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The Servant/Son in Whom the Father Delights

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Mark’s account of the Gospel gets to the point; it wastes no time telling us what it is about with these words: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). Jesus is identified as the Son of God; however, rather than relating the birth of Jesus as Matthew and Luke do, Mark begins by considering the baptism of Jesus to exhibit His Sonship. There the Father announced Jesus as His Son in whom He was well pleased (Mark 1:11). John, the baptizer, indeed pointed the way to one far greater than he (Mark 1:7). John was a messenger, a voice of one crying in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord Himself (Mark 1:2-3; cf. Isaiah 40:3). Thus, Jesus being the Son of God is more than His being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, it signifies His unique relationship with the Father as part of the Godhead.

The Spirit descended on Jesus as a dove and the Father said Jesus is His Son in whom He is well pleased (Mark 1:10-11), a reminder of His words from Isaiah 42:1-4:

                “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,

            My Elect One in whom My soul delights!

            I have put My Spirit upon Him;

            He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,

            Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

A bruised reed He will not break,

            And smoking flax He will not quench;

            He will bring forth justice for truth.

He will not fail nor be discouraged,

            Till He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Jesus was the one elected to serve in the capacity of bringing justice to all the nations. This section of Isaiah continues to talk about God’s servant and culminates in the song of the suffering servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). Jesus was not baptized by John because He was a sinner, rather He came to identify with sinners as a great high priest who can understand the plight of the ones He serves and would take their place in death (Heb. 2:9; 4:15). Jesus lived the life we should have lived, sinless before God. He died the death that we deserved so that we can stand justified before God. We can be thankful Jesus came into the world, but let us remember it was to die for our sins that He came. Hebrews 10:5-7 says, “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’”

Jesus is the Son of God. He chose to serve by suffering for us to provide salvation. God Himself came into the world to die for you, and “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9). Will you obey Him?

-Mark Day

You Need More?

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When certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees asked for a sign from Jesus, He answered, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign” (Mt. 12:38-39). Now, there is nothing wrong with asking for proof from a man that says he is speaking from God. Jesus also said, “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him” (John 10:37-38). Jesus did not expect people to believe without evidence. What Christ is saying is: if I do not do the miraculous works that correspond with my heavenly Father then do not believe me; however, if I do the miraculous signs, then believe me.

 

Photo by Casey Horner

The reason in Matthew 12:38 that Jesus said this was an evil generation is because they continued looking for a sign that He had already given them and they did not believe. In Matthew 12:22, Jesus cast out a demon and the man who had formerly been possessed, causing muteness and blindness, was healed so that he spoke and saw. In reaction to this undeniable miracle, the Pharisees attributed the power to come from “Beelzebub, the prince of the devils” (v. 24). Jesus highlighted how ludicrous their accusation was that Satan would cast out Satan, and that rather this sign was proof that the kingdom of God has come upon you (vv. 25-28).

No matter what Jesus did these scribes and Pharisees were always asking for more proof. It is much like skeptics today who can look at the vast creation about us with all its intricate design and still maintain that God does not exist (Psalm 14:1; 19:1). They are always asking for more apparent evidence, but they have plenty already. The problem is not the evidence, but their hearts. They are not being honest with the sufficient evidence God has given.

These scribes and Pharisees are like religious people today who reject the plain teaching from the Bible. When you show them the Bible passage that contradicts what they are teaching or practicing they say, “Well, it only says that one time. I’m going to have to have more than that.” How many times does God have to say something in the Bible for it to be true and for us to be required to follow it? Where will this thinking stop? Will a person like this be satisfied if the Bible says something two times? What about three? People like this have seen more than enough proof; they just are not being honest with the evidence. If we are going to be honest we will have to take what the Bible says instead of forming special rules that exempt us each time it says something we do not like. The good old hymn poses this question: “How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent Word! What more can he say than to you he has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?” God has said in His written word all we need to have acceptable faith and be pleasing to Him (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3). Those who dismiss His word by requiring more are not being honest with what He has given.

 

-Mark Day