7 Questions at the Outset (Mark 1:1-11) | 4/28/19
Mark 1:1-11 | 4/28/19 | Will DuVal
I had to do some homework on following up with visitors after Easter, and everyone says: start a new sermon series that you can invite people back for, and make sure it’s accessible to church newcomers.
Well, we’re KIND OF doing that this morning; we started this series “ROOTED” a few weeks ago at the END of Mark to cover Jesus’ death and resurrection during the Easter season. But now we go BACK to the beginning, ch.1, and as far as its ACCESSIBILITY goes... let me just say this: at West Hills, we believe the Bible is the unchanging word of God. And there are any NUMBER of sexy, topical, relevant series we could preach on: “Gender & Sexuality”, “Race Relations”, “The Future of Evangelism: Sharing Jesus with ROBOTS” - but at the end of the day, if we believe that God has SPOKEN in human history, direct revelation, His inerrant WORD, the BIBLE, then we would be foolish NOT to submit ourselves underneath ITS authority, trusting that there must be a reason God spends PAGES and pages on John the Baptist, and virtually NO pages on transgenderism. We don’t AVOID the difficult issues of our day; we simply realize we are ULTIMATELY best served by investing our time in GOD’S word, GOD’S priorities; the things that matter most to GOD.
So let’s do that together. Would you stand with me as you’re able... Our passage for this morning is Mark ch.1, vv1-11:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.[a]2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,[b]
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare[c] the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
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;[d] with you I am well pleased.”
This is the Word of the Lord. Let’s pray...
Now if you ARE new today, maybe you’re even new to CHRISTIANITY, if NOTHING else, I hope you’ll leave, feeling REALLY reassured that it’s OKAY to QUESTION the Bible. That God is big enough to handle your questions. Because guess what: the PASTOR has got a WHOLE LOT of them. SEVEN in fact, from just these 11 verses. So that’s our outline:
Question #1 I have for Mark: Why start your biography of JESUS, with JOHN THE BAPTIST? (vv1-8)
4 Gospels in the NT:
Luke begins his with the INFANCY NARRATIVE; makes sense: start with the stories surrounding Jesus’ birth; the Christmas baby Jesus that like Rickey Bobby, so many of us love best...
Matthew begins HIS Gospel with Jesus’ GENEAOLOGY; Another good choice: gives us a CONTEXT for understanding who Jesus was, where he came from...
John begins with Jesus the PRE-INCARNATE WORD, before the beginning of TIME: “In the beginning was the Word ...All things were made through him” (Jn 1:1-3)
But then we’ve got Mark. And MARK starts: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.[a]”
Okay - so far, so good; Let’s go STRAIGHT to the heart of the gospel. JESUS, the Christ - God’s “Anointed One”. The very SON of God, Mark tells us. Alright, Mark – tell me the story of JESUS...
v2: “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,[b] “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare[c] the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” So 4 John appeared...”
Woah, woah, woah... JOHN? I thought you said this was a story about JESUS...?
Mark only includes FIVE explicit OT quotes in his entire BOOK, and THIS one... heralding the beginning of Jesus’ story... isn’t about Jesus at all! It’s about: John the Baptist.
Why, Mark? Why start with him?
Mark wants to ROOT our understanding of Jesus, in the overarching context of the biblical story. The gospel of Jesus, v.1, is not primarily a set of FACTS about Jesus; it’s his STORY. And to fully appreciate the story, we need context. And for that, Mark TAKES us, in vv2 & 3 to THREE separate OT passages:
First: Ex 23.20a
Second: Mal 3.1
And third: Isa 40.3
Now consider the IMPORTANCE of each:
In Ex. 23 God rescues the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and promises to now guide them into freedom.
The prophecy of a “messenger” in Malachi 3 and 4 is the FINAL thing we hear at the close of the OT - before God goes SILENT for 400 years, until who shows up on the scene in Mark 1? John the Baptist. The new Elijah.
And finally, Isaiah 40 – is ALL ABOUT the NEW and more glorious exodus when Yahweh HIMSELF will return and triumphantly lead, restore, and dwell with his people forever.”
So John the Baptist is not only a BRIDGE, who links THOUSANDS of years of OT history and prophecy, with the dawning of a new era, a new TESTAMENT... but he also prepares the WAY, for the One to come. Which brings us to...
Question #2: Who WAS John the Baptist, really?
Well, here’s how John HIMSELF answered the question: “And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet [Isaiah]?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight[h] the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”” (1:19-23)
John says: there is another coming, whose shoes I’m not even worthy to untie. He’s the main act, HE’S the headliner; I’m just the opening band here to kick off the show. I’m the frontrunner; the prophet from Malachi 4.
Look at how he’s described in v6: “John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.” He’s a bizarre opening act. Sounds like a cross between Lady Gaga and Ozzy Ozbourne. But what’s going on here?
Well, back in 2 Kings 1:8 the prophet Elijah was depicted as wearing “a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.”
Jesus makes the connection clear in Mark 9:13, when speaking of John, he says, “I tell you that Elijah has come”.
In fact, some people thought John the Baptist was the reincarnation of Elijah. Some even thought John himself was the MESSIAH. In fact, there’s still a small sect of people to this DAY called the Mandaeans who BELIEVE that JtB is the Messiah. He’s an important prophet in Islam, Bahai, Gnosticism. Even the NT says more about John the Baptist than anyone other than Jesus, Paul, and Peter. 249 verses in 27 different passages. He was a bizarre, but SIGNIFICANT historical figure. YET, John HIMSELF testifies: I don’t deserve the spotlight; I am only here to POINT the spotlight, on Jesus. To pave the way... for Jesus.
Which leads us to ask: HOW? HOW does John pave the way? We hear: vv4 & 5 - “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins...”
Question #3: What WAS John’s baptism, exactly?
Mark informs us it’s a baptism
IN the wilderness
OF repentance
FOR the forgiveness of sins
UPON confession of sin
UNTO all Judea and Jerusalem
So:
“in the wilderness”: a powerful symbol in the OT. It’s a place where God tested His peoples’ faith, and when they FAILED, a place associated with God’s JUDGMENT. “The wilderness signifies... disobedience and rebellion, and a desire to start over” (William Lane, NICNT: Mark, pp50-51). A fresh start. Symbolized best, in baptism. And while there was no baptism in the OT, we DO know from other contemporaneous Jewish writings that the practice had developed by the 1st c. PARTICULARLY, for CONVERTS to Judaism. Baptism was an INITIATION rite of passage into their new faith, much in the same way that it is for us today, as Christians. So Mark Strauss points out: “John was treating the people of Israel as Gentiles and calling them” back to God (Strauss, ECNT: Mark, p.64). But that requires...
v.4: “repentance”: this is a baptism of REPENTANCE. CONFESS your sins, v5, and then TURN from them. Which is ALSO symbolized in baptism. At the end of the service this morning, I’ll disappear, make my way through our secret tunnels, and magically RE-appear up there and baptize Courtney Johnson. And when I lower her down into the water, that is a symbol of DEATH. Of being laid in the ground. SPIRITUALLY. She’s symbolizing that she has put to DEATH her old ways, her old self. Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live” (Gal 2:20); the old me has died. And that repentance purchases for us...
v4: “the forgiveness of sins”. In the NT, we’re instructed to “Repent... and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19); but a thousand years earlier, in 2 Chronicles 7 God had already TOLD Solomon “ if my people... turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin.” (2 Chr 7:14). In the NT, 1 John 1:9 promises “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”, but a thousand years before that, Proverbs 28:13 promised “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
So you should be asking: “What is different TODAY, then?” If a thousand years before Jesus, people repented and were forgiven, if John could baptize people as a symbolic reminder of it, what’s different about baptism TODAY? Since Jesus? What’s different about when COURTNEY comes out of the water, than when any number of the MASSES that John immersed came out of the Jordan? Mark says it was all of Judea came out to him - EVERYONE admits they’re sinful. Remember my question last Sunday? How many people raised their hands to admit they’re a sinner? We ALL admit that; Everyone can receive John’s baptism. What’s different about CHRISTIAN baptism?
Every single person John baptized went into the water feeling HEAVY, weighed down by the guilt their sin, and they came OUT of the water, feeling EMPTY. They were given: a blank slate. A baptism of repentance gets you back to square 1 with God. Sins forgiven, praise God. Now just go keep ALL of God’s Law, and don’t ever sin again and you’ll be fine.
John says in v8: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but JESUS will baptize you with WHAT? ... the Holy Spirit.”
Question #4 – What is “baptism with the Holy Spirit?”
“Baptism with the HS”, means that when you come to saving faith in Jesus TODAY, you are not only EMPTIED of the crippling weight of your sin and shame, but you are actually FILLED with God’s own power and presence through the INDWELLING of His Holy Spirit. God’s own Spirit, actually takes up residence, in our hearts. So when COURTNEY goes into the water, she is now symbolizing God not ONLY puts to DEATH her sin once and for ALL time through Jesus’ FINISHED work on the cross for the forgiveness of ALL her sins – past, present, AND future – but as she comes OUT of the water, NOW, she is ALSO reminded, of the NEW LIFE to which Christ has RAISED her, by the power of His own resurrection. The same power that RAISED Jesus from the dead, Romans 6, is now at work in Courtney’s heart as well, raising HER to new life too. Actually, it’s BEEN at work since the moment of her salvation years ago; baptism is merely, but SIGNIFICANTLY, a SYMBOL of that new life.
Friends, this is a PROFOUND mystery! There’s not another religion in the world whose God is powerful enough to create universes, yet who CARES for us so much, that he would condescend and not only live AMONGST us, and suffer FOR us, but actually abide WITHIN us. Our God LIVES inside us.
And here’s what I want to stress about this baptism of the Holy Spirit for those who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ and RECEIVED His Spirit: that should CHANGE us. TRANSFORM us. John Piper puts it this way:
“When you read the New Testament honestly, you can’t help but get the impression of a big difference from a lot of contemporary Christian experience. For them the Holy Spirit was a fact of experience. For many Christians today it is a fact of doctrine... In Protestant evangelicalism it is equated with a subconscious work of God in regeneration which you only know you have because the Bible says you do if you believe. It is easy to imagine a spiritual counselor saying to a new convert today, “Don’t expect to notice any difference. Just believe you have received the Spirit.” But that is far from what we see in the New Testament...
Paul [asks] in Acts 19:2 when he meets the confused disciples of John the Baptist, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” What would a contemporary Protestant evangelical say in response to that question? I think we would say something like, “I thought we automatically received the Holy Spirit when we believed. I don’t understand how you can even ask the question.” ...Paul asks it, because receiving the Holy Spirit is a real experience. There are marks of it in your life...
I sometimes fear that we have so redefined conversion in terms of human decisions and have so removed any necessity of the experience of God’s Spirit, that many people think they are saved when in fact they only have Christian ideas in their head not spiritual power in their heart. [REPEAT!]
...Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is a real, life-changing experience. Christianity is not merely an array of glorious ideas, the performance of rituals and sacraments. It is the life-changing experience of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ.” (John Piper, “How to Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit”, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/how-to-receive-the-gift-of-the-holy-spirit)
So friends, I ask you this morning: has your life, been CHANGED? Turned upside down, by the NEW life that Christ BOUGHT you on the cross and BROUGHT you through His Spirit? Listen: Jesus didn’t DIE so you could believe the right FACTS about Him. He didn’t DIE so you could be a better, more ethical person. He died to give you a new HEART. This isn’t elective, cosmetic surgery; Jeremiah 17:9 - we need a heart transplant. THAT’S what he died for; someone else has to DIE for you to get a new heart. HIS heart. His SPIRIT. And if you really HAVE it, your life should look DIFFERENT. Noticeably different. Fruit-bearing: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. The Fruit of the... SPIRIT. Jesus said, “You’ll know a tree by it’s fruit” - If the seed planted in YOUR heart is truly the Holy Spirit, then the fruit manifested in your LIFE – your actions, your thoughts, your desires – WILL be the fruit of the Spirit.
Praise GOD! Praise God that in a world that says “Leopards don’t change their spots”, “People can’t really change” – JESUS steps in and says, “Just watch me”. And He TRANSFORMS us! Praise the Lord for the supernatural work of His Spirit.
But ALL of this leads us to a fifth question...
Question #5 – Why then was JESUS baptized?
Jesus didn’t NEED any of this! If John’s baptism of repentance was for the forgiveness of sins, Jesus was the perfect, SINLESS Son of God, as John himself recognized: ““Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)... Matthew tells us that John actually tried to STOP Jesus from being baptized: “John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”” (3:14). So why was Jesus baptized?
Matthew says: “But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”” (3:15). What does he mean?
2 Cor 5:21 says “For our sake God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
At the moment of your salvation, no matter how subtle and gradual, the change seemed to you, a PROFOUND transformation happened from God’s perspective. Night to day. You went from being viewed by God as a sinner standing under his righteous wrath and condemnation, to being CLOTHED in all the righteousness of Jesus. All your sin was transferred - the theological term is IMPUTED - to Jesus on the cross, and all HIS righteousness that is required for your salvation and eternal life was IMPUTED to you.
So why was Jesus baptized? Because it made the righteousness that Jesus TRADED and IMPUTED to you, whole. It FULFILLED it, all righteousness. Why? Because God COMMANDS baptism.
Matthew 28:19 “Go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them ...”
Acts 2:38 ““Repent and be baptized every one of you...”
Baptism is not something cute we do for the kids when they get old enough to understand the right things about Jesus, but now that I’m older, HECK - I’m twice the PASTOR’S age, and I’ve been a Christian for DECADES now, plus I REALLY don’t like public speaking, so it would just be too awkward for me to get baptized at this point, and it might be offensive to my parents who baptized me as an infant... whatever excuse you might have for NOT being baptized, brothers and sisters, let me shoot you straight this morning: it’s just that. An excuse. And if you are here, and you’re a follower of Christ, and you have NOT been baptized to publicly and symbolically identify yourself with Him in HIS death and resurrection for the forgiveness of YOUR sins, then biblically, you are in disobedience of God’s will. It’s that simple.
Is this the unforgiveable sin. NO. Can you go to heaven without being baptized as a believer? Sure. But why would you WANT to? Baptism isn’t just a COMMAND from God; it’s a GIFT. A GOOD gift. Who gets a gift and asks, “Do I HAVE to open it?”
And it’s NECESSARY to fulfill all righteousness. To fully please God.
So here’s the deal: we get to fill up the tank again next Sunday to share the GIFT of baptism with Aly Smith. And if you have already received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, i.e., you’ve been SAVED, but you have not yet received the baptism of WATER that Jesus prescribes for all who would follow Him, we would LOVE to have you join Aly, next week, in faithful OBEDIENCE to your Lord, and officially welcome you into the family of faith.
I’ve run myself out of time for Question #6, so I’m going to leave it for YOU to answer for HOMEWORK this week: “Where were the Holy Spirit, and God the Father, before Jesus’ baptism?”
Mark doesn’t even INCLUDE the stories of Jesus’ conception, his birth, his childhood, his adolescence. But even in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, it’s not clear the exact relationship between the TRINITY – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for those first 30 years of Jesus’ life. So vv10 & 11 of Mark ch.1 is the first time we really see all 3 persons of the Trinity come together. So investigate that question on your own this week: Was JESUS HIMSELF baptized with the Holy Spirit before this? We know he was sinless, but was he indwelt with the Spirit? And why is this the first time we hear DIRECTLY from God the Father? Surely Jesus had a relationship with His Father before this; but was it just a PRIVATE thing? Why does God wait until Jesus’ baptism, to speak up?
These are the kinds of questions we ought to be asking as we study God’s word.
But I do want to LEAVE you with some answers, specifically, to Question #7 – How does ANY OF THIS apply to me?
I know a lot more about John the Baptist now. About the Holy Spirit. About baptism. But what am I supposed to DO with all of this? I’ll leave you with 6 quick takeaways; one for each of the previous points, and you’ve already got #6 – some homework; but here’s 1 thru 5:
#1: Ground yourself in God’s word. Mark ROOTS his understanding of Jesus in the OT; we ought to do the same. You cannot TRULY understand Jesus, without understanding the whole redemptive story of Scripture. So read it. Study it. IMMERSE yourself; BAPTIZE yourself, in it.
#2: Live to make JESUS known. John the Baptist said “He must increase; I must decrease”. I’ve baptized all of JUDEA and lots of them think I’m the Messiah; ALL the more reason to humble myself, deflect the attention, and shine the spotlight on JESUS instead. The only One who deserves it. Friend, does your life attest not to YOUR greatness, but to His?
#3: Repent of your sin. John’s baptism of repentance isn’t a one-time deal; we need to repent DAILY. Maybe HOURLY, if you’re as sinful as me. And if you’re here this morning and you’ve NEVER repented of your sin, I want to challenge you, and ENCOURAGE you, to do that today. In Luke 13:3 – Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will perish”. The first step in YOUR salvation, is admitting you have a problem. CONFESS that to God this morning. But it’s not enough, you must...
#4: Receive Jesus. It’s not enough to turn AWAY from your sin; you must turn TO Jesus. In faith. Trusting HIM to be, your righteousness. Quit trying to save yourself; you’re the problem, HE’S the solution. We need a Savior. We need Jesus. And for all who HAVE received him...
#5: Be Baptized. Acts 2:38 - “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins”. Rom 6:4 - “We were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Baptism is a powerful reminder of this new life Jesus has offered you. A fresh start. Not just emptied of sin, but FILLED with His Spirit. What a precious gift.