Mark 1:4-11 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
First Sunday After the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord Sunday, January 10, 2021 “The Son of God Is Baptized for You”
If you want to get to know Jesus, and that is a very good think to want to do, you will want to spend time in the Bible. And while every part of the Bible is about Jesus, certain places make that quite obvious and apparent. The Gospels, for example: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The men by these names were all men whom God used and inspired to write accounts of the life and work of Jesus. We know these men as evangelists, and the books that God had them write are the four Gospels. We often refer to the books using just the name of that earthly writer. God used each of these writers and their unique styles and personalities, as well as their regard for their intended audiences, to give us a broad view of Jesus. Some events are reported on in slightly different ways in the various Gospels, and each account gives us a little more information about what went on and about why it was important. We can see some of these unique aspects of the Gospels by considering the lessons that have been in front of us over the past few weeks. Luke, for example, begins his account with all sorts of events and announcements that led up to the birth of Jesus. It’s not until Luke 2 where we hear about the birth, the decree that Mary and Joseph needed to get to Bethlehem, and the stable where he was born and the manger into which he was placed. We also hear about the angels and the shepherds. This Christmas story was shared in our Christmas Eve worship services a little over two weeks ago. John’s Gospel doesn’t record those Christmas events, but he describes what took place invisibly, that God from eternity, the Word, became flesh and dwelled with us. His account of the incarnation – that God took on human flesh and blood – was a lesson for our Christmas Day worship services. Matthew in his Gospel describes the birth of Jesus more from Joseph’s perspective. He tells us about the angel that reassured Joseph and, like Luke did, stresses the virgin birth of Jesus. It’s Matthew that records the visit of the Wise Men to see the child Jesus in Bethlehem, the lesson from our services last week as we celebrated Epiphany. And then there is the Gospel of Mark. Those other Gospels don’t say a lot about the life of Jesus between his birth and the events of his infancy until he was an adult around 30 years old. Mark doesn’t say anything about the early life of Jesus. He just jumps right in and shows us a 30-year-old Jesus and the start of his ministry. That’s how the Gospel of Mark goes. The personality that God used for writing that Gospel focuses on action. It takes away a lot of the extra information and gets right down to the heart of the matter. And so by the fourth verse of the Gospel of Mark, we’re hearing about the baptism of Jesus as part of the work of John the Baptist. And this is an important event. It is so important that it is one of a select few events that can be found in all four of the Gospel accounts. John doesn’t tell the story, he simply references what happened, but all four evangelists make a point of mentioning the baptism of Jesus. Why? Because we get to know Jesus in his baptism. We get to know who he is and why he is so important to us. We get to know him in his baptism and ours. And as we examine what took place, we see that the Son of God was baptized for you, for us. Mark takes us out to the wilderness where John the Baptist preached. He preached a baptism of repentance. He called on people to confess their sins. He had large crowds who all heard that same message that they were sinners who needed forgiveness. And many came in repentance and were baptized by John. John also preached about someone else. Someone was coming who outshone John. John said he wasn’t even worthy to untie the shoes of the one who was coming. This one was more powerful. He would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus came. He went to John and was baptized by him. But this baptism was unique. When it was done, the heavens were torn apart, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, and a voice boomed: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you.” Everyone else who came to John came with sins to confess. They knew that they had not lived up to God’s demands and expectations. They came to be baptized because they knew they needed forgiveness. But it was different for Jesus. He was and is the Son of God. His power and glory have no equal outside of the Trinity. He had no sins. God the Father announced as much when he said that he was pleased with Jesus. And yet, Jesus was baptized. He was baptized for you. To see what I mean, go out to the wilderness and listen to John. Hear what he would say to you. He would tell you that sin and selfishness pervade your heart and your life. You find it easy to see the shortcomings of others, but you have trouble admitting what your heart is truly like. You judge others but jealously guard yourself against anyone who dares to judge you. Consider your sinful failures as a child or a sibling or a spouse, as a parent or an employee or an employer. Consider your sinful faults as a citizen or a neighbor or a friend. You need to look at your own heart and your own life and confess with John: “I am not worthy. I am not even worthy to tie the shoes of the perfect Son of God. My sins need to be washed away.” And as you listen to John’s call to repent, watch the sinless Son of God do exactly as sinners had been doing. He walks down to John, into the Jordan River, to be baptized. He doesn’t need it, but you do. What you need is a champion to fight the battle against your sin, against your satanic enemy, and against your deathly foe. And here he is: Jesus. Anointed with the Holy Spirit. Appointed to restore the tribes of Israel and to be a light for the nations. God the Father says about him, “Here is my perfect Son who pleases me in every way.” And now he is going public. He is beginning the work and the ministry that will take him to his death on the cross not because of his own sin, but because he is going where sinners need to go. He is going to the suffering and pain and torture of hell as a substitute for you and for me and for the whole world. Get to know the Son of God. Get to know the Savior. He is anointed with the Holy Spirit. He is baptized in the place of sinners. He is perfect and pleasing to God. And he comes to you in your baptism. Because of all he has done, your baptism has power to save. This holy sacrament is needed and necessary, just as it was for the crowds around John. This holy sacrament is given by God for sinners who need their sins washed away. It does wash away sins, not because there is anything special or magical about water being poured or sprinkled, but because it connects us to and points us to the one who was baptized for us. It puts our sinful nature to death, just as Jesus died on the cross. It raises us to new life just as he rose from the grave. We don’t see heaven torn open when someone is baptized. We don’t see the Holy Spirit dove or hear the booming voice of the Father. And yet we know that in the holy sacrament that Jesus has given us, the Holy Spirit comes to us to create and strengthen faith. We know that the Father looks down on all whom he has called to faith and says, “This is my child. I am pleased with him, I am pleased with her.” He says it because he sees us with the perfection of Jesus, our sins forgiven and destroyed. Thank God today that you have gotten to know Jesus by seeing his baptism. Mark doesn’t tell us, nor do the other evangelists, how many people witnessed this event or saw the dove or heard the voice. It may have even been limited to just John and Jesus. This most glorious announcement about him was hidden from so many, and yet it is revealed to us in God’s holy Word. You have seen that the Son of God was baptized for you. And you have seen him and gotten to know him in your baptism, too. Thank God indeed.
The Text: Mark 1:4–11 (EHV) 4John
appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5The
whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. 6John was clothed in camel’s hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7He preached, “One more powerful than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals! 8I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 9In
those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10Just as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you.”