PONDERING... Why was Jesus Baptized and Tempted? (Mark 1:9-13)

Why was Jesus Baptized and Tempted? (PM Lesson Notes)

OPENING EXPLANATORY NOTE: As we move through the Gospel of Mark, I’m going to try and teach through the book on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings--unless, of course, God redirects. However, because morning and even services are not the same, Sunday night is going to be more a lesson format. Prayerfully, discussions will make it such that these notes may not reflect what actually happens during the service😀.

GIST: Short answer? For us. (Oh, that that would make us weep with joy!)

SCRIPTURE: Mark 1:9-13

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

1. WHY WAS JESUS BAPTIZED?

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

This is the first time we see Jesus in the Gospel. He is said to come from Nazareth of Galilee. The “of Galilee” had to be added because there was nothing about Nazareth to make it recognizable to these early readers. Galilee would have been more known, but, at least in Jewish circles, it was not known for good reasons. It was more “heathen” or pagan due to the prominent Gentile influence--which is why we hear people ask things like can anything good come from Nazareth (John 1:46)? After establishing where this, he just tells us Jesus was baptized. There is no reference to John’s reluctance as we see it in the other Gospels. Even without that, I think we see a full picture here. So, why was He baptized?

Repentance for Sin? There are several ways you could break this down, but there is one thing we must establish. If you remember from this morning, this baptism was for repentance and forgiveness. Did Jesus need either of these? No. There are some who will try and take this to mean that Jesus wasn’t really God, but only a man who, at this moment, received a special anointing from God, which then left after His death on the cross. That is inconsistent with Scripture, and misses the whole point of Jesus’ incarnation; it’s heresy. While more reasons for His baptism have been put forth, here are three that seem key:

1. As an Example of Obedience. Jesus came as our Savior, and our example of Christianity (being like Christ). He modeled this for us. So, in one sense, He was baptized because baptism is expected as an outward sign for us. Though for Him, it symbolized no inward change, it was still a public declaration of His allegiance to God.

2. As a Symbol of His Sacrifice. From the beginning, Mark is pointing out who Jesus is--our Savior. Here, at the outset of His earthly ministry, we see a picture of what He came to do. What were people coming into that water to do? Repent of their sins and seek forgiveness. Here we have the sinless forgiver, being plunged into the waters of sin. Do you see the parallel? This is the cross. “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

3. As an Occasion for His Public Coronation/Commissioning. Oh, there is so much here. This also provided an occasion for His public coronation. When He comes out of the water, a few things happen.

1. Heavens are Torn Apart. Immediately as Jesus comes out of the water, this public announcement of who He is begins. The sky is torn open. Just like Isaiah called for in Isaiah 64:1 “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—” so it is with Jesus’ incarnation.

2. The Spirit Descends. This is part of Isaiah’s prophecy, as well (see Isaiah 42:1 and 11:2). The Holy Spirit anoints Jesus. Now, was Jesus still God before this happened? Yes. Yet, in all the complexity of the trinity, He submits to the Father, and the Spirit works through Him, just as it is to be in our lives, again, as an example for us. (Side question: Was it an actual dove? We do not know. It says like a dove. The other gospels say in the form of, so maybe. I don’t see a reason to get too mixed up on that point. Either way, the Holy Spirit anointed Him.)

3. The Father Speaks. So, if there was any doubt as to what was going on, that disappears when God’s voice speaks from Heaven. The words He says are direct quotes from Scripture, actually: Ps 2:7 You are My Son, Gen 22:2 Beloved, Is 42:1 With whom I am well pleased. So we have a quote from each of the major sections of Old Testament Scripture (Law, Prophets, and Wisdom Literature). Which was a way of emphasizing the truth of something. All of Scripture speaks to this truth: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

4. See the Trinity?

2. WHY/HOW WAS JESUS TEMPTED?

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

Mark moves us quickly from this scene to the next (immediately). We see Jesus’ baptism, and then go straight into this summary of His temptation. There are a few points to note here, as well.

1. This was intentional. Note that He was driven by the Holy Spirit. This was a necessary part of God’s plan. He deliberately went into the wilderness (remember from this morning: a place where God meets with His people...but also a place of trial.) where it was dangerous (I had never thought about the wild animals aspect of this before) to be tempted for forty days (not just three times, lest we misunderstand the other gospel accounts). He came to be our sacrifice. Here He is both identifying with us as sinners, and defeating sin. He did not live an untested life. He faced sin more directly than any of us do even...and won.

2. Only He could do this.  Here we see what the incarnation is all about. In the great paradox, Jesus came as 100% God and 100% Man. Sure, we can’t wrap our minds around that math, but we also didn’t create the universe😀. As man, He was subject to temptation. Yet, as sinless God, He withstood.  We need to remember this. HE IS OUR MESSIAH. Only He could be.

3. A Model for Us? So, the circumstances are not something we’re to emulate, but the message behind it is. The number 40 comes up often in the Bible (The Flood, Moses in the Wilderness...etc). I don’t want to read things in that are not there, but typically, we see this connected to judgment and provision: two key aspects of the nature of God. These are definitely seen here. Jesus is tempted by Satan, but protected by God. In fact, in the other Gospels we see that it was by using God’s Word, the Sword of the Spirit, that He defeated Satan’s temptation. Psalm 119:9-11 “9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you;  let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

TAKEAWAYS

1. Jesus was sinless.
• His baptism and temptations were for us.
2. If this is for us, then what does it show us?
• We need to proclaim Him as God and King!
• We need to repent and be baptized.
• We need to be led by the Spirit.
• When we encounter temptations, day-by-day, we need to trust in God to do the fighting...which means we need to know His Word.