Today’s Scripture: Mark 1:9-13 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Tyler Connoley):
Have you ever thought about where these two stories came from?
Its easy to read the Gospel of Mark with the other Gospels in mind. We read this story of Jesus’ baptism, and we hear Luke: “the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove” (Luke 3:21-22). We imagine a scene from some movie we saw on television one Saturday afternoon, where Jesus stepped out of the water and everyone saw this dove and heard a booming voice. But that’s not what Mark says.
Mark says, “He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased'” (Mark 1:10-11).
Jesus saw the dove and heard the voice, but there’s no indication that anyone else had the same vision. And then the Spirit drove him into the desert where he lived alone with the wild animals, and angels and demons, for forty days. So, where did Mark get these stories? Not from the wild animals.
When I read these verses, I feel like Jesus is talking to me through Mark. These are stories Jesus probably told his earliest disciples. All the other scenes in the gospels could be accounts made by the observations of other people, but these few verses must be Jesus’ own story: “When I was baptized, I saw the heavens open up . . .”
It’s so easy for us to miss what’s really going on in the Gospels. These books are so much a part of the popular culture, we carry images and ideas built up over millennia. We don’t even have to be familiar with the Bible for this to happen. Often our ideas come from Saturday afternoon television, flipping channels and finding a scene of Jesus coming out of the water — a blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus who looks nothing like this man really did — and everyone seeing a dove. So we miss the shocking reality of these stories. We even forget who must have told them.
Thought for the day: As you read through the Gospel of Mark during the coming weeks, try to read the stories as if you were the first person hearing them. Look for what they really say, instead of what you think you already know.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.