"Baptized through the Holy Spirit"

          Mark 1:4–5 ⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

          A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  Coming to the river a man takes his family to witness a strange man who performed the baptism they were used to, a washing of one's soul to another level, a different understanding.  One might call it like a baptismal epiphany. One cannot be cleansed unless they use water.  This was a custom to the Jews to be made ceremonially cleaned.  One would not dare enter the Temple of God unclean.  This was the law, and now?  Instead of the basins or planed places of cleansing they were going to the river Jordan to be cleansed by its flowing water.

          As the man's family neared the water their eyes fell upon an unkempt man standing in the shallow parts of the Jordan maybe hip high.  He was shouting, "Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight." Who is this man who looks like He was born of the wilderness, and claimed a diet of locust and honey?  What did he mean by prepare the way? Should we all become cleansed for the Lord to come to us?

          It could have been any crazy man standing on his soapbox preaching the word of God, telling us it's time to get ready, for the end of the world is near.  Why should we pay any attention to what these crazy soapbox preachers say?  As long as we don't feel the effects of God's warnings what's there to worry about, who needs to care?  Look it's just another Jesus freak on a box, "The World is ending, the world is ending,” what a laugh, is the savior even coming?  Jesus probably gave up on us by now.

          The man and his family stood and watched with skeptic awe as they saw people, whole families going into the river and being submersed over their head, as the wild fur covered strange man tells us he is baptizing us to repent of our sins and then letting us know we are receiving forgiveness through this cleansing baptism, in other words we who are unclean from our sins are now cleaned to be a worthy to enter the temple of God.

          Mark 1:6–8 ⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

          Just after the man and his family came up out of the water after being baptized and thinking they’re ready to go to the temple the fury strange man starts to talk about another person who has a different baptism to offer.  The man wasn't sure he fully understood this first baptism and only knew sin through the explanation of the law.  Like most people one might think that little sins might not really need the effort of God to forgive us.  How often should we examine ourselves and confess our sins?

          Still what of this newest baptism?  The man and his family just heard of this baptism they just received from the locust eating strange man John who was giving away baptism like a gift, delivered through the law..., repent..., be forgiven.  Was this a two step freedom from wrong doing?  Who is this mightier man who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and how does this baptism differ from this wilderness guy named John’s?

Mark 1:9–11 ⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The Gospel, Jesus was baptized before He started His ministry, that is baptized with water and then with the very word of God.  God's word claimed Him as His Son, and the Word of God acknowledged Him to be the one mightier than John, He is the Savior everyone was looking for.  The man and His family were baptized by John, they repented of their sin, and they were forgiven, with little knowledge of the forgiveness yet to come. A forgiveness that was the gospel, the good news that brings everlasting joy.

Here we see again a precursor of things to come.  With the Holy Spirit we are brought into repentance.  This is sanctification at work, the Holy Spirit is working to keep us Holy in the eyes of God, and this is helped through the works of Christ.  Jesus Christ worked through His baptism so that we could be baptized like Him and Jesus worked through the cross so that we should die like Him giving up the flesh.  And then Christ our savior rises from the dead to show us we too will ascend from the dead and have new life.  It all stems from our baptism, cleansed from our sin through repentance and forgiveness and blooms into holiness sanctified through the works of the Holy Spirit.  And now, through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ we are brought into everlasting life and eternal relationship with God.  Amen.