Rev. Jeremiah Johnson, pastor at Glory of Christ Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Mark 1:9-13.
In His baptism and temptation, Jesus shows Himself to be our Savior. St. Mark introduces these events with words that recall the promises made through the prophets that the Christ would come. Jesus receives the baptism of sinners in order to identify Himself with them and to take their sins upon Himself. The Spirit comes upon Jesus to mark Him as the long-awaited Savior, and the Father’s voice resounds with the testimony that Jesus is the Son of God who will stand in as the substitute for sinners. The Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. In the same place where Israel once failed under temptation, Jesus is victorious and defeats the tempter. The service of the holy angels and presence of the wild animals once again point to the fulfillment of the promises of the Messiah in Jesus.
“The Gospel in Action” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the Gospel according to St. Mark. The Evangelist hits the ground running with the very first verse of his Gospel account, and he never lets up the pace. As one deed of Jesus comes right after another, always paired with His authoritative Word, St. Mark proclaims the good news that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, revealed conclusively by His death on the cross.
Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.
Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.
Mark 1:9-13
The Baptism of Jesus
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;[a] with you I am well pleased.”
The Temptation of Jesus
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
Footnotes
- Mark 1:11 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
