“Lights, Camera, Action”–A Pastor’s thoughts on Mark (Mathew Claridge)

[Editor’s note: To read previous articles in this series on the gospel of Mark, click here.]

Mark 1.1-8, we might say, is the trailer to Mark’s Gospel. It tantalizes us with coming attractions. The text now under consideration, Mk. 1.9-15, is more akin to the opening credits introducing us to the main characters and the back story, much like the opening sequence in Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring. In the prologue to FOTR, we are introduced to larger-than-life events and characters—immortal elves, Dark lords, rings of power, ancient battles that decide the fate of the world, etc. After this prologue with all its grand and sweeping back story, the movie settles down into the very hum-drum and very normal life of the Shire. That’s exactly what we have here as Mark holds back the curtain to give us a glimpse of a cosmic vision before we enter the main story in vv. 16ff with all its normal, day-to-day people who encounter a mysterious and extraordinary man named Jesus. Before we enter that everyday world, Mark makes sure we understand that the arrival of Jesus is tied into an epic story spanning the ages. In particular, within these verses Mark, chorus like, introduces us to the main characters and the back story of this great epic.

 The Actors

If we just zero in on these few verses, three astonishing facts emerge about the protagonists of Mark’s Gospel. First, those taking center stage are not “merely” human actors—this scene is for heaven’s eyes only. Although Mark says that John baptized Jesus (and it’s clear from the other Gospels that John witnessed what happened here), Mark’s baptismal scene focuses entirely on what Jesus experiences. In v. 10, Mark is careful to note that it is Jesus alone who sees the heavens open, sees the dove descending, and hears the voice of the Father.

The rest of the characters in the text are all “supernatural”—the Voice from heaven, the Spirit descending, Satan, and the ministering angels. A cosmic world is breaking into normal history. Mark is pulling back the curtain on “normal life” and revealing the supernatural forces, powers, and interactions going on behind the scenes.

The second shocking fact about the protagonists here is Jesus himself. If we were reading Mk. 1.1-8 carefully, the last thing we would have expected is a lowly carpenter’s son from Nazareth appearing on stage. Indeed, everything about vv. 1-8 leads us to believe that it is God himself who will appear with the full panoply of his glory and power in a fashion similar to his appearance during the Exodus events. The OT quotations heading the Gospel speak of the Lord’s coming, the same Lord who appeared in the burning bush declaring his name, “I am that I am,” whose form and image could not be seen or reproduced. When John speaks of one coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, we know from the many OT prophecies about the outpouring of the Spirit that it would be Yahweh himself who would do this (Ezek. 36.23ff; Joel 2.28). Clearly, part and parcel of the New Exodus prophecy is the belief that the majestic covenant God would appear and save in a similar fashion. Consider these words from Isa. 64.1-4:

 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence -as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil – to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

And yet, it is the man Jesus who walks onto the stage. It is this man for whom John has been preparing the way. The conclusion is irresistible: The Lord has come to save, but not in a burning bush nor pillar of cloud and flame, but in the flesh of a man.

The third fact about the actors presented here is perhaps the most shocking of all. We do not see only one divine actor here, but three working together in an indissoluble unity. The Son undergoes baptism, the Spirit descends, the Father speaks from heaven a benediction. We have here what we have come to describe as the Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit. This revelation is indeed remarkable and suggestive of the importance of this episode in Mark’s account.

This is the only time during Christ’s ministry (indeed, in the entire Bible) when all three divine actors are visibly seen working together (of course the Father is only heard, but his distinctive presence is certainly felt). Though foreshadowed in previous “scenes” of the OT, this is the revelation of a whole new dimension of God. There are a few things particularly important to consider right up front. First, three distinct persons are working together here, not one person donning different masks or performing three different functions. The Father speaks and approves from heaven, the Spirit descends and alights on Christ; Jesus sees the heavens opened, receives the Spirit as he comes out of the waters, and hears the voice of his Father. Each Person is performing different actions. However, second, these distinct works are all happening at the same time in a wonderful, powerful harmony. There is a unity of the divine essence demonstrated in this harmony, a unity demonstrated not least by the fact that the “Son” has already been fully identified with Yahweh himself.

This all begs the question, why is the “Trinity” revealed here of all places? What is the meaning of all this? To answer that question, we will need to consider in more depth what the actors are doing on the stage.

Matthew Claridge is an editor for Credo Magazine and is Senior Pastor of Mt. Idaho Baptist Church in Grangeville, ID. He has earned degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Cassandra and has two children, Alec and Nora.