The First Baptism January 15
Mark 1:9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
That “It came to pass” that Jesus comes to John to be baptized is more than to say merely that the event occurred. The original words imply intent, that this was ordained to be and would necessarily occur.
We must ask why Jesus, the Son of God, feels the need to be baptized by John. There are several possible explanations, and one or all or something different may be true.
First, Jesus leads by example. In John 3, He speaks of the two baptisms, of water and the Spirit, to Nicodemus. Jesus does not ask of others something that He has not done.
Second, Jesus symbolically is crossing the Red Sea as He enters the water. His mission is to lead the people out of bondage. They have been held prisoners by the law, and He is setting the captives free.
Third, Jesus is symbolically crossing the Jordan. The tribes crossing the Jordan under Joshua entered the freedom of the Promised Land. Jesus is leading those who would follow from the spiritual bondage of the Law to the freedom of relationship with God.
Fourth, Jesus is confirming John’s message from the prophets and is accepting the role of the long awaited Messiah. John the Baptist’s mission as forerunner is complete. John passes the baton to his successor as Jesus reveals Himself as the long awaited Messiah.
Finally, John’s is the baptism of repentance, but how does this fit Jesus? Consider for a moment….
New Life January 16
Mark 1:9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
We are told that He led a perfect life, so why does He require a baptism of repentance? How is He to return to God since He never left God?
We might think of this from another perspective. At each stage of His life, Jesus is holy and conducts Himself in proportion to His abilities.
The rose is perfect as a tender shoot, even though it has no flower. The rose is perfect with its first green leaf, though still flowerless. The plant is perfect as it presents its first bud, though without bloom. And at last the crown of the plant appears with the first flower.
As a fully mature man, Jesus is ready to accept the crown and scepter. He submits to the baptism of water, rebirth to His new physical life as He walks the land. He accepts the baptism of the Holy Spirit, rebirth to Spiritual life with power from above.
Think again of repentance as a turning away from the path a person has followed and a returning to the path that God has intended. Jesus is turning away from the people and acts that have led Him to this point in life.
He is laying down the roles of son of Mary, brother to her other children, friend of His acquaintances, carpenter, and the other roles associated with His early life. His life can have but one focus at this time.
He is now revealing Himself as the Messiah and is dedicated to His purpose of setting the captives free.
The Second Baptism January 17
Mark 1:10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
The word translated as immediately in the NKJV is Strong’s #2112. Mark uses it 40 times in this Gospel, also translated as straightway and forthwith in the various translations.
There is an urgency throughout the Gospel of Mark, so it is appropriate that we sense this at the beginning of his story of Jesus. This is not Mark’s urgency, but Jesus’ urgency. Everything Jesus does in Mark’s rapidly moving account is to accomplish the end intended, freedom through the cross.
John baptizes Jesus into the reborn body of the Messiah, and immediately the Holy Spirit baptizes Jesus into His reborn spiritual identity of the Messiah. In the moment that he has been washed clean of His old physical life, the life of preparation, the Holy Spirit dresses Him in the royal purple robe of righteousness, the garment for the spiritual role of the Son of God.
Seeing the heavens parting is perhaps the best way to describe the opening between the dimensions of spiritual heaven and physical earth. The coexistence of heaven and earth in Eden had been broken into two separate realms. Although God reigned as King in both, much of earth did not recognize His authority.
The word translated as parting is the same Greek word used when the veil of the temple is rent (Mark 15:38). This is a dramatic action word for a dramatic event.
The Dove January 18
Mark 1:10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus like a dove. Why a dove?
The Holy Spirit is symbolized in different ways at different times.
Luke 3:22 shares the imagery of the Holy Spirit as a dove. Other symbols include water (John 7:37-39), fire (Acts 2:3), wind (John 3:8), a voice (1 Kings 19:11-13), and more. Describing a spiritual being in physical terms may require different words depending on the context.
The dove is Noah’s symbol of a new beginning above what has become a watery grave for the people of a wicked age. The flood has washed the land clean. Noah sends out a dove to find their new dwelling place.
The Holy Spirit as a dove descending on Jesus after His baptism of water by John is appropriate.
This “born from above” concept, a dove descending from God in heaven, is about to be made real in the lives of the people.
John the Baptist shows the people the way to forgiveness of sins through the physical submersion of the body in the Jordan River. They rise from the water washed clean, their sins forgiven.
He also tells of One who will come bringing the baptism of the Holy Spirit, through whom come a new heart and a new life.
The world of a new relationship with God awaits each of us.
A Voice January 19
Mark 1:11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The Trinity is present in its separateness here. The baptism of Jesus by John is an opportunity for reunion of the three in the earthly realm.
As three separate entities in one Being, they are at once a mystery and a fact.
The Father is the Genesis, the Creator who spoke the Word (the Son), Who brought this existence into a reality continually inhabited by the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit enters the human body of Jesus, and the Father affirms the Son.
Jesus rises from the water with the Father above and the Spirit within. He is whole as God and Son and Spirit. He is the union of the three. He is holy.
If the concept seems difficult, we see such mystical unions of separateness regularly.
We see water as ice or water or steam. We may see two or three of these states separately, as the ice cube changes to water and then evaporates. The potential for all three states resides in whichever state we see.
Similarly, the Trinity is a necessary example for agape love. Love cannot exist in only one being. Two beings provide the opportunity for love and conflict. Three or more beings provide the opportunity not only for love and conflict, but for inclusion or exclusion.
The Trinity is our example of unity in diversity. We will see that what is best for the whole of the Trinity is best for the part of the Trinity, even unto death.
Each of us is created to be part of that unity as in the Garden.
The Wilderness January 20
Mark 1:12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
The sense of urgency and forcefulness again jumps out to us from this verse.
Immediately (without delay) the Spirit drove (expelled or cast) Him into the wilderness (desolate or solitary place).
The verb, drove, in Mark is much more forceful than Matthew’s led. This is not to imply the Spirit forced Jesus to go to the wilderness. It is more that Jesus, now filled with the Holy Spirit, responds to that inner voice with the urgency that originated with the Father.
Jesus repeatedly states in the Gospels that He is obedient to the Father. Consider this: in mortal form, Jesus no longer has the resources available to the other members of the Trinity. The power of God is available to Him, and the Holy Spirit supports and informs Him. But it is the mortal body of Jesus that must endure the trials and persecution that is to come.
The wilderness is important for the baptism to take root, to become an integral part of the being. The temptations of Satan will follow into the desert and beyond, but the wilderness experience has another purpose.
If baptism is the born from above experience, the rebirth into a new being, then the wilderness is the necessary death of the old being.
The old being has developed habits, ways of being, that are not conducive to living the born from above life. Breakfast of certain foods at the same hour; the routine interactions with relatives and friends, buyers and sellers; the comfort of a particular place; the priority of servicing the needs of life.
All of these and more must die to the new life.
Leaving Behind January 21
Mark 1:12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
Jesus must shed the old self like a suit of clothes that no longer serves its purpose. He dons the cloak of righteousness.
Jesus is not the only one who must change. His family, friends, and others who have seen Him as the son of Joseph must go through a change, as well.
There is no cost to Jesus, because He is committed to His calling. There is, however, a great cost to His family and friends.
All these other people have their expectations of the old Jesus. Their world view does not allow for Him to change, to no longer meet their expectations and fill the niche assigned to Him in their lives. If He changes, they must change, as well.
With any baptism, the born from above experience, the person that people have known dies and a new person is born. The nature of the relationship changes. The new person has a different focus, a new perspective on life, and a new way of living life in an old world.
Forty days is sufficient for a person to change old habits, and for others to change the habit of the old person, the former you, in their lives.
The time in the wilderness is the incubation period for the Spirit to grow within and to mature, to change the focus from self to God.
Every born again experience is aided by the wilderness experience. This is the incubation period for the new being, the cocoon housing the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly.
The wilderness calls for us to revisit when we have wandered and must be born again into the way.
Next day
Mark 1:9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
That “It came to pass” that Jesus comes to John to be baptized is more than to say merely that the event occurred. The original words imply intent, that this was ordained to be and would necessarily occur.
We must ask why Jesus, the Son of God, feels the need to be baptized by John. There are several possible explanations, and one or all or something different may be true.
First, Jesus leads by example. In John 3, He speaks of the two baptisms, of water and the Spirit, to Nicodemus. Jesus does not ask of others something that He has not done.
Second, Jesus symbolically is crossing the Red Sea as He enters the water. His mission is to lead the people out of bondage. They have been held prisoners by the law, and He is setting the captives free.
Third, Jesus is symbolically crossing the Jordan. The tribes crossing the Jordan under Joshua entered the freedom of the Promised Land. Jesus is leading those who would follow from the spiritual bondage of the Law to the freedom of relationship with God.
Fourth, Jesus is confirming John’s message from the prophets and is accepting the role of the long awaited Messiah. John the Baptist’s mission as forerunner is complete. John passes the baton to his successor as Jesus reveals Himself as the long awaited Messiah.
Finally, John’s is the baptism of repentance, but how does this fit Jesus? Consider for a moment….
New Life January 16
Mark 1:9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
We are told that He led a perfect life, so why does He require a baptism of repentance? How is He to return to God since He never left God?
We might think of this from another perspective. At each stage of His life, Jesus is holy and conducts Himself in proportion to His abilities.
The rose is perfect as a tender shoot, even though it has no flower. The rose is perfect with its first green leaf, though still flowerless. The plant is perfect as it presents its first bud, though without bloom. And at last the crown of the plant appears with the first flower.
As a fully mature man, Jesus is ready to accept the crown and scepter. He submits to the baptism of water, rebirth to His new physical life as He walks the land. He accepts the baptism of the Holy Spirit, rebirth to Spiritual life with power from above.
Think again of repentance as a turning away from the path a person has followed and a returning to the path that God has intended. Jesus is turning away from the people and acts that have led Him to this point in life.
He is laying down the roles of son of Mary, brother to her other children, friend of His acquaintances, carpenter, and the other roles associated with His early life. His life can have but one focus at this time.
He is now revealing Himself as the Messiah and is dedicated to His purpose of setting the captives free.
The Second Baptism January 17
Mark 1:10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
The word translated as immediately in the NKJV is Strong’s #2112. Mark uses it 40 times in this Gospel, also translated as straightway and forthwith in the various translations.
There is an urgency throughout the Gospel of Mark, so it is appropriate that we sense this at the beginning of his story of Jesus. This is not Mark’s urgency, but Jesus’ urgency. Everything Jesus does in Mark’s rapidly moving account is to accomplish the end intended, freedom through the cross.
John baptizes Jesus into the reborn body of the Messiah, and immediately the Holy Spirit baptizes Jesus into His reborn spiritual identity of the Messiah. In the moment that he has been washed clean of His old physical life, the life of preparation, the Holy Spirit dresses Him in the royal purple robe of righteousness, the garment for the spiritual role of the Son of God.
Seeing the heavens parting is perhaps the best way to describe the opening between the dimensions of spiritual heaven and physical earth. The coexistence of heaven and earth in Eden had been broken into two separate realms. Although God reigned as King in both, much of earth did not recognize His authority.
The word translated as parting is the same Greek word used when the veil of the temple is rent (Mark 15:38). This is a dramatic action word for a dramatic event.
The Dove January 18
Mark 1:10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus like a dove. Why a dove?
The Holy Spirit is symbolized in different ways at different times.
Luke 3:22 shares the imagery of the Holy Spirit as a dove. Other symbols include water (John 7:37-39), fire (Acts 2:3), wind (John 3:8), a voice (1 Kings 19:11-13), and more. Describing a spiritual being in physical terms may require different words depending on the context.
The dove is Noah’s symbol of a new beginning above what has become a watery grave for the people of a wicked age. The flood has washed the land clean. Noah sends out a dove to find their new dwelling place.
The Holy Spirit as a dove descending on Jesus after His baptism of water by John is appropriate.
This “born from above” concept, a dove descending from God in heaven, is about to be made real in the lives of the people.
John the Baptist shows the people the way to forgiveness of sins through the physical submersion of the body in the Jordan River. They rise from the water washed clean, their sins forgiven.
He also tells of One who will come bringing the baptism of the Holy Spirit, through whom come a new heart and a new life.
The world of a new relationship with God awaits each of us.
A Voice January 19
Mark 1:11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The Trinity is present in its separateness here. The baptism of Jesus by John is an opportunity for reunion of the three in the earthly realm.
As three separate entities in one Being, they are at once a mystery and a fact.
The Father is the Genesis, the Creator who spoke the Word (the Son), Who brought this existence into a reality continually inhabited by the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit enters the human body of Jesus, and the Father affirms the Son.
Jesus rises from the water with the Father above and the Spirit within. He is whole as God and Son and Spirit. He is the union of the three. He is holy.
If the concept seems difficult, we see such mystical unions of separateness regularly.
We see water as ice or water or steam. We may see two or three of these states separately, as the ice cube changes to water and then evaporates. The potential for all three states resides in whichever state we see.
Similarly, the Trinity is a necessary example for agape love. Love cannot exist in only one being. Two beings provide the opportunity for love and conflict. Three or more beings provide the opportunity not only for love and conflict, but for inclusion or exclusion.
The Trinity is our example of unity in diversity. We will see that what is best for the whole of the Trinity is best for the part of the Trinity, even unto death.
Each of us is created to be part of that unity as in the Garden.
The Wilderness January 20
Mark 1:12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
The sense of urgency and forcefulness again jumps out to us from this verse.
Immediately (without delay) the Spirit drove (expelled or cast) Him into the wilderness (desolate or solitary place).
The verb, drove, in Mark is much more forceful than Matthew’s led. This is not to imply the Spirit forced Jesus to go to the wilderness. It is more that Jesus, now filled with the Holy Spirit, responds to that inner voice with the urgency that originated with the Father.
Jesus repeatedly states in the Gospels that He is obedient to the Father. Consider this: in mortal form, Jesus no longer has the resources available to the other members of the Trinity. The power of God is available to Him, and the Holy Spirit supports and informs Him. But it is the mortal body of Jesus that must endure the trials and persecution that is to come.
The wilderness is important for the baptism to take root, to become an integral part of the being. The temptations of Satan will follow into the desert and beyond, but the wilderness experience has another purpose.
If baptism is the born from above experience, the rebirth into a new being, then the wilderness is the necessary death of the old being.
The old being has developed habits, ways of being, that are not conducive to living the born from above life. Breakfast of certain foods at the same hour; the routine interactions with relatives and friends, buyers and sellers; the comfort of a particular place; the priority of servicing the needs of life.
All of these and more must die to the new life.
Leaving Behind January 21
Mark 1:12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
Jesus must shed the old self like a suit of clothes that no longer serves its purpose. He dons the cloak of righteousness.
Jesus is not the only one who must change. His family, friends, and others who have seen Him as the son of Joseph must go through a change, as well.
There is no cost to Jesus, because He is committed to His calling. There is, however, a great cost to His family and friends.
All these other people have their expectations of the old Jesus. Their world view does not allow for Him to change, to no longer meet their expectations and fill the niche assigned to Him in their lives. If He changes, they must change, as well.
With any baptism, the born from above experience, the person that people have known dies and a new person is born. The nature of the relationship changes. The new person has a different focus, a new perspective on life, and a new way of living life in an old world.
Forty days is sufficient for a person to change old habits, and for others to change the habit of the old person, the former you, in their lives.
The time in the wilderness is the incubation period for the Spirit to grow within and to mature, to change the focus from self to God.
Every born again experience is aided by the wilderness experience. This is the incubation period for the new being, the cocoon housing the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly.
The wilderness calls for us to revisit when we have wandered and must be born again into the way.
Next day