “satan“, for it is about the opposition that Christ will encounter in His service from this enemy who spares no one and nothing. In totally different circumstances than Adam was, He remains standing. The first man was in paradise, the second Man is in a wilderness, in which the world has been changed by the sin of the first man and where satan is host.

He is “with the wild beasts”, animals that have become wild by the sin of man. They acknowledge in Him their Creator. He closed the mouth of lions when Daniel was with these beasts in the den (Dan 6:22). He is with them in majesty, while also being the humble Servant. We also see this fact in the angels who come after the temptations to serve Him. In Eden angels turned against the disobedient man (Gen 3:24), here they serve the obedient Man.

We hear no details about the temptations here, only the fact that He is tempted, the circumstances in which that happens, the result, and that the temptations last for forty days. The number forty represents a full time of trial. Satan uses all his wiles to lead the Lord away from the path of obedience.

We have the introduction to the Lord’s action in the preceding section (Mk 1:1-13). It is a brief introduction, but full of the dignity of His Person. We find four testimonies:

1. The testimony of the Word of God in two quotations which show that He is Yahweh (Mk 1:2-3);

2. the testimony of John: He is more than John (Mk 1:7-8);

3. the testimony of His personal glory as the beloved Son, testified in

(a) the descending of the Spirit upon Him and

b) what the Father says of Him (Mk 1:10-11);

4. the testimony of angels in their serving Him (Mk 1:13).