Mark 1:9
- Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he had grown up in Nazareth, a despised city in the north (John 1:46). But even though the city was disliked, Jesus chose to be identified with it.
- Even today we call Jesus “Jesus of Nazareth”, not “Jesus of Bethlehem” or “Jesus of Capernaum”.
- Even today, many Christians in the Middle East are called “Nazarenes”.
- Jesus was not baptized as a sign of his repentance, but to fulfill all righteousness (Mt 3:15).
- Jesus was like the people when he was baptized, like everyone else, but he was unlike the people in that he did not confess his sins, because he had no sins (1 John 3:5).
Mark 1:10
- Here we see the whole Trinity represented at the same time.
- The Father speaks from heaven.
- The Son identifies with sinful people.
- The Holy Spirit comes upon the Son like a dove.
- Isaiah had prayed to God a few hundred years earlier that he would tear apart the heavens and come down to earth and set everything right (Isaiah 64:1). Now this is precisely what is happening as God magnificently shows that Isaiah’s prayer has been answered in Jesus.
- In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon the person whom God called to a special mission (Judges 3:10). God’s Spirit then empowered the person so that he could complete the assignment. In the same way, Jesus is now empowered to complete his mission as the Messiah.