Salutations, dearly beloved in Christ,
Today, let’s take a look at a supernatural phenomenon that happened when Jesus was baptized and its implications for us as believers:
“And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’”
— Mark 1:10-11
Here we see another instance of Mark making use of the word “immediately,” as he does often in his gospel. It is said that the use of this word indicates how Mark cuts straight to the point regarding events in Jesus’s ministry.
One source summarizes the use of this word in the Gospel of Mark:
“The Greek word euthus, which is often translated as ‘immediately’ or ‘straightaway,’ appears 41–42 times in the Gospel of Mark, depending on whether some doubtful passages are included. This is more than any other gospel and is close to half of all occurrences of the word in the New Testament. In comparison, the word appears 12 times in the rest of the New Testament and six times in the Septuagint or Greek Old Testament.”
— Got Questions
The author mentions that the use of this word highlights the shortness of Jesus’s time on earth and how his ministry was confined to a very brief period.
One such account takes place at the River Jordan when John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ. In the previous section, we saw how significant the baptism of Jesus was. Despite being sinless, Jesus allowed Himself to be baptized with the baptism of repentance so that He could sympathize with the fallen sinners He was saving.
Immediately after this, we see a supernatural event recorded in history. Mark tells us that the heavens opened up. The word he uses for “opened up” can also be translated as “being parted” or “being torn apart.” This was not just a simple illusion, like clouds turning dark before rain. The description of this event was purely supernatural, almost as though the clouds were being torn apart.
This was such a phenomenal event that it is recorded by Matthew, Luke, and John as well:
“And after being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’”
— Matthew 3:16-17“Now it happened that when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’”
— Luke 3:21-22“And John bore witness saying, ‘I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abided on Him.’”
— John 1:32
The significance of this event goes deeper than its supernatural wonder. It is in this event that we behold the three persons of the Godhead appearing at the same time and place.
In the River Jordan, we have the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, Jesus Christ. He is God incarnate, the Word that has become flesh, and He is physically present, being baptized by John the Baptist. This undeniable truth was evidenced by everyone in attendance. Mark records it this way: “immediately coming up out of the water.” This points to the fact that Jesus was physically in the water and physically coming out of the water to witness the heavens open up.
Next, we see the third person of the Godhead, God the Holy Spirit. Mark tells us that Jesus saw the Holy Spirit descending in the likeness of a dove: “the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him.” We know that the Spirit is a different person from the person of Christ despite them sharing the same essence, the essence of God. In other words, these are not two different essences (two different gods) but rather one essence: one God and two persons in the same Godhead.
Finally, we see the first person of the Godhead, God the Father. Mark tells us that His presence is noted by His voice coming out of the heavens: “a voice came out of the heavens.” Once again, God the Father shares the same essence as God the Son and God the Holy Spirit while the three of them remain separate persons. One God, three persons.
The reason this is significant is that throughout church history, there has been a heretical teaching called modalism.
“Modalism is a Christian theological doctrine that states that the members of the Trinity are not three distinct persons but three different ways or forms of activity that God uses to manifest Himself.”
— Got Questions
This modalistic teaching, besides being declared heretical, has made its way into modern-day evangelicalism. It is not uncommon to find modern-day preachers teaching that God is one and therefore God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are the same person who manifests Himself in different ways while still maintaining the same person. The common example cited is that of the physical property of water, which maintains the same chemical structure while morphing into different physical states: water as a liquid, steam as a gas, and ice as a solid.
From this particular verse, we see that the teaching of Scripture is clearly antithetical to the teaching of modalism. During the baptism of Jesus Christ, we see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit appearing as distinct persons performing distinct acts independently while all at the same time maintaining their essence as one unified God.
Another interesting thing we observe during the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist is the statement that God the Father makes. The statement is directed to the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. The Father says to the Son, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” This is another very significant statement.
It should be understood that the words used here for “well pleased” do not just point to a simple acknowledgment of good behavior. Rather, they point to the total perfection of God the Son. This highlights how God the Father is endorsing Jesus Christ as a pure and unblemished person.
This is important because if Jesus was in any way defiled or sinful, then He would not be able to save sinners. Because of this, He has to be verified and endorsed by God the Father as being without blemish by the statement “in whom I am well-pleased.”
Another declaration is that of sonship. It is here that Jesus is called the Son of God. We see such a declaration made by Simon Peter when Jesus asked him who he says He was:
“And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’”
— Matthew 16:16-17
To this declaration, Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood did not reveal this to him but God the Father Himself who is in heaven.
This declaration was significant because it comes back later when Jesus is making a point to the Pharisees and the Sadducees regarding why His testimony and witness are true:
“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I bear witness about Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Even in your law it has been written that the witness of two men is true. I am He who bears witness about Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness about Me.’”
— John 8:14-18
Jesus’s whole argument points back to His baptism, where the Father testifies of Him and He testifies of Himself, making two witnesses, which validates Him and what He says.
It is important for us to understand the significance of Jesus’s baptism and the events that followed immediately after. As Christians, we must understand that God exists as a triune being, one in essence but three in persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, who are in full agreement and harmony. It is also important to understand that Jesus Christ is declared the Son of God by God the Father Himself. This makes everything He teaches true and further validates His deity as absolute and real.
I pray that in reading these verses, we can gain confidence in such theological concepts as the Holy Trinity and absolute truth.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
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