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I am really enjoying this study (I'm also REALLY behind in blogging my daily thoughts. Sorry), taking the Bible verse by verse and really spending time thinking and reflecting on what is going on in the book of Mark. I am so thankful for attending the Priscilla Schirer simulcast a few months ago, as that is what inspired me to do this. I've read the Bible several times and each time there is always something new and compelling to learn, of course. But it's more than that. It's even how I've studied the Bible each time that makes a difference. Reading it in a "Read the Bible in a Year" plan, I get a nice overview. Listening to it on CD gives me the story as a whole--without the ability to stop and reflect--so I am forced to hear the whole thing in context. But this slow, inductive method really helps drive points home and gives me insight that I might otherwise have missed. Especially paraphrasing and writing down thoughts. Like. . .more and more thoughts come as I start to write. And then when I rewrite them again on this blog, it really helps to solidify what I've learned.
The Verse (NIV)
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
My paraphrase
9. Jesus begins His Messiahship with an act of humility: Baptism by John.
My thoughts
I think more than anything else, this verse explains Jesus' purpose for coming as "suffering servant." I know that's a weird thought to have at this, His baptism when He isn't suffering at all, but hear me out. John (the Baptist) just got through telling us that he was unworthy to touch Jesus' feet, but then here we are seeing Jesus go through an act that required repentance. Isn't that strange? Any time any person is heralded and lauded by another person, throughout Scripture or anywhere else for that matter, do you see the heralded person then act like a servant? I certainly can't think of any examples. We can't just look at this scene and go, "Well, of course Jesus behaved that way. That's what He was supposed to do." When we react that way, I think we miss something major. Why was He supposed to? Why was this an act of obedience? It's a weird thing for the perfect Son of God to do.
It's weird, of course, because ironically Jesus had nothing to repent over as He was without sin, yet He still acted in the obedience of baptism. I have heard a lot of commentators and teachers state that His baptism was an act of obedience because He is our example and so He was paving the way for future believers. . .But that still doesn't answer the why question. Not well at least. Future believers were, are, and will be sinners. Jesus is and was perfect, so why did He do it?
I think the key to the question of why He behaved like a servant was because, in being baptized, He was foreshadowing His death (which He also didn't deserve)--an act that would put all sin upon Him. That is the only reason that makes any sense to me. When we get baptized, sometimes our baptizers will even say, "Buried in the likeness of His death. Raised in the likeness of His resurrection." I think that's why He did it. He was foreshadowing what would happen to Him--death, burial, and resurrection. In that way, yes, He was paving the way for us, but it's more than just a ritualistic expression of the start of a tradition. It was a paradigm shifting event. No longer did baptism merely mean an outward show of an inward cleansing. Now, Christ's life, death, burial, and resurrection were attached--the very stuff of salvation. Not that baptism equals salvation, but rather that baptism solidifies salvation. Baptism makes salvation concrete because it assumes the physical positions of the Christ who gives it all meaning.
One last thought--and this one really excites me because I've never had it before. Think of the significance of Christ being baptized in the Jordan River. I mean, think of everything that had happened there. How many battles? How many significant events? Jacob crossed it on his way back to Haran. The water that covered Jesus would have run over the sand that had once been dry ground for Joshua and the Israelites and also Elijah and Elisha. The Jordan needed to be crossed in order for the Israelites to reach the Promised Land. These same waters were used to cure Naaman of leprosy. That is just to name a few. . .Now think of Jesus' baptism. It was the start of Jesus stepping into His Messiah role--the role which gave every prior event its eternal meaning. More than stories on a page. Now the Promised Land meant heaven. Now the dry ground meant grace. Now the healing meant eternal life. It was the true fulfillment of everything else that ever happened or would happen in these same waters. All of them in that moment.
(Continuing my Bible Journaling of Mark. . .)
The Verses:
Mark 1:4-6 - 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
My Paraphrase:
4 - Following the Spirit, John lived in the desert, baptizing and calling people to repent.
5 - This attracted everyone from the surrounding areas and they obeyed this calling.
My Thoughts:
John obeyed God's calling on his life. I think we take for granted the obedience we see in Biblical characters. Did John struggle with his calling? Did he have a wayward adolescence? Or did he readily embrace the poverty and humility of his prophesied profession?
Whatever the case, because of his obedience, an entire city and countryside were attracted to his message--and an unlikely message to be so attracted to! Think about it, people turned from sin and selfishness, without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and agreed to be dunked underwater by a bug-eating nutcase in the desert! This shows me that the power of God--and specifically the power of obedience--is not something to take lightly. He is not impressed with showmanship or Pharisitical propriety AT ALL. If He can get people to listen to His message in such an unlikely way, none of us should ever feel prideful if people happen to turn their hearts to Him because of some "amazing" thing we did.
My Paraphrase:
6 - John dressed like a dirty hippy and ate bugs and honey.
My Thoughts:
Okay, so my paraphrase was kind of to make you laugh. . .but honestly. . .read how Mark himself writes it! Verse 6 is TOTALLY out-of-the-blue, non sequitur. It's almost like each verse builds on itself to make this crazy picture complete. First of all, John--as fulfillment of Scripture--is in the desert, baptizing, and calling people to repentance. Okay, great. . .Then--get this, guys--this message actually ATTRACTS tons of people from the main city and they actually OBEY this crazy message!. . .And then finally. . .wait for it. . .the climax: On top of it all, John has very questionable eating habits and dresses like a caveman!
Seriously, read those verses again and see if that thought doesn't pop out at you as very odd. See, Mark is not the most detail-oriented writer (his gospel is the shortest, his statements are matter-of-fact, he lacks sentimental embellishment, etc.), and yet he bothers to tell us these strange details about how John is dressed and what he eats. I mean, do you just go around defining people like that normally? Is there ANYONE else in the Bible, for instance, who is described by dress code and diet? No. So obviously, Mark thought it was weird too!
I do think this description is to help us remember that God isn't interested in pride. . .However, did John really have to dress like a Jedi Knight? Or was he just having fun? Or was he just embracing the whole "prophet look" (apparently, Elijah and other prophets wore camel hair clothes)? After researching it a bit, I learned that it was actually a normal diet to eat bugs if one lived in the desert, and apparently locusts were on the list of "clean" things to eat. However, it does give one pause to think, 'Did John have to go to such lengths to prove his prophethood?' and 'Why did Mark bother to tell us these details if they were at all considered normal?' I guess we are to assume that even his appearance was an act of obedience since Jesus later calls him the greatest prophet ever to have lived.
Still. . .I can't help but love Ps. Mark Driscoll's assessment of John as "Jesus' weird home-school cousin"!!
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