Mark Meditations: Mark 1.9-14

* A series based on my personal meditations in the Gospel of Mark.  

Mark 1.9-14

In every verse, Jesus is with someone; someone is with him:

v 9: baptized by John

v 10: Spirit

v 11: Voice out of the heavens

v 12: Spirit impelled him to go into wilderness 

v 13: tempted by Satan, with wild beasts, angels ministering to him

* "You are my beloved Son, in you I am well-pleased."

-"Son"

-"beloved"

-"well-pleasing"

* The living God has resources we cannot imagine even in dire circumstances.

-In the wilderness being tempted by Satan and yet there are angels ministering to Jesus.

* Jesus wins against temptation in the wilderness against Satan.  What an onslaught this must have been and yet Jesus is faithful!  He is our Champion--our Savior.

* Jesus is spoken by John as the one who will baptize with the Spirit (v 8) and Jesus is baptized and the Spirit comes upon him.  He then must undergo temptation.  He will ultimately undergo the cross and after his resurrection, he will pour forth the Spirit upon the church.

* The Spirit is not given for personal ease and comfort of circumstance.  He is given to endure temptation and accomplish the will of God.

Mark Meditations: Mark 1.1-8

* A series based on my personal meditations in the Gospel of Mark.  

Mark 1.1-8

And he was preaching, and saying, "After me one is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.  I baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.   Mark 1.7-8 

* Jesus is mighty--more mighty than anyone else.

* I am unworthy to touch his sandals.  He is so worthy.

* He baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  He is the Spirit-bringer!

Come, Holy Spirit and Quench our Thirst!

We are a dehydrated people.  

Nothing will quench our thirst and end the drought 

but God pouring out his Spirit once again.  

Only a fraction of the promise was fulfilled 

at the time of the apostles.

Must it not now be fulfilled on a larger scale?

This stream of the Spirit will come--

let us await it with confidence.

The thirst is almost killing us,

and people are deteriorating both

inwardly and outwardly.

But now,

because we need this Spirit, 

God will give it again.

--Johann Christoph Blumhardt

(1805-1880)