The Baptism of Jesus: This event has its genesis in a complex interplay of motives, divine and human, within the messianic consciousness of Jesus (see Mk 1:9–11 and parallels). For John it was Jesus’ stamp of approval upon his message and ministry. Jesus was in continuity with John’s kingdom proclamation. For Jesus, it was also an anointing which signified the inauguration of his messianic ministry. As seen in God’s “heavenly voice” of Mark 1:11 and parallels, this has two aspects: (1) The voice alludes to Psalm 2:7, establishing Jesus’ unique filial sonship. (2) It alludes to Isaiah 42:1, establishing him as the messianic “servant of Yahweh.” From the standpoint of man, the event signifies Jesus’ identification with his sin and suffering. It showed his solidarity with man as sinner and thereby inaugurated the time of fulfillment, wherein God’s salvation would be accomplished by the Messiah. (Baker encyclopedia of the Bible)
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 23:15:27 +0000
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