How Do We Know Jesus is the True Son of God?

The Gospel of Mark and Jesus, the Son of God

Good morning, (f you’re a new or returning visitor this morning, welcome, again, to Fellowship Reformed Church in Mt Pleasant. It’s a joy to be able to worship God alongside you this morning. Last week I began preaching through the second book of the New Testament, the gospel of Mark. And this section of the Bible focuses our attention on good news concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ, the son of God. So if you have a Bible nearby, please turn with me to Mark, Chapter 1. I’ll be reading from Mark 1, verses 9 through 13. But before we read the text, let’s ask for God to give us understanding minds and receptive hearts. Please pray with me:

[Pray and Read Text]

Inauguration Day for the Son of God

Perhaps one of the most significant national events that takes place – just every fours or so, is inauguration day. Every four years, the newly elected or re-elected president stands before enthusiastic crowds of tens of thousands of people – and he also stands before a media audience of millions of people across the country – as he’s officially sworn in to serve a term as the head executive of the United States. It’s a busy day, with a variety of special dinners and events, a large parade, speeches and celebrations. Everyone recognizes that something historical and significant is taking place.

And yet, in these verses we’ve just read about Jesus’s life, something even more significant is happening. It may not immediately be obvious to us that this this case. After all, Mark doesn’t mention anything about banquets, fireworks, formal dances, or parades. There’s no applause from excited crowds – no news coverage from the New York Times, no posts going viral on social media. And you have to remember, as Jesus shows up on the scene, here in verse 9, he’s unknown. The small town he’s coming from, Nazareth, in the region of Galilee – it maybe had eight hundred people in it or so. It was rather obscure. For the people who happened to be there at the Jordan River that day – Jesus coming for baptism wouldn’t have stuck out as being a major event.

And yet, as we look closely at what the Bible is saying, Mark very efficiently alerts us to the unusual importance of Jesus, by describing a couple remarkable events in his life. He includes key details here that are loaded with meaning – that give further evidence that Jesus is, in fact, the divine Son of God who has come in human flesh for the sake of his people. There are at least four things that Jesus is accomplishing in these verses – four things that Jesus does.

First, Jesus represents his people. Second, Jesus reveals God’s nature. Third, Jesus rejoices the Father – he pleases the Father. And then fifth and finally, Jesus resists the devil and his temptations. These will be my four main points, as we work through the significance of the text here. (Repeat: 1. Jesus represents his people. 2. Jesus reveals God’s nature. 3. Jesus rejoices the Father. And 4. Jesus resists the devil.)

Jesus Represents His People

So let’s consider item number 1. The first thing we see Jesus doing in our text, is we see that he represents his people.

In verse 9, Mark tells us that Jesus came and “was baptized by John in the Jordan” – in the Jordan river, which was a major river that ran north and south along the eastern edge of Israel. Now, if you were here last week, you’ll remember how I explained the baptism of John. It was a washing ceremony. It reminded people that they were dirty with sin. And it prepared the way for the LORD, by urging people to repent and to trust in the forgiveness that God would provide. John’s baptism was preparing people to receive Jesus. So far so good.

But then something strange happens. Jesus himself asks to receive this baptism. Now, you’ll remember from last week, Mark has already identified Jesus as the Son of God for us. This is the divine LORD coming on the heels of John the Baptist. And so when Jesus shows up along the edge of the river, here, he hasn’t dirtied himself with sin. He’s divinely perfect and innocent. There’s nothing Jesus has done wrong that he needs to repent of or to be washed from. And yet, Jesus seeks baptism from John. But why? What is Jesus up to here?

I think the key thing to realize here is since Jesus has no reason to be seeking John’s baptism for himself, since he has no guilt or corruption of his own, Jesus must be doing this for someone else. And that’s exactly what’s happening. Jesus is acting on behalf of others – on behalf of his people. His humility before God is 100% genuine. His love for God is flawless. His reverence for God’s commands is consistent. And even though he has nothing to repent of, Jesus expresses repentance and grief over sin to the fullest degree.

And he’s doing all this for us. He’s representing his people – similar to the way that a University President represents the whole school, or how elected officials act on our behalf to pass laws, or to fund new budgets. Jesus is acting in the place of his people. He’s obeying on our behalf. He’s standing firm in the same kinds of circumstances where the people of God have historically failed.

There’s an interesting connection, actually, between what Jesus does, here, and some events that took place in the history of the Jewish people. Earlier in the Bible, God had entered into a special relationship with a man named Abraham, and with Abraham’s descendants. And Abraham’s descendants were the Jews, or the Israelites. As the years passed, the Jews became enslaved by the Egyptian empire, and they were crying out to God for relief. And so God sends a man named Moses – probably a familiar name to many of you – God sends Moses to deliver the people out of their slavery.

And as God engages with his people to rescue and refine them, there are three major events that unfold for the Israelites. They’re led through the waters of the Red Sea – that’s number one. And then second, God speaks to them from heaven and defines his relationship with them. He does this at Mount Sinai, where he gives the law, including the Ten Commandments. And then third, that generation of Israelites ends up grumbling against God and they end up wandering in the wilderness for forty years as a consequence of their unbelief.

Now, the connection that we see with Jesus, here, is that he, too, passes through the waters – not through the waters of the Red Sea, though, but through the waters of John’s baptism. And then for Jesus, too, there’s a voice from heaven that defines his relationship to God the Father. And then we see that Jesus goes out into the wilderness, not for forty years, but for a symbolic forty days, to identify himself with his people. And from all this, we’re intended to see that Jesus is functioning here as a better, more faithful Israel. His repentance and reverence are greater. The word from heaven he receives is better than the word at Mount Sinai. And his obedience in the wilderness is faultless.

So even though God actually refers to the people of Israel as his Son in Exodus 4:22 and 23, Mark is introducing us to a different Son here, a truer Son – the perfect Son of God. Though Israel has failed, countless times, this Son, Jesus, will be faithful, and will bring salvation to God’s people as he represents them.

And Jesus is able to do this, because He has an official station from God. You may remember from last week, Mark introduced Jesus to us in verse 1 as “Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” And I mentioned that the title Christ points to Jesus’s identity as the king of the Jews, and that the title “Son of God” identifies Jesus as divinely authoritative. Well, here, right after Jesus’s baptism, we see something that’s basically like inauguration day for Jesus. As the Spirit descends on Jesus, and the heavenly voice confirms its approval, He’s publicly installed in these roles. He’s marked out by God himself as the one who has been authorized and empowered to operate in our stead.

And in his official capacity, Jesus labors on behalf of all those who trust him. He stands up in our place to live the perfect life we didn’t live, and couldn’t live. And by acting as our representative, here, Jesus ultimately brings a better deliverance to God’s people than Moses brought long ago to the people of Israel. Not just freedom from Egypt – but freedom from corruption, freedom from self-deceit, freedom from the devil’s schemes – freedom from death. We are supposed to see here that Jesus is, in fact, our Lord and King. And he has come, for the sake of his people, to set things right.

Jesus Reveals God

But there’s another thing Jesus does in these verses, that uniquely shows his importance. In the events that unfold here, the coming of Jesus reveals God to us in a rather extraordinary way. This is my second main point: Jesus reveals God.

You’ll see in verse 10 of our text, that Jesus comes up from the river. And Mark tells us that immediately – something happened. As we get further along in this series, you’ll notice that Mark uses this word immediately a lot. We might be inclined to think that Mark is just telling us about how fast something happened. But that’s probably not his main point in most cases. Instead, Mark is likely using this word to focus our attention on something – to say, “Listen up, picture this – make sure you don’t miss what I’m saying here.”

And Mark uses this word for the first time in verse 10. He wants us to really focus our attention and think about what was happening here after Jesus’s baptism. Verse 10: immediately, he (Jesus) – “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.’”

You’ll notice, in these verses there’s no mention of John the Baptist. There’s no mention of the other people who were around the Jordan river that day. But all the attention is focused on Jesus, on the Spirit who shows up in visible form, and on the voice from heaven. And this focus is intentional. As we consider what the heavenly voice is saying here – declaring that Jesus is his Son – it becomes clear that Mark is drawing our attention to a heavenly Father, to a divine Son, and to a distinct Holy Spirit. Here at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, we’re given one of the clearest pictures of the divine being – that even though there’s just one God – one being, one essence, there are three persons who are equally and eternally divine.

To say it another way, in one sense, God is one. But in a different sense, we can speak about God being three. He’s a trinity. And certainly, there’s a mysteriousness to all this. It just underscores the fact that he’s bigger than us – beyond us. The very fact that we can’t totally wrap our minds around God’s being – well, this is just one more piece of evidence that the God of the Bible is legitimate. He isn’t a manmade idea that we can neatly fit into a box. But he’s the true reality of infiniteness, perfection, power, and knowledge. He’s his own category. So interestingly, at the very same time that God makes his nature knowable to us, here in the beginning of Jesus’s ministry – He also shows that his being extends beyond what his creatures can comprehend.

So as the divine Son, Jesus reveals God to us here. And he continues to make God known throughout Mark’s gospel. In fact, Jesus doesn’t just represent his people to God. Jesus himself also represents and reveals God to us.  He draws attention to God’s work, God’s will, God’s ways. Jesus comes as the ultimate revealer of God, better than Moses, better than Elijah, better than all the Old Testament symbols and prophets. Because Jesus brings the knowledge of God down from heaven in bodily form. He brings it to us in ways we can see and understand. And he does this so that we won’t be left groping around in the dark, operating by some kind of vague spirituality. That won’t do you any good. Instead, Jesus turns on the lights for us. He makes God known.

And practically, this means that you and I have a responsibility to humble ourselves, and listen, and learn about God as he truly is. If we follow the god of our own imaginations, we won’t be following the true and living Lord of heaven. We need God himself to show himself to us – and so Mark is making it clear to his readers that Jesus is the One who makes God known. Jesus reveals God.

Jesus Rejoices the Father

But there’s a third important thing that Jesus does, here, that underscores his unique identity as the Son of God. Jesus rejoices the Father. This is my third main point. He brings delight to God the Father, and is well-pleasing in his sight. We see this right there in verse 11: “A voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

And this is an astonishing statement. For one thing, it’s astonishing because it connects to a prophecy made hundreds of years earlier by a prophet of God named Isaiah. Last week, Mark referenced a different prophecy from Isaiah, chapter 40. Here in our text today, there’s a clear connection between Jesus’s baptism and a prophecy made in Isaiah, Chapter 42. The Lord says, “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” So you see, the visible descent of the Spirit on Jesus, and the Father’s voice, confirming his pleasure in Jesus – it’s a fulfillment of what God predicted way in advance.

But these words, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well-pleased” are supposed to grab our attention for a different reason, too – because it was unheard of for God to give his approval to someone like this, supernaturally, clearly, without any qualifications. You may remember, up until this point, God’s messenger, John the Baptist – he was pointing out the widespread problem of human sin. Right? He’s been calling all the crowds – all people, to admit their wrongness and dirtiness in God’s eyes, and to look for God’s forgiveness. And this is because the human race has not been pleasing to God. It has been corrupted under the influence of sin, ever since the first man and woman rebelled against God, back in Genesis, Chapter 3.

Of course, it hadn’t always been that way. Before sin entered the world – humanity was a delight to God. Right after God created mankind, in Genesis 1, verse 31, we’re told that “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” With all of it, God was well-pleased. But then came disobedience, and depravity, and death. And humanity is no longer very good in God’s eyes.

And it’s important to make sure this is clear, because many people in America today have a distorted idea of what the Bible teaches on this point. I’m concerned that many people are under the impression that God simply affirms everything and everyone – that God views everybody as wonderful, and worthy of divine approval, simply for existing. But this isn’t the case. Because God is good. He marks the distinction between things that are right and things that are wrong. And he doesn’t give his approval to what’s bad. He isn’t pleased with evil things. And trust me, we wouldn’t want God to be like that.

But of course, this means that this has implications for how God views people. When God looks at people walking in unbelief, violence, pride, and immorality, that’s wrong. If you’re running away from God, that’s means you’re running away from goodness itself – you’re running into evil. And that’s a crime. It’s sin. And it’s not just one person’s problem. All of us are guilty. Because of sin, the human race has become displeasing to God. That’s our natural condition, that all people need to be rescued from.

But when Jesus appears, here, the unthinkable happens. A voice speaks from heaven – and it’s not a voice of accusation. It’s not a voice, calling Jesus to repentance, or declaring him guilty of sin. No, the voice declares, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” As Jesus, the divine Son, stands there in true human flesh, he is uniquely declared to be spotless – sinless – perfectly pleasing in the sight of God.

In fact, we see evidence here that there’s no separation between Jesus and God the Father – there’s no barrier of sin in the way. Because we’re told in verse 10, as Jesus comes up from the river, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open, and the Spirit descending. The way into God’s presence is shut to sinful mankind. But notice here – for Jesus, we see that the barrier is torn open. There’s something supernatural going on – the heavens are uniquely opened to Jesus. There’s nothing obstructing his access to the Father.

And later on, at the very end of Mark’s gospel, something similar happens. We once again see the way into God’s presence being torn open for the sake of Jesus. The same Greek word is used to describe this tearing – Mark’s word choice is meaningful. In Mark 15:38, the curtain in the temple that separated the people from innermost Holy Place – from the presence of God – that curtain is torn in two at the death of Jesus.

So practically, what does this mean for us? Well, if Jesus were only acting on his own behalf, this wouldn’t help us at all. Jesus would have God’s approval, but you and I would still be faced with God’s displeasure. We’d still be stuck in our sins. For you and me, the way to God’s presence would remain closed.

But remember, Jesus has come to represent his people – to act on their behalf. And this means that for everyone who receives him – who belongs to Jesus, through faith, his obedience becomes ours. We’re dressed in his clean clothes – the smile of God that rests on Jesus, is turned toward us.

And so when Jesus comes into our lives, and makes us clean, there’s a sense in which this voice from heaven speaks to us, now. In Christ, it’s confirmed to us that we are beloved children – that we are pleasing in the sight of a perfect, Holy God. I think that there are many people who run away from God because all they’ve ever known is God’s frown. They expect that they’ve just done too many bad things, that God must hate them, that God just wants to suck all the happiness out of their lives. But you’ll see here, God has sent Jesus, to act for us, to bring us back, and to make things right. The storm clouds of God’s displeasure are rolled back to make way for the rising Son. And we can rest in knowing that God is pleased with us, if we’re resting in Christ. In Jesus, the way to God is torn open – no more separation. Mark introduces us to the wonderful reality of this here.

Jesus Resists the Devil and His Temptations

But let’s consider one more significant part of what Jesus does here, at the beginning of his ministry. In In our text we see that Jesus resists the devil and his temptations. This is my fourth and final point. Jesus resists the devil and his temptations.

Mark tells us that right after that amazing event by the Jordan River, with the heavenly voice and the Holy Spirit – he tells us in verse 12 that immediately, the Spirit drove Jesus “out into the wilderness. And he [Jesus] was in the wilderness for forty days being tempted by Satan.”

The temptation of Jesus is spoken about in greater detail in other parts of the Bible – Matthew 4, and Luke 4. But one of the things Mark shows us is that there’s an abrupt shift in Jesus’s circumstances here. Just a short time earlier, Jesus had a spotlight on him from heaven. He was publicly enjoying God’s approval. It must have been a remarkable moment, a mountaintop experience. But right after this, Jesus is brought out into a place that feels far less wonderful. He’s led out into the wilderness, which, throughout the Bible, is a common place of testing and trial.

And this sudden change of events for Jesus isn’t all that unusual. In fact, it’s something that many of us can relate to. After we have a great spiritual experience, and God seems close to us in a unique way – quite often there’s some sort of wilderness that follows. We might be brought into a season of spiritual dryness. Or we’re faced with challenges, uncertainties, intense temptations. It can catch us off guard. As we’re troubled by the trials of the wilderness, we can start wondering, is God angry with me now? Has he turned his back on me? Is God even there?

But as you look at our text, you’ll see that Jesus hasn’t been abandoned here in the wilderness. In fact, the Spirit of God is the one who brings him into the wilderness. This is part of the divine plan. The Son of God isn’t enclosed in a bulletproof case. Instead, he’s subjected to the same pressures, to the same furnaces of affliction that you and I are tested with. In fact, Jesus is likely faced with harder temptations than anything we’ve had to face, as he spends this intense, 40-day window in the desert. Because out in the wilderness, the comforts of shelter, food, and human companionship aren’t available there. His hunger has probably led to many bad nights of sleep. He’s exhausted. He’s weak. He’s vulnerable. And in this moment of utter weakness, Jesus is confronted by repeated temptations from the sinister chief of the fallen angels – from Satan himself.

And having some context is helpful. Satan has appeared in the Bible before, very early on, in the form of a serpent – back in Genesis Chapter 3. He crept into the lush garden of Eden, which God had given to the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. And Satan tempted them to turn their back on God – to revolt, to disobey. And Satan succeeded. He convinced Adam and Eve to rebel. And remember, that was when Adam and Eve were well-fed, and comfortable, and surrounded by paradise. That was when they had every reason to believe that God was generous and trustworthy. And yet, even then, in the garden, they were convinced by Satan’s lie. They followed the devil’s voice. And humanity fell.

But that’s not what happens to Jesus. Even though he’s in the wilderness, not in a lush garden, even though he’s starving, not well-fed; even though he’s laid low in physical weakness, and has reached the end of his strength – when Satan’s temptation comes, Jesus resists. Adam and Eve fell, Jesus stands firm. You and I, we fall. Jesus is unmoved. Most of the details are missing here. But the simple thing Mark wants us to see is that Satan doesn’t win. He isn’t victorious here. The victory belongs to Jesus. And if we are in Christ, standing with his strength – we can be victorious in the day of temptation, too.

In the first century, many Christians were faced with extreme trials when they decided to follow Christ. Around the time that Mark was writing, Christians in Rome were sometimes killed right away, or thrown into the Colosseum and torn apart by wild animals. But notice, as Jesus suffers in the wilderness, Mark comments in verse 13 he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.” It’s possible that the mention of wild animals here is a random irrelevant detail. But since Mark is so brief, and focused in the way he speaks, that’s highly unlikely. Mark is probably speaking to people who are afraid of being torn apart by wild beasts. These people are aware that if they’re going to be with Jesus, they’ll have to leave behind all their comforts and safety. They’ll be led into a fierce wilderness of persecution. Quite likely, they’ll be with the wild animals, too. And they’re scared.

But God doesn’t leave his people alone. He sends angels to minister to Jesus here. And God sends his angels and human agents to minister to us, as well. And of course, when we receive Jesus, and belong to him – then the Spirit that rested upon Jesus also rests upon you and I. In the power of the Spirit, we can stand firm against trials and temptations, as well. We’re rescued from the tyranny of the devil. We’re set free to live for God, instead of for evil. And this is all because the Son of God has come for us. Already in Mark’s gospel, we’re seeing glimpses here and there of the mission Jesus is accomplishing for the sake of his people. He has come to act on our behalf – to wash our sins, to reveal our God, and to win our battles.

Jesus brings all these things and more to his people. And when he gives us gifts – when he supplies us with benefits – he wants us to make use of them. He wants us to draw near, and to deepen our knowledge of God, and our relational closeness with Him. He wants us to enjoy the favor of God the Father. He wants us to stand firm against fear, and to say no to the devil’s promptings. So if Jesus is yours, take time to appreciate the buffet line of blessings and benefits that he gives.

But if Jesus isn’t yours this morning, don’t wait. Do something about it today. Call out to God. Come talk to me after the service. Believe that this Jesus truly is, the Son of God. And receive him. Receive the one God sent to save you. Let’s pray: