Sunday
School Lessons
Commentary by Walter Albritton
March 2
Jesus Begins His Ministry
Mark 1:1-45
Key Verse: There came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. – Mark
Mark is decisive. He
does not pussyfoot around. He tells a powerful story with a strong sense of
urgency.
God is at work. God
has a plan. John plays a major role in that plan. He prepares the way. Then
Jesus comes as the plan unfolds.
Jesus is a man of
action. He submits to the baptism of John, though John is understandably
hesitant to baptize the Messiah himself.
We need not quibble
about the method of Jesus’ baptism. We should be silly to advance the idea that
though the two men waded out into the
Some diehards would have us believe that John took
along a clay pitcher and poured water upon the head of Jesus while the Master
was standing before him. Others imagine John took water in his hands and
“sprinkled” it on the head of Jesus.
The most plausible conclusion is the one held by our
Baptist friends, that John immersed Jesus in the water, taking him “all the way
under” and raising him up out of the water. Mark says in fact that Jesus came
“up out of the water.”
God’s people have more to do than waste time arguing
about the “right” method of baptism. For half a century I have happily shared
with people that United Methodists are not “hung up” on any particular method
of baptism.
We invite the candidate for baptism to choose any of
the three accepted methods: sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. I have usually
said, “You decide the amount of water you prefer, and I will baptize you. I can
sprinkle water on your head, pour water on your head out of a pitcher, or
immerse you in a pool, a lake, or an ocean.” I have had the honor of baptizing
people in all of these places.
Most often, when a person has preferred immersion, I
have borrowed the baptismal pool of a Baptist pastor on a Saturday. Baptists
are delighted to assist Methodists to be baptized by immersion!
We should understand
that it is not the amount of water that concerns God. God wants sinners to
repent and be baptized so they may be saved. The water does not save anyone.
The method of baptism does not save anyone. God saves the repentant sinner who
surrenders to the act of baptism, whatever the method. We are saved by grace,
not water.
Mark tells us about a
God who is decisive. When Jesus is baptized, God affirms his Son, making his
approval of Jesus known to both Jesus and to John. What a great lesson this is
for us: Jesus had done nothing, but his Father was “well pleased” with him! God
loved him because Jesus was his Son, not because Jesus had earned his favor by
his good works.
The lesson for us is
that God loves us because we are his children. We have no need to earn his
love. God’s love is a given, and when we accept his gracious acceptance of us,
we are motivated to live out of gratitude, so that our behavior pleases the one
who loves us so much. We do not understand the gospel at all until we
understand and embrace this truth.
Once Jesus is
baptized, he is quickly driven by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested
by Satan. Mark shows us the messianic power of Jesus. He is able to resist
Satan, demonstrating that he is indeed the high priest sent by God to offer
forgiving grace to all who repent and believe.
John’s ministry ends
abruptly. Immediately Jesus begins his own, announcing that the
Mark shows us the
magnetism of Jesus as well as his authority and power. The men he calls leave
everything and follow him. Gathering his small band of disciples, Jesus goes
about preaching, healing, and astonishing the religious leaders with his power
over demons.
The great theme of
Jesus’ ministry was the
He is no less able to
act decisively in our lives than he was in those early days described so
vividly by Mark. Let us then serve him with that strong sense of urgency with
which he began his own ministry. + + + +