Know thyself

Man of action
Mark certainly doesn’t mince his words. His Gospel is the most succinct and the most action-packed. Mark has a punchy message to deliver – that Jesus was the Son of God.

But Jesus didn’t just float around, glowing and bestowing miraculous gifts. He was also human and he went through a very human rite of passage: baptism.

Beginning with baptism
Baptism was understood to bring forgiveness for sin (1:4); but Jesus’ baptism was somewhat different; for him it was a pivotal moment of affirmation. The Holy Spirit came on him and his heavenly Father acknowledged him (v 11).

This marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and this strong affirmation of his identity prepared him for the time of temptation which followed. Jesus was the God-man and his time in the desert consolidated his dependence on God and his obedience to God. You can read a fuller account of Jesus’ temptations in Matthew 4:1–11.

The identity of Jesus changes everything for us – as God and man, he can redeem our humanity. Likewise knowing our identity changes everything for us: the decisions we make, the people we relate to.

Meditate on 1 John 3:1 today, and each time you make choices consider the options in the light of your identity as a child of God.

In today’s world, suitability for a demanding public role usually involves possessing impressive credentials and knowing people of influence to open the right doors. It probably wasn’t that different in Jesus’ time. In stark contrast, Jesus appears on the scene from an obscure (John 1:46), somewhat questionable background, engaging in action that initially appears to make little sense.

If he is the God-anointed king that John was proclaiming, why did he need to be baptised like everyone else and why then disappear into the desert for several weeks instead of holding a political rally or doing an eye-catching miracle or two? Equally, as the one who came to be understood as sinless why should he submit to a rite directly related to repentance and cleansing? Matthew tells us that John in fact tried to stop him getting baptised (Matthew 3:14).

The answer has a depth of meaning relevant to all of humanity ever since. Right from the outset of his ministry Jesus both identified fully with our sinful plight and purposefully did what was required to mean that we don’t have to remain in that position (Matthew 3:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15,16). In his actions we see the fullness of God at work, all three members of the Trinity being actively present.

We also see that what mattered to Jesus was obedience to his Father, not popularity with people. That passionate, tender cry of the Father over him, affirming his identity and belonging, must have continued to ring in his ears – not just straight afterwards when he battled with temptation but also throughout his journey to the cross through ever-changing public opinion.

In Jesus we have a king who is not concerned about status or reputation, preferring instead full obedience to God and possessing a passion for people that drove him to act as he did.

Preparing the way
The son of old parents (Luke 1), John emerged as a powerful preacher about AD 27 (Luke 3:2,3). He knew that he was called to be the promised forerunner of the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3–5; John 1:23) in the line of Elijah (Malachi 4:5,6; Luke 1:17).

He centred his mission in the Jordan valley, and linked his preaching with baptism that would signify repentance, dedication, and readiness for the Messiah (Luke 3:3–17). He may well have mixed with the strict Essenes of Qumran whose literature has now come to light.

Meeting the Messiah
The identity of the Messiah was disclosed to him when his cousin Jesus came for baptism, not for repentance, but as a dedication to the Messianic kingdom (Matthew 3:13–17). When the Spirit descended as a dove and the voice of God was heard from heaven, John knew Jesus as the Messiah (John 1:32–34).

John had a few close disciples, several of whom left him to follow Jesus (John 1:35–42). Now that John had seen the purpose of his mission fulfilled, he was not jealous (John 3:30), but he became puzzled when nothing spectacular happened, and he himself was imprisoned for rebuking Herod over his marriage.

He sent two of his followers to get a direct answer from Jesus about his claims. The answer from Jesus demonstrated his claims by works of mercy and by preaching God’s good news (Matthew 11:2–6).

The last prophet
Jesus then extolled John as the last and greatest prophet (or perhaps the greatest man) of the fading Jewish era (Matthew 11:7–15). He referred to the extreme asceticism of John, which some think he learnt from the Essenes in the Dead Sea area. Jesus himself lived simply, but enjoyed the good things of life (11:16–19).

John was beheaded in prison through the influence of Herod’s wife (Matthew 14:1–12). Josephus says that this happened at the fortress of Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea. A number of John’s followers became preachers of the coming Messiah without knowing that the Messiah had come (Acts 18:24 – 19:7).

J Stafford Wright