Jesus Ministry Begins Mark 1:9-13
INTRO.: The beginning of the public life of Jesus is very briefly recorded by Mark, who is characterized by an economy of words. It was time of religious awakening.
Mark quickly tells us of the ministry of John the Baptist as predicted by Malachi and described by Isaiah. Then he passes quickly to the beginning of the public ministry of the Servant of God.
Keynote of passage is “Jesus came.”
I. He came to a large crowd of people:
A. John the Baptist was preaching with a prophetic voice.
1. The time was ripe for it after hundreds of years of oppression. The Messiah had been long promised and anticipated.
2. The crowd came from Judea and Jerusalem. Jesus traveled all the way from Nazareth in Galilee. He made a trip of 70 miles.
3. A strange man from a strange place was preaching a strange message. When they heard Him, they knew in their hearts he was telling the truth and they needed to repent.
4. He asked them to confirm their intentions by being baptized.
B. Jesus came to be baptized. Matthew makes it very clear this was a trip for just that purpose. Matt. 3:13
1. It had to be important for Him to come so far.
2. At first John refused.John didn’t know He was the Messiah. He must have known Jesus personally. They were cousins.
3. He knew Jesus’ character and knew Him to be better than himself.
C. Doing so, He identified Himself with men. He was a man, like other men.
1. Remember the prophecy of Isaiah said there was nothing special about His appearance. Isa. 53:2
2. Even John, His cousin, didn’t know He was the Messiah until after His baptism. John 1:32, 33
3. As a man, He must obey the Father like other men. Hence the expression “fulfill all righteousness.” We must presume Jesus would have sinned if He had refused baptism.
II. He came to receive a special blessing from God.
A. He received the gift of the Holy Spirit:
1. The only place in the entire Bible where the Spirit comes in the form of a dove. Yet, all four Gospel writers report it.
2. It was symbolic of peace. The peaceful nature of His ministry and His Kingdom is seen in this. The dove is beautiful and nonviolent
3. But, it is also the symbol of sacrifice. The dove was the acceptable sacrifice of the poor, those who could afford neither a lamb or a calf. Acknowledgment that Jesus’ ministry was largely to the poor?
B. Also, the endorsement of His Father
1. It was after His baptism Jesus heard the Father’s’s voice approving what He had done.
2. Remember, baptism symbolizes a death and a burial. Rom. 6:4. Jesus was declaring His willingness to go through all the suffering He would endure to the completion of His mission. At the very beginning of His ministry, He foreshadows the end of it.
3. He had no sins of His own for which to repent. No sins to confess. He died for the sins of others.
4. His Father’s words were an encouragement to Him and a sign to us. We are to heed His teaching and follow His example. He came to be baptized.
C. Can you see the importance of Christian baptism?
1. Even in Jesus’ case, it is involved with the forgiveness of sins. Not His sins, but it symbolized the death He was willing to die for the sins of others. The Father recognized and approved His willingness.
2. In baptism, we are buried with Him. United with Him in His death, so we might share in His resurrection.
3. He traveled days to be baptized Himself and commanded His disciples to baptize those to whom they preached.
III. He came to face the enemy
A. This was a deliberate part of God’s plan:
1. The very Spirit that had just descended on Him was now driving Him into the wilderness to face the temptations of His enemy.
2. So we might know He was tempted in all points like we are and yet was without sin.
3. So we might know the power of the Word in our battle with temptation.
B. Illus.: football player. Suppose a las is a football player. Suppose he doing well on the second team and showing real signs of promise. What will the team manager do? He certainly will not send h9m out to play for the yjotd team in which he could walk through the game and never break sweat; he will send him out to play for the first team where he will be tested as he never was before and have the chance to prove himself. That is what temptation is meant to do - to enable us to prove our manhood and to emerge the stronger for the fight. (William Barclay)
1. The purpose of temptation is not to make us fall but to make us stronger, to bring our the best..
2. Jesus won the victory over His enemy. It means we can win the victory through Him. He will give us strength.
3. Satan wants to tempt and destroy us. We find our strength in the One who defeated Him, not just in this time of temptation, but for all eternity.
C. Two interesting details conclude Mark’s account of the temptation:
1. He was with the wild beasts: Perhaps this is a reference to Isa. 11:6-9. Remember, Mark is telling us the beginning of the Gospel as written by Isaiah. There will come a time when man and beast will be at peace.
2. The angels ministered to Him. There is always divine reenforcement in time of trouble. Jesus did not have to fight His battle alone and neither do we.
CONC,: Summarize. Jesus came to men so He might identify to them. He came to God so He might surrender to Him and experience the Father’s acceptance and approval. He came to Satan, His arch enemy that He might defeat him and win the victory for all mankind.
This is parallel to our pilgrimage as well. We come to the Church, God’s men, so we can identify ourselves with a Godward movement. Hopefully, we come to God in the company of His people. Then, we are prepared to do battle with His enemy.
