“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And 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. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And 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. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.”
If you were introducing someone important, how would you begin?
You might talk about where they came from. Their background. Their accomplishments. You’d build a case for why they matter.
Mark the disciple of Jesus turned Evangelist does something very different.
He starts like this:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1)
No warm-up. No backstory. Just a bold announcement. This is good news. And it’s about Jesus. And He is the Son of God.
Before we see what Jesus does, we’re told who He is.
Then the scene shifts to the wilderness. A man named John appears, calling people to repentance. Prepare the way. Get ready. Something is coming. Or rather, Someone.
People come. They confess. They are baptized. There’s a sense that God is about to act.
And then Jesus steps into the water. Not because He needs forgiveness. He doesn’t. But because He steps into our place—right from the beginning.
As He comes up from the water, everything changes.
“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Before Jesus preaches or heals and before He suffers…The Father declares His love.
And then, immediately, the wilderness again. This is not a celebration—but a confrontation. Jesus is driven into the wilderness and tempted by Satan. He stands where humanity has failed. Where Israel failed. Where we fail.
And He does not fall. He remains faithful.
So in just these opening verses, we already see something essential. Jesus is not just a teacher. He is:
Before we are told what to do…We are shown who He is.
That matters.
Because Christianity does not begin with your effort to reach God. It begins with God coming to you.
Let’s pray…
Lord Jesus,
At the very beginning, You show us who You are—the Son of God who steps into our place. Help me to see You clearly as I walk through this Gospel. Strengthen my faith to trust You, not just understand You.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Meeting Address:
27221 Foamflower Blvd.
Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
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