JESUS THE CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and The Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; And there came a voice from heaven, saying, ‘Thou art My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ ”  Mark 1:10-11 (KJV)

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God according to Mark, who was not one of the twelve apostles.  Mark was a companion Simon Peter (1 Peter 5:13) and the cousin of Barnabas, (Colossians 4:10) a close associate of Paul.  The gospel according to Mark is presented differently than the gospel according to Matthew.  The gospel of Matthew was addressed primarily to the Jews and presented Jesus as The Messiah, The King of the Jews.  However, the gospel of Mark was addressed primarily to the Romans and presented Jesus as a good humble worker and The Servant of God.  Mark begins chapter one with a quote from the prophet Isaiah regarding a voice crying in the wilderness saying prepare for The Lord. (Isaiah 40:3 and Mark 1:2-3) There is no presentation of the genealogy of Jesus because the ancestry of a servant was not important to the Romans.  He presents John, the baptizer, then details the baptism of Jesus. (Mark 1:9-11)  Afterwards, Mark focused more on what Jesus did and not so much on what He said.  Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days and was tempted by the devil. (Mark 1:12-13)  Then He went into Galilee and began preaching the gospel. (Mark 1:14-15)  Then He began to call His disciples (Mark 1:16-20) and went into the synagogue, and taught, and healed people. (Mark 1:21-45)

 

APPLICATION
Baptism is one of only two ordinances Christ left for us.  The other one is The Lord’s Supper, or The Holy Communion.  With respect to baptism, Jesus, The Christ, was sinless and did not need repentance.  He was baptized by John because it was appropriate to do it in order to fulfill all righteousness. (Matthew 3:15)  As Jesus came up out of the water God, The Father, spoke and identified Him as God, The Son, and sent God, The Holy Spirit, to Him as a visible sign in the form of a dove. (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:10-11, Luke 3:21-22, and John 1:31-34)  Today our baptism by immersion in water is only an outward sign to the world of our inner transformation.  The water does not save us or transform us.  The change which occurs in us is due to the immediate indwelling of The Holy Spirit of God within us after we believe, confess, repent, and accept Christ as our Savior.