The Anointed Son

The Spirit of God and the voice from heaven confirmed that Jesus is God’s Son, the Messiah, and the Servant of Yahweh. Jesus first appears in the Gospel of Mark when John baptizes him in the Jordan River. The opening verses of Mark identify Christ with his hometown of Nazareth, a village of no consequence. He was the “Servant of Yahweh” anointed by the Spirit, the Messiah of Israel who did not conform to popular expectations.

[River Cascades - Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash]

John was baptizing suppliants in the Jordan River. Rather than recount the details of Christ’s baptism, the story as recorded in Mark stresses the audible and visual phenomena that accompanied the event; the “rending” of the heavens, the Heavenly Voice, and the descent of the Spirit “like a dove”:

• (Mark 1:9-11) - “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. And immediately, as he was coming out of the water, he saw the heavens being rent asunder and the Spirit descending as a dove to him. And a voice came out of the heavens: You are my Son, the Beloved. In you, I delight.”

The Greek verb translated as “rent asunder” is ‘schizō’, meaning to “split, rip open, tear apart; to rend asunder” (Strong’s Concordance - #G4977). It provides a graphic image. The same term occurs once more in Mark when the veil of the Temple was “torn in two” as Jesus died on the Roman Cross.

This verbal link is deliberate. The opening of the heavens above the Jordan River revealed the Messiah, the “Beloved Son.” Likewise, the “tearing of the Temple veil” preceded the moment when the Roman centurion identified Jesus as the “Son of God” - (Mark 15:36-39).

The “tearing of the heavens” pointed to the cosmic significance of Christ’s arrival. From then on, any man or woman could join the Kingdom of God through repentance and faith. Likewise, God’s presence became accessible to all men. No longer would it be confined to the Temple in Jerusalem or restricted to the nation of Israel.

From the moment of his baptism and anointing - “In those days” - the Creator of all things could be found and understood in the man from the tiny village of Nazareth.

The description of Christ’s anointing echoes a passage from the Book of Isaiah addressed originally to Yahweh - “Oh, that you would rend the Heavens, that you would come down so the mountains might quake at your presence <…> that the nations may tremble at your presence!” – (Isaiah 64:1).

Isaiah’s plea was fulfilled as God “rent the heavens” and anointed His Son with the Spirit to execute his mission. The Messiah had arrived to “shepherd the nations.” However, it was not the mountains of Judea that quaked, but the hearts of men as they saw Jesus and heard his words.

• “And the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split” – (Matthew 27:51).

• “And she was delivered of a son, a male who is to Shepherd all the Nations with a rod of iron” – (Revelation 12:5. See also Psalm 2:9-10).

The preposition applied to the Spirit’s descent to Jesus stresses movement “into” or “onto” something or someone (‘eis’ - εις). Perhaps the Spirit entered him at this point, though the verb and preposition are more likely intended to picture the Spirit coming to rest upon him. This was the moment when the Son was anointed for his ministry.

THE VOICE

Jesus heard the voice call him “Beloved Son.” This same voice is heard once more in Mark when it makes a similar declaration at the Transfiguration of Jesus. In the present passage, the voice combines words from two Old Testament passages to identify Jesus as the Son of God who came to fulfill the promises of Yahweh:

• (Psalm 2:7) - “I will surely tell of the decree of Yahweh: he said to me, You are my Son, today, I have begotten you.”

• (Isaiah 42:1) - “Behold, My servant whom I uphold; my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring justice to the nations.”

By combining these prophecies, the Gospel of Mark reveals Christ’s identity and mission. He is God’s “Son” and the ‘Suffering Servant of Yahweh’ described in the Book of Isaiah. Unjust suffering will characterize his ministry and sonship.

The descent of the Spirit meant that the Nazarene was anointed and equipped to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The heavenly voice confirmed God’s approval of his mission and person, not just because of who he was, but also because of his submission to John’s baptism in obedience to his Father and Scripture:

• “Then came Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized of John. But John would have prevented him, saying, I need to be baptized of you, and you come to me? But Jesus answering said unto him, Allow it, for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness” – (Matthew 3:14-15).

• “There will come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of Yahweh will rest upon him…” – (Isaiah 11:1).

• “The Spirit of Yahweh is upon me because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news…“ – (Isaiah 61:1).

Christ’s ministry began in fulfillment of Scripture as the “heavens were rent” and the Spirit descended upon him. Whether his contemporaries understood his mission, he was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, the ‘Christ’, the “Anointed One,” sent to save his people from their sins and proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus of Nazareth carried out his Messianic role as the ‘Suffering Servant’, something none of his contemporaries expected, and a reality that defied popular expectations. He was the quintessential Man of the Spirit who would redeem his people and fill them with the Spirit of God.

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SEE ALSO:

• The Promise of the Father - (With the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, the blessing for all nations promised to Abraham has commenced)

• The Blessing of Abraham - (The Gift of the Spirit is one of God’s covenant promises and his ways of blessing all Nations in Abraham’s Seed)

• The Salvation of Yahweh - (‘Jesus’ means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In the man from Nazareth, the salvation promised by the God of Israel arrived in all its glory)

• La Serviteur Oint - (L'Esprit de Dieu et la voix du ciel confirmèrent qui était Jésus-Fils, Messie et Serviteur du Seigneur)