One more note on Verse 8. We talked about repentance on Friday and I just looked up the note on Matthew 3:11(which refers to verse 8 in Mark 1). It said that John's baptism "presupposed repentance" and that he would not baptize the Pharisees and Sadducees because they failed to give any indication of repentance. It also pointed out that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was promised in Joel 2:28-29.
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
This is said to mark the beginning of Jesus' public ministry at age 30. The NIV Study Bible says that there were several reasons for his baptism: "to fulfill all righteousness" in other words, the baptism indicated that he was consecrated to God and approved by Him and re-emphazied by the descent of the Holy Spirit on Him and the words of God the Father. It was a clear testimony to all the witnesses there that day that Jesus Christ was God's Son.
I always try to put myself in the time I am reading, especially when it is a fictional novel. I like to imagine I was there. Its a lot of the reason why I like to read. I like to escape into another time and place and not think about the current stresses and issues of the day. What would it have been like to stand on that shore of the Jordan river on that day. When we went to the Jordan River in Israel, it was not anything extraordinary. There were beavers and muskrats swimming all over that place. When you walked in, there were fish nibbling all at your feet, and it was a very narrow river, almost Alabama "creek-like." Now I am sure there are other places maybe more magnificent than that area of the Jordan, but it was very simple. Just like many things in Christ's ministry, the extraordinary didn't lie in the details surrounding Christ, the extraordinary came from Christ alone. He was born in a humble poor manger with cattle and sheep, he died on a thieve's cross, he was baptized in a common river by a man, and a strange one at that. The God of the universe humbled himself and came to us humbly to give us His most incredible magnificent gift. Imagine with me. When you observe the most incredible sunsets, the most spectacular starry night with a full moon, the most beautiful field of flowers at the base of a vast snow covered mountain peak, when you gaze into the eyes of your newborn child, can you imagine that the Artist of all that beauty, stooped down to your level and offered you His gift? So, on that shore that day, observing John the Baptist, baptizing Jesus, I am standing there and suddenly the heavens are torn open and a beautiful white dove descends from heaven and a voice came from that heaven saying "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." I think I would have no problem believing that this man standing in front of me was Jesus Christ, the most important person that has ever lived, because God Himself called down from heaven and said "this is My Son."
How it applies to me today? God continually gives me gifts of His great love every day, the gift of life, healthy children, a loving husband, a wonderful family, beautiful sunsets, etc. I spend most of my days enjoying these gifts and somehow my focus continues to waver off of Him to my own selfishness, pride and arrogance to think I know how to handle my situations better than He does. I have often teased, "well if God wants me to do that, He is going to have to send me a letter from heaven, and I am going to need to see it drop." Well, on that day, He sent so much more than a letter from Heaven, His audible voice said it, This is My Son in whom I am well pleased." I can trust that Jesus is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do.
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