John Baptizes
Jesus
Mark
1:9-11
1:9
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee
and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 Immediately coming up
out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and
the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him;
11 and a voice came out of
the heavens: "You are My beloved Son, in You I am
well-pleased."
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change
the way that we think, and the way that we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
Baptism of
Jesus Christ
This event is only given a
few lines in Mark but is one of the most
significant happenings in the Bible. The baptism of
Jesus marks the beginning of His ministry that will
change the face of history, and the world
forever.
Why Did Christ Need to be
Baptized?
Was it to repent of sin like
the rest of the people coming to John? Of course
not. He had no sins. Then why?
Here are four simple reasons
Jesus stepped into the waters of the Jordan that
day ..
First, As
stated above, Jesus used this as a catapult to
begin His ministry. He brought a message of
salvation to all people (not just the
Jews).
Second, Jesus
supported the ministry of John the Baptist
as he (John) also offered freedom from sin through
repentance and baptism by water.
Third, Jesus
came to earth as a man; a human being with the same
feelings, hopes and dreams as the rest of us. He
identified the need for being baptized by John to
show identity with the people.
Fourth, as any
good teacher, Christ lead by example, not just by
talk. He wanted to bring others to God through
admittance of flaws and falling short of the glory
of God as told in Romans. If He himself was
baptized, then others would follow in His footsteps
and become closer to God.
What Does Our Baptism
Mean?
We do not know the power and
the heart of God so these answers may not be
complete but we do know that, when we accept Christ
as Savior, the baptism is a symbol of our faith and
a witness to others.
And, just as the baptism of
Jesus marked the beginning of His ministry, our
acceptance of Him begins our journey of making new
disciples by telling others and by presenting an
example. The way we live and act speaks louder than
our words so let's not take this responsibility
lightly.
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of knowing Christ, please take a moment
to read
John 3:16 for more
information.
Verses and lesson from Mark about John
baptizing Jesus are from New American Standard
Bible and study is credited from Life
Application Study Bible: New International
Version
Study the Bible from
Mark
Mark
1:1-8 -
John the
Baptist Preaches about Coming of
Christ
Mark
1:12-13 - Jesus Can be Tempted by Satan
Too!
Mark
1:14-20 - Fishermen Follow
Jesus
Mark
1:21-45 - Jesus Teaches and Heals with
Authority
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