Mark - Lesson 1...Continued from page 2

DAY THREE:  Jesus Confirmed as Son of Man, Son of God

Please carefully read Mark 1:9-13 and answer the following questions.

1.  The time had come for Jesus to enter into public ministry beginning, to John’s surprise (Matthew 3:13-15), with His being baptized.  The date of the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry has not been concretely established, partially due to changes in the use of calendars after His day.  It is believed He lived from about 5 b.c. to a.d. 30.[viii] This would mean this date was about a.d. 27, and Jesus would have been about 30 years old.[ix]  What amazing thing happened right as Jesus came out of the water (v. 10)?

2.  Other versions of this passage translate it as opened (kjv), torn open (niv), and split open (nlt).  The Greek word for this is schizo, which meant to split, tear, divide in a violent way, to cleave asunder.  How does this in a sense fulfill the hope of Isaiah for the latter days (Isaiah 64:1, 2)?  How else was this a significant Messianic sign as well (Isaiah 61:1-3, Luke 4:16-21)?

NOTE: Ancient writers used a dove as a symbol of many different things, but here it may also allude to God’s promise of a new world after the flood (Genesis 8:10-12),[x] and Jesus had come to establish God’s kingdom.

3.  Not only did the Holy Spirit descend upon Him, but what else happened at that time to testify as to who Jesus was (v. 11)?  Interestingly, how would Jesus later answer the charges of the religious leaders that His testimony about Himself was not valid by their standards (John 5:31-40)?

NOTES: This incident at the Jordan River serves as one of the clearest revelations of the reality of the Trinity?the three in one God?in the Bible![xi]  The Father showed great love for the Son, which in Greek meant to approve, take pleasure in.  He used the word agape, demonstrating His infinite preciousness to the Father.

4.  After such a great experience, we’d think the next thing Jesus would do is to begin ministering in might and power, proclaiming the Good News.  However, God saw that something else had to come first.  What happened according to verses 12, 13?

5.  The Spirit thrust Jesus away from this scene to face about 40 days in the wilderness, under which He would experience hunger, thirst, and the loneliness of isolation.  For companions He had the wild beasts that could possibly attack and kill Him without divine protection!  The phrase drove Him into the wilderness meant to be cast out, thrown out, and was the same phrase used to describe the casting out of demons.  Yet Jesus followed this prompting of the Spirit willingly.  This experience of Jesus facing battle with Satan against temptation in aloneness, but having the comfort of ministering angels, would truly speak to the hearts of those believers Mark wrote to, who were experiencing intense persecution under Nero.  Jesus faced such difficulties yet God met His needs throughout it all, enabling Him to be victorious.  Some believers in Rome faced agonizing deaths, including being covered with animal skins and being eaten alive by wild beasts, or used as human torches to light Nero’s garden at night![xii]  Jesus’ facing this battle also showed Mark’s readers  that Jesus had come to set up God’s kingdom, which involved overthrowing the evil kingdom first.[xiii] 

What did the writer of Hebrews tell us about what we learn about Jesus through the trials He had to face, and how that uniquely enabled Him to minister to our needs as failing, fragile human beings (Hebrews 2:17, 18; 4:14-16)?

Scripture Memory:  Try to fill in the missing words in the blanks below, by memory if at all possible, and then review the passage several times today.

Then Jesus said to them, “_________________ Me, and I will make you _________________ ______________________ of men.”  Mark 1:17, nkjv