THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD: Feast-Year-B

I.                  Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11: Come to the water. Listen and your soul will live.

II.               II. Reading: 1John 5:1-9: The Spirit and water and blood.

Gospel: Mark 1:7-11:You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.

Jesus Christ and His Baptism: A Decision for God (Mark 1: 9-11)

Jesus’ baptism pictures what happens when a person makes a decision for God.

1.     There is a decision and submission to God (v.9): great sacrifice of Jesus

2.     There is a beginning and an identification with God and his people (v.9):

a.     His baptism was beginning of a new life, new direction in his life.

b.     He was identifying with John’s ministry who was proclaiming the Good News of Christ, the Messiah and the Lamb of God.

3.     There is a commissioning and empowering (v.10): the word “open” (schizamenous) means to rend asunder or to tear apart. This could mean two things:

i.                   It could mean a moment like the rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds ever so brilliantly after a thunder storm.

ii.                 It could mean a moment when God miraculously tore apart the barrier between heaven and earth, allowing Jesus to see into the glory of heaven from where he had come.

4.     There is the approval and encouragement of God (v.11): As man, Jesus needed the perfect assurance of God. He needed special strength and encouragement from God. So he listened “and a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love you; with you I am well pleased (cf. Mt 3:16-17).

Thought: God meets the needs of His servants for assurance. He sees to it that we know His Will and gives assurance that we are doing His Will. He speaks to our hearts and gives signs of approval and encouragement. Every true believer is commissioned and empowered by God’s Spirit to do the work of God.