Mark: The Father Approving

1. Additional Scriptural readings suggested: Psalm 2:7-9; Isaiah 42:1; Psalm 113

2. A short reading.

"In the baptism of Jesus, the Father bore witness, the Son received witness and the Holy Spirit gave confirmation—thus in the Jordan the triune mystery began to be disclosed." (Ancient Christian Commentary, 11)

3. Text for meditation (in Italics):

⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

4. Reflections: The voice from heaven, which has been opened wide, is a voice of parental love: "You are my Son." As I suggested above, this is a personal word from Father to Son, although we must look at this Father-Son relationship through the lenses of The Trinity, not our ordinary parent-child relationship. The Trinity is One, not three, and exists in equality, though expressing difference in ministry. This is a great mystery and has lead at times to great confusion. The concept of Trinity is beyond explanation. We rejoice in God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We live in this mystery.

Once it was the chosen people, the nation of Israel, now it is the "beloved Son." How could God be pleased with a people who tended to stray away from the covenant? How indeed can God be pleased with our nation, or even at times with the church? The Christian church as a whole has been embarrassed by the infidelities of Roman Catholic priests. Their actions, and similar actions among Protestants, bring shame on the Name of Jesus. I think Jesus is diminished in the eyes of the world when His people profess one thing and do another. It is not enough to say, "Well, we are all sinners." While that may be true, hopefully we are sinners who are leaning on the Lord and making every attempt to do what enhances our lives and pleases God.

There is a richness of relationship in the words "beloved Son" and "well pleased." In the shadows of this text is the sin of Israel and the failure of its leadership. In the background of the text is the wailing of the prophets and the groans of the people as pride of nation gives way to the blight of slavery. The "beloved Son" comes to do the Father's will, to emancipate the people, to put in motion the hope of Psalm 113 and the song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55).

5. Questions raised today for personal reflection.

How much of the Gospel can we really know? The Gospel is rooted in history; Jesus came to a particular people at a particular time. Yet the Gospel is at times shrouded in mystery. We often find it quite beyond us, and as humans limited in perception and knowledge, we should. We are called to follow Jesus by faith (Hebrews 11:1). True faith is strong because it is a gift of God and the Holy Spirit maintains faith in us.

What is God's "beloved Son" to us? We confess Him as Lord and Savior, as Messiah of the Jews and the healer of the nations. This text gives added weight to the church's confession of Jesus as divine. God is His Father as well as His essence. This too, the incarnation, is a mystery among mysteries. No wonder we look to Jesus as He is described in the book of Hebrews, as the "author and finisher of our faith." Many people have died rather than to deny Him or take His Name in vain.

6. Suggestions for prayer:

Perhaps we need to pray for grace to be a good parent and grandparent, a kind, gentle, and loving presence. We should pray for our children and their needs, and that they will be open to God. Increasingly we need to pray to God the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). We need to praise God for coming to us in Jesus and for strengthening Him to die for us ... and subsequently be raised for us.