Year 2, Week 29, Day 5 Bible Reading Observations

Year 2, Week 29, Day 5

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Mark 1; Luke 3.

Today’s reading begins our reading of the Book of Mark. Mark’s Gospel account is the shortest and the first written Gospel account. In fact, as the first, Mark’s Gospel seems to be the basic platform from which Luke and Matthew compile their written accounts. While each Gospel writer presents Jesus from his own style and with his own unique emphasis, seventy-six percent of Mark’s account is common to the accounts of Luke and Matthew. Both Matthew and Luke add further historical material both prior to as well as after the historical material contained in Mark. Mark contains little of the actual instruction by Jesus, focusing instead on Jesus’ actions. Thus, another feature found in Matthew and Luke is much more of the actual instruction by Jesus. Therefore, Mark’s Gospel account is more streamlined and fast paced, although in describing the last week of Jesus’ life, Mark does not abbreviate the movements of this important movement. Mark, who became a traveling companion of Peter, may have structured his Gospel account after Peter’s preaching outline of proclaiming Jesus (see Peter's message in Acts 10:34-43). Bypassing the historical details found in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, Mark 1 takes us right to the start of Jesus’ public ministry: "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15). Today reading also includes Luke 3, which starts with the ministry of John the Baptist, but transitions to a focus on Jesus: “As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:15-16).

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading is the unique relationship between the Father and Jesus that was displayed at Jesus’ baptism: “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:21-22). While there is never a contradiction in the four Gospel accounts, the Gospels, under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit, each present a special focus on Jesus such as His Kingship (like Matthew), His servanthood (like Mark), His humanity (like Luke), or His Deity (like John). These types of special focus factors into the perspective that each Gospel writer utilized in expressing the historical events of Jesus’ life. Each of the four Gospel writers describe Jesus’ baptism. There are descriptions of Jesus’ baptism that are common in each account; and there are descriptions that some accounts reference that are not shared in some of the other accounts.

Each Gospel writer links Jesus’ baptism to His identification as a Son of His Father. In fact, three of the Gospel writers are nearly identical: “behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17); “And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11); and: "and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22b). Matthew, Mark, and Luke each express the Sonship of Jesus through the very testimony of God Himself. However, Matthew records that the declaration was about Jesus, while Mark and Luke record that the declaration was to Jesus. Perhaps the declaration was made both ways, or perhaps Matthew was stating the declaration more from his vantage point. John’s Gospel account expresses the Sonship of Jesus in a slightly different way: “And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34). The point of each Gospel is that Jesus is the Son of God.

Each Gospel writer also links Jesus’ baptism to the work of the Holy Spirit. All four of the Gospel writes express the relationship of the Spirit to Jesus in a very similar manner: “behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him” (Matthew 3:16b); “immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove” (Mark 1:10b); “the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove” (Luke 3:21b-22a); and: “And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him” (John 1:32). Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, even though they have a slight variation in wording, each focus on the descent of the Spirit upon Jesus as like that of a dove. John records the Spirit’s descent upon Jesus through the testimony of John the Baptist. Each Gospel shows that Jesus was empowered by the Spirit in a special way, at His baptism, and at the outset of His ministry.

Matthew and John each add elements concerning Jesus’ baptism that are not recorded in the other accounts. Matthew, with His emphasis on how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament requirements about righteousness, added Jesus saying for the justification of why He should be baptized: “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). And John, with his emphasis on the deity of Jesus, added the declaration of John the Baptist that Jesus was God’s lamb who would provide salvation: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b). Matthew and John are not contradictory to each other, nor to Mark and Luke; however they each record the same historical events with complementary descriptions that help present how they intend to highlight who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish.

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe