The Descent of the Spirit

The Spirit of God and the voice from heaven confirmed the calling and identity of Jesus, Son, Messiah, and the Servant of the LORD. Jesus first appears in the Gospel of Mark when John baptizes him in the Jordan River. The account identifies him with his hometown, Nazareth, a village of no consequence, though its insignificance plays a role in the story. He is the “Servant of the LORD” anointed by the Spirit, but he does not conform to popular expectations about the Messiah.

John was baptizing suppliants in the river, including the man from Nazareth. The account in Mark stresses the audible and visual phenomena that accompanied the baptism of Jesus, the dramatic opening of the heavens, the Divine voice, and the descent of the Spirit “like a dove.”

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

The accounts of Matthew and Mark describe how the heavens “were opened” (‘anoigô’ - ανοιγω). The Gospel of Mark uses a more graphic term to portray something more than simply a parting of the clouds. With the anointing of the Messiah, the heavens were split open to make way for the arrival of the Spirit of God - (Matthew 3:16, Luke 3:21).

• (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 up 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” in the passage is ‘schizō’, which means to “split, tear in two.” It provides a colorful image of the heavens being opened suddenly, almost violently, in reaction to Christ’s baptism.

The same Greek term occurs once more in Mark’s Gospel 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 opening of the heavens above the Jordan River revealed the Messiah, so the tearing of the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple preceded the moment of revelation when the Roman centurion identified Jesus as the “Son of God” - (Mark 15:36-39).

The opening of the heavens pointed to the apocalyptic and cosmic significance of the arrival of Jesus along the banks of the Jordan River. ‘Apocalyptic’ since the Messiah of Israel was revealed, and ‘cosmic’ because his anointing by God’s Spirit signaled the start of the messianic age. History reached its great pivotal point in the life of the Nazarene, and nothing would ever be the same again. Ever since, the Kingdom of God has been open to all men who repent and embrace the Gospel.

No longer would the presence of God be confined to the Temple in Jerusalem or restricted to one nation. From that moment – “In those days” - the Creator of all things could be seen and understood only in the man from the small village of Nazareth.

The description echoes a passage in the Book of Isaiah addressed originally to the God of Israel:

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

The plea of Isaiah was fulfilled when God tore the heavens in two and anointed His Son with the Spirit to carry out his messianic mission, but it was not the mountains of Judea that quaked, but the hearts of men as they heard his words.

The Greek preposition applied to the descent of the Spirit stresses movement “in” or “upon” something or someone (‘eis’). Perhaps the Spirit entered Jesus at this point, though the verb and preposition more likely portray the Spirit coming to rest upon him.

At this moment, the Nazarene was anointed for his messianic ministry and received “the Spirit without measure” to accomplish his mission.

CREATION

The comparison of the Spirit’s arrival to the descent of a dove alludes to the original creation story in the Book of 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 Hebrew term translated as “brooding” in the passage from Genesis means “to hover, to brood” as a dove might do over her nest. 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 (now) opened heavens:

• “By the word of Yahweh, the heavens were made, and by the Spirit of his mouth, all their host” – (Psalm 33:6).

• “So then, Yahweh God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed in his nostrils the spirit of life, and man became a living soul” – (Genesis 2:7).

• “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).

Jesus heard the voice calling him “Beloved Son.” The same voice is heard only once more in the Gospel of Mark when it makes a similar declaration at Christ’s transfiguration. In Mark’s passage, the voice combines words from two Old Testament passages to identify Jesus as the Son of God who came to fulfill the covenant promises:

• (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 forth justice to the nations.”

Both prophecies are messianic. By combining them, the Gospel of Mark clarifies the identity and mission of Jesus. He is God’s “Son” and the Suffering Servant described by the Prophet Isaiah. Unjust suffering characterized his ministry and sonship.

The descent of the Spirit means that Jesus is now equipped to proclaim the Good News and empowered by the Spirit to inaugurate the Kingdom of God on Earth. The heavenly voice confirmed 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 in obedience to his Father and Scripture.

• “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor: He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” – (Luke 4:18-19. Compare Isaiah 63:1-3).

• “The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all, that saying you yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached, even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him” – (Acts 10:36-38).

The ministry of Jesus began in fulfillment of Scripture as the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended on him. Whether his contemporaries understood his mission or not, he was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel sent to redeem his people, establish the Kingdom of God, and shepherd the nations to salvation and righteousness:

• “Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” – (Matthew 1:21).

• “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession. You will rule them with a rod of iron” – (Psalm 2:8).

• “And she was delivered of a son, a male child, who is to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron” – (Revelation 12:5).

• “For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to fountains of living waters” – (Revelation 7:17).

Above all, Jesus would carry out his Messianic role as the Suffering Servant of the LORD, something none of his contemporaries foresaw, and a reality that would defy all popular expectations and desires about God’s Anointed One.

[PDF Copy]

SEE ALSO:

• The Good News Begins - (The reign of God began to invade the Earth in the ministry of Jesus, starting with his baptism in the Jordan River – Mark 1:1-3)

• Jesus and the Spirit - (Jesus is the anointed Son of God whose life and ministry were characterized by the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit)

• He Baptizes in Spirit - (John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, who is 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 et la voix du ciel ont confirmé l'appel et l'identité de Jésus, Fils, Messie et Serviteur du Seigneur)