Mark proceeded to record three events that the reader needs to understand to appreciate Jesus' ministry correctly. They are John the Baptist's ministry, Jesus' baptism, and Jesus' temptation. Two words that recur through this section of the text are key to understanding Mark's emphasis: desert and the Spirit.23
The writer pointed out that the ministry of Jesus' forerunner fulfilled prophecy. It made a significant impact on those whom John contacted. Then Mark recorded the essence of John's message.
1:2-3 Mark began with a quotation from the Old Testament. A proper understanding of Jesus' ministry requires an understand of prophecy concerning Messiah. He wrote literally, "It stands written"(perfect tense in the Greek text). The early Christians believed that the Old Testament was God's authoritative Word.
This quotation is a blend of words taken from the Septuagint version of Exodus 23:20, Malachi 3:1, and Isaiah 40:3. Mark shaped this quotation to stress the messianic emphasis in these Old Testament passages. He probably introduced this quotation by referring to Isaiah because the Isaiah part contains the main point he wanted to stress (v. 3) or perhaps because Isaiah was the more prominent of the prophets he quoted.
The desert where God met with His people was a significant Old Testament motif. Messiah would come out of the desert. "The Lord"proved to be Jesus. Mark's introduction of the word "way"(Gr. hodos, lit. road or highway) begins one of his themes, namely the path through life. This is what a disciple of Jesus must follow (cf. 8:27; 9:33; 10:17, 32, 52; 12:14).
This is the only time Mark quoted an Old Testament passage other than when he quoted Jesus referring to the Old Testament.24
"The point of the whole quotation is that John's preparatory ministry, in fulfillment of prophecy, authenticated Jesus' Messiahship and prepared for the beginning of His official ministry as the Messiah."25
1:4 The wilderness or desert (Gr. eremos) where John ministered was dry and uninhabited. It was the wilderness of Judea west and north of the Dead Sea (Matt. 3:1).
John baptized people when they gave evidence of repentance. "A baptism of repentance"means a baptism characterized by repentance. The Jews John baptized not only changed their minds, the basic meaning of metanoia, but they also changed their behavior.26The changes were for and resulted in the forgiveness of sins. Change of behavior does not earn forgiveness, but change of behavior demonstrates genuine contrition that results in forgiveness. The unusual thing about John's baptism was that in his day Gentiles baptized themselves when they converted to Judaism, but the Jews did not undergo baptism.
Peter's sermon in Acts 10:37 began at the same place as Mark's Gospel, with the ministry of John the Baptist. This is one evidence of Peter's influence on the second Gospel.
1:5 Multitudes of Jews responded enthusiastically to John's ministry. Large crowds from southern Palestine and Jerusalem went to the Jordan River in response to his call to prepare themselves for Messiah's appearance. Mark's use of "all"was hyperbolic. Every individual did not come out to John. Those who did confessed their sins by submitting to baptism. By allowing the forerunner of Messiah to baptize them the Jews who submitted to his baptism were pledging to receive Messiah when He came.
1:6 This description of John would have identified him as a typical "holy man"of the ancient East who lived in the desert. His clothing was woven camel's hair held in place with a leather belt (cf. 2 Kings 1:8; cf. Mal. 4:5-6). This is how prophets typically dressed (cf. Zech. 13:4). His diet consisted of dried locusts and the honey of wild bees. This was clean food for the Jews (cf. Lev. 11:21-22). John was a lifelong Nazarite who lived an ascetic life (Luke 1:15). His personal appearance and behavior encouraged the Jews who came to him to abandon self-indulgent living in preparation for Messiah's appearing.
1:7-8 Mark's synopsis of John's message is brief (cf. Matt. 3:7-10; Luke 3:10-14). It stresses the coming of the mighty One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. John described the greatness of this One by contrasting himself with the Messiah. Slaves did not have to untie their masters' sandals, but John felt unworthy to do even this most menial task for Messiah. This emphasis on the humility of God's servants persists through this Gospel.
Another contrast is the baptisms of the two men (v. 8). This one shows the superior ministry of the Coming One.
"The Baptist evidently meant that the great coming One would not merely cleanse with water but would bring to bear, like a deluge, the purging, purifying, judging presence of God himself."27
Jesus' baptizing with the Holy Spirit probably looks foward to a baptism yet future from our viewpoint in history. In Matthew and in Luke's account of this statement John said Jesus would baptize "with the Holy Spirit and fire."The single article before two nouns in the Greek text implies a single baptism with Spirit and fire. While such a baptism happened on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:5; 2:32-33), not all of what the prophets predicted would happen when this baptism took place really transpired then (cf. Isa. 44:3; Joel 2:28-32). Consequently we anticipate a future baptism with the Spirit and fire that will fulfill these prophecies.
Mark next recorded two events that immediately preceded the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, His baptism and His temptation. The first of these events signaled His appearing as Messiah and His induction into that office. Mark simply recorded the fact of Jesus' baptism and two attendant events that confirmed that He was the Messiah.
1:9 The fact that Mark identified Jesus simply as Jesus may show that he wrote his Gospel to people familiar with Jesus. Jesus did not come to John from Judea or Jerusalem (cf. v. 5) but from Nazareth in Galilee where He had grown up and was living.28The obscurity of this little town is clear from the fact that neither the Old Testament, Josephus, nor the Talmud ever mentioned it.
Jesus underwent John's baptism to identify with man and man's sin (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21). He did not do so because He needed to repent. He did not. He also submitted to baptism because by doing so He identified with the particular group of people that John was baptizing, namely the Israelites. Jesus associated His baptism with His death (10:38; Luke 12:50). Consequently it is probably proper to conclude that He viewed His baptism as a public acceptance of His role as Israel's Suffering Servant, Messiah. Jesus was about 30 years old then (Luke 3:23).
1:10 This is the first of Mark's 42 uses of the Greek adverb euthys("immediately") that give his narrative a feeling of rapidly moving action. Mark used this word more than the other three evangelists combined.
"As the story progresses, the frequency of the word immediately' drops off, but reappears later to reinforce how quickly the arrest and trial of Jesus take place. And the tempo varies. Whereas early in the narrative the action shifts rapidly from one location to another, the end of the journey slows to a day-by-day description of what happens in a single location, Jerusalem, and then an hour-by-hour depiction of the crucifixion. Because the whole narrative moves toward Jerusalem and toward crucifixion, the slowing of the tempo greatly intensifies the experience of this event for the reader."29
Mark described Jesus seeing the heavens opened, though John at least saw this too (John 1:32-34). He used the vivid word schizomenous, meaning tearing or rending. This word recalls Isaiah 64:1 where the prophet called on God to rend the heavens and come down (cf. Ps. 18:9, 16-19; 144:5-8). God now answered Isaiah's prayer. The descent of the Spirit on Jesus constituted His anointing for ministry (cf. Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38).
The dove is a bird that symbolizes the humble self-sacrifice that characterizes it. It was a bird that poor Israelites' offered in sacrifice to the Lord. The same spirit of humble self-sacrifice indwelt Jesus.
The Spirit's coming on Jesus here does not imply that Jesus had lacked Holy Spirit empowering previously. Here the Spirit came to empower Jesus specifically for His messianic ministry.
1:11 The Father's voice from heaven expressed approval of Jesus and His mission in words recalling Genesis 22:2. What the voice said identified the speaker. God's words from heaven fused the concepts of King (Ps. 2:7) and Servant (Isa. 42:1). This combination constituted the unique sonship of Jesus.
"The first clause of the [Father's] declaration (with the verb in the present tense of the indicative mood) expresses an eternal and essential relationship. The second clause (the verb is in the aorist indicative) implies a past choice for the performance of a particular function in history."30
From this point on, the reader of Mark's Gospel knows God's authoritative evaluation of Jesus. This evaluation becomes the norm by which we judge the correctness or incorrectness of every other character's understanding of Him.
"If Mark refuses knowledge of Jesus' identity to human characters in the beginning and middle of his story, who, then, knows of his identity? The answer is Mark himself as narrator, the reader, and such supernatural beings as God, Satan, and demons."31
Jesus began His official role as the Messiah at His baptism (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12-16; Ps. 89:26; Heb. 1:5). He also began His official role as the Suffering Servant of the Lord then (cf. 8:31; 9:30-31; 10:32-34, 45; 15:33-39).
"Jesus' baptism did not change His divine status. He did not becomethe Son of God at His baptism (or at the transfiguration, 9:7). Rather, His baptism showed the far-reaching significance of His acceptance of His messianic vocation as the suffering Servant of the Lord as well as the Davidic Messiah. Because He is the Son of God, the One approved by the Father and empowered by the Spirit, He is the Messiah (not vice versa)."32
Jesus' temptation by Satan was another event that prepared the divine Servant for His ministry. Mark's account is brief, and it stresses the great spiritual conflict that this temptation posed for Jesus. The writer omitted any reference to Jesus' feelings about the temptation. A servant's response to his trials is more important than his feelings about them.
1:12 "Immediately"connects the temptation closely with the baptism. The same Spirit that came on Jesus at His baptism now "impelled"or drove (Gr. ekballo) Him into the wilderness for testing. Jesus had submitted humbly to identification with humankind. Now he experienced the consequences of that identification, temptation. Temptation is not an indication that one is out of God's will. It sometimes results from following the Spirit's leading.
"Mark's expression does not mean that Jesus was forced out into the wilderness against His will but that He went with a strong sense of the Spirit's compulsion upon Him. Since the object of His Messianic mission was to destroy the works of the devil' (1 Jn 3:8), Jesus recognized that His acceptance of the Servant vocation made the encounter essential. It was the initiation of His mission to overthrow the devil. His miracle-working ministry of authority over demons was based on the victory won in this encounter."33
"Mark makes evident that the wilderness in his story carries a dual significance: At times it is a hostile and threatening atmosphere, at other times it is a place of preparation."34
1:13 The traditional site of this temptation dating back to the twelfth century A.D. is the Mons Quarantania, the Hill of the 40 Days. It stands just west of Jericho. However the exact location is unknown.
The Greek word peirazomeans to put someone or something through a trial to demonstrate its character. God allowed Satan to tempt Jesus for two reasons: to show that He would not draw away from the Father's will, and to demonstrate His qualification for His mission. The name "Satan"is a transliteration of the Hebrew word satan, meaning adversary.
By omitting reference to the three tempting offers that Satan posed, Mark focused the reader's attention on the fact that Jesus endured continuous testing for 40 days. He pointed out this continuing conflict throughout this Gospel (8:11, 32-33; 10:2; 12:15). Mark's unique reference to the wild beasts heightens the fierceness of the temptation. The Jews associated the wilderness with wild beasts and Satanic hostility (cf. Isa. 13:20-22; 34:8-15; Ps. 22:11-21; 91:11-13).
". . . in His exposure to the assaults of Satan, Jesus was Adam' as well as Israel.' Israel's sonship was modeled on Adam's, since God is the Creator-Father in both instances. The wilderness forges a link between the two, for it represents reverse imagery, especially with Mark's mention of the the wild beasts' (1:13). Opinion on the proper location of the animals is divided between the paradise and wilderness settings. However, it may be that the Gospels glance at the beasts both in Adam's mandate to rule the earth (Gen. 1:26-28) and in their association with satanic powers (Ps. 22:11-21; Ezek. 34:5, 8, 25; Luke 10:19), thus suggesting the chaos that threatens to (re)impose itself on the ordered world (e.g., Job 5:22; Ezek. 5:17; 14:21; . . .)."35
God's angelic servants ministered to Jesus during His time of testing (cf. Heb. 1:14). God did not leave His Son alone but provided grace to help in this time of need.
"The presence of angels to sustain Jesus underlines the cosmic dimension of the temptation: Jesus' struggle with Satan is a clash between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of evil. In the temptation, then, Jesus Son of God shows what his ministry will be about: the binding of Satan and the inauguration of the end-time age of salvation (3:27)."36
"The first Adam succumbed in an environment that was beautiful and friendly; the last Adam maintained His purity in an environment that was desolate and hostile."37
In the introduction to his Gospel, Mark stressed the humility and faithful service that Jesus rendered to God at the commencement of His public ministry. Jesus was fully human but approved by the Father and aided by the Spirit as well as by God's angelic helpers. He was also fully deity.
