The Descent of the Spirit

The Spirit of God anointed Jesus for service and confirmed his identity as Son, Messiah, and Servant - Mark 1:9-11. Jesus first appears in the Gospel of Mark when John baptizes him in the Jordan River. The narrative identifies him with his hometown, Nazareth, a village of no consequence. Jesus is the beloved son and the servant of the Lord who does not conform to popular expectations.

John baptized men in the river, including the Nazarene. The story in Mark emphasizes the audible and visual phenomena that accompanied Christ’s baptism, including the splitting of the heavens, the divine voice, and the descent of the Spirit.

The accounts in the gospels of Matthew and Mark describe how the heavens “were opened” after Christ’s baptism (‘anoigô’ - ανοιγω). Mark, on the other hand, uses a more graphic term. With the anointing of the Messiah, the heavens were rent asunder to make way for the Spirit’s descent - (Matthew 3:16, Luke 3:21).

• “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, ascending out of the water, he saw THE HEAVENS BEING RENT ASUNDER and the Spirit DESCENDING as a dove into him. And a voice came out of the heavens: YOU ARE MY SON, THE BELOVED. IN YOU I DELIGHT” - (Mark 1:9-11. Note the allusions to Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 42:1, 64:1).

[Dawn - Photo by Oscar Gomez (Santa Barbara) on Unsplash]

The Greek verb translated as “being rent asunder” is ‘schizō’, meaning “to split; to tear in two.” The word provides a colorful and rather violent image of the heavens, plural, being split apart in reaction to the baptism of the Nazarene.

The same Greek term occurs once more in Mark to describe the veil of the Temple being “torn in two (‘schizō’)” as Jesus died. This verbal link is deliberate. In the same way as the heavens were split to reveal the Messiah, the tearing of the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple preceded the moment of revelation when the Roman centurion identified Jesus as “son of God” - (Mark 15:36-39).

The opening of the heavens above the Jordan River highlights the apocalyptic and cosmic significance of Christ’s arrival. ‘Apocalyptic’, since the Messiah of Israel is revealed, and ‘cosmic’, because the anointing of Jesus by the Spirit signals the commencement of the messianic age, “the last days.”

Human history has reached its pivotal moment in the life of the Nazarene, and nothing can or will ever be the same again. Since that decisive moment, the Kingdom of God has remained open to every man who repents and believes the Gospel.

No longer is the presence of God confined to the Temple or restricted to the nation of Israel. From this moment – “In those days” - the Creator of all things is found and understood in the man from the small village of Nazareth.

The description of the Spirit’s descent echoes a passage from the Book of Isaiah addressed originally to the God of Israel:

• “Oh, that you would rend the heavens, that you would descend so the mountains might quake at your presence <…>, that the nations may tremble at your presence” – (Isaiah 64:1).

The prayer of Isaiah was fulfilled when God split the heavens and His Spirit descended to anoint His Son for his messianic mission. However, it was not the mountains of Judea that quaked, but the hearts of men when they heard his words.

• “And John testified, saying, I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it remained upon him, and I knew him not. But he that sent me to baptize in water, he said to me, Upon whomever you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” - (John 1:32-34. Compare John 3:34, 5:26, 7:37-39).

CREATION

By comparing the Spirit’s arrival to the descent of a dove, Mark alludes to the original creation story in Genesis:

• “The Spirit of God was brooding on the face of the waters. And God said, Light be! And light was” – (Genesis 1:2-3).

The Spirit was the agency by which God created the Universe. By using this analogy, the Gospel of Mark points to the beginning of the promised New Creation with the arrival of the Messiah and the descent of the Spirit from the heavens:

• “By the word of the Lord the heavens were established; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” – (Psalm 33:6, the Septuagint version).

• “And God formed the man of dust of the earth, and breathed upon his face the breath of life, and the man became a living soul” – (Genesis 2:7, the Septuagint version).

• “Wherefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation! The old things are passed away; behold, they are become new” – (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The voice from the heavens addressed Jesus as “my beloved son.” The same voice is heard only once more in Mark when it makes a similar declaration at Christ’s transfiguration. The voice combines words from two Old Testament passages to identify Jesus as the son and servant of God:

• “But I have been made king by him on Zion his holy mountain, declaring the ordinance of the Lord: The Lord said to me, you are my son! Today, I have begotten you” - (Psalm 2:6-7, the Septuagint).

• “Jacob is my servant. I will help him. Israel is my chosen, my soul has accepted him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring forth judgment to the nations” - (Isaiah 42:1, the Septuagint).

By combining these passages, Mark clarifies the identity and mission of Jesus. He is God’s son and the servant described in Isaiah who brings justice and salvation to the nations:

• “It is a great thing for you to be called my servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to recover the dispersion of Israel. Behold, I have given you for the covenant of a race, for a light of the nations, that you should be for salvation to the end of the earth” -  (Isaiah 49:6, Septuagint. Compare Isaiah 11:10, Matthew 12:21, Acts 28:28, Romans 15:8-16).

With the descent of the Spirit, Jesus is equipped to proclaim the Good News and empowered to inaugurate the Kingdom of God. The heavenly voice confirms God’s approval of Christ’s mission and person, not just because of who he is, but also due to his submission to the baptism of John.

• “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of you, and you come to me?   But Jesus, answering, said to him, Suffer it now. For thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him” - (Matthew 3:13-15).

And so, the long-awaited Messiah of Israel was sent to redeem his people, inaugurate the Kingdom of God, and lead the nations to salvation and righteousness. However, Jesus fulfills his Messianic role as the Suffering Servant of the Lord, something his contemporaries did not understand and certainly did not expect.

• “For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” - (Compare Isaiah 53:10-12, Philippians 2:6-11).

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[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint (see the links here and here). Text printed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

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SEE ALSO:

• The Gospel Begins - (Redemption and God's Kingdom arrived in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, starting with his baptism by John – Mark 1:1-3)

• In Spirit and Fire - (John baptized men and women in water, but the Messiah of Israel will baptize in the Holy Spirit and Fire - Matthew 3:11-12)

• The Forerunner - (John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, the herald of the Kingdom of God, and the one who baptizes in the Spirit – Mark 1:4-8)

• La Descente de l'Esprit - (L'Esprit de Dieu a oint Jésus pour le service et a confirmé son identité de Fils, de Messie et de Serviteur - Marc 1: 9-11)