The Baptism of Christ, by Francesco Albani, 1630-1635 from Biblical Art on the WWWWhile the prophets bear witness in the first half of Mark's prologue, the second half has the Triune God - Father, Son and Spirit - bear witness to Himself.
Mark wastes few words and rapidly takes us through key events:
1. Jesus arrives from Galilee
2. He is baptized by John
3. He witnesses the Spirit descend through the heavens
4. A voice from heaven announces 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased' - an echo of a coronation psalm (Ps 2:7) and a prophecy of the suffering servant who will restore Israel (Isa 42:1).
5. The Spirit leads him into the desert
6. He is tempted there 40 days, in company of wild beasts but attended by angels
7. John is in prison, Jesus is back in Galilee
8. Jesus proclaims the good news (Mk 1:15)
At first sight, it is strange that Jesus should be baptised at all. Not only is it inappropriate for John to baptize someone 'whose sandals I am not worthy to.. untie' (Mk 1:7), Jesus is the sinless Son of God who has no sin to repent of! Equally puzzling is the just-coronated king being escorted, not to his inauguration banquet but to a quarantine of '40 days in the wilderness', 'with wild beasts' and to be'tempted by Satan.' What are we to make of these paradoxes?
The baptism of Christ and wilderness temptation stand in contrast to the preceding Messianic prophesies and the action-hero-like portrayal (that will follow in subsequent chapters) of Jesus as authoritative teacher, miracle healer and powerful exorcist.
The Old Testament gives us some clues. Being immersed in water possibly symbolized the birth of a nation; recalling when they were delivered from Egyptian slavery and rescued through the miraculously parted Red Sea (Ex 14:19-24). Paul does interpret the exodus as a baptism (1 Cor 10:1-2). Going underwater also hints at death (Ps 42:7; 69:1-2) and Jesus picks up the image (Lk 12:50, Mk 10:38-39) in the face of the cross.
Being banished into wilderness was the result of sin both for Adam & Eve and Israel (Nu 14:22-23). The prophet Jeremiah when preaching to the exile in Babylon, recalls that Israel was historically sent into the desert for 40 yrs (Jer 2:6)and that a restoration can only be achieved through forgiveness (Jer 31:31-34). Perhaps even the sin-bearing scapegoat sent into the wilderness (Lev 16:10-26) is remembered here in Mark.
Putting it all together, we have a picture of the prophesied Messiah and coronated King, baptised in order to identify with sinful humanity, proclaim a mission to renew a lost kingdom, and point forward to his own saving death. Having symbolically birthed a nation (Jesus is the new Israel), he is led into the desert as Israel was, symbolically entering their wilderness before leading them into the Promised Land. Having inaugurated a new beginning, he must also engage the enemy who deceived humanity out of Eden. (This conflict goes on throughout Mark's gospel as he does not record the conclusion of the temptation in the desert.) The gospel is begging then for a solution which we will find only at the cross: the defeat of the enemy and securing of pardon.
When in Mark 1:15 he returns from the wilderness to proclaim 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel' he does it as the Messiah-King: tried and tested, in solidarity with man, and ready to reestablish his kingdom.
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