The baptism of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel (1:9–11) and the idea of self-humiliation of God. Co ntribution to Christology of Mark’s Gospel

Abstract

The author of this paper delivers an exegesis of Mark 1:9–11. In his view, the key to a full understanding of the baptism in the Jordan is the idea of selfhumiliation of God. Read in a literary context, the narrative of Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan contains features that indicate the presence of this idea. In Jesus, who is seen both within his specific Earthly story (“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee”; Mk 1:9) and as a partaker in the nature of God (Mk 1:2–3), two themes intersect: the self-humiliation of God and the exaltation of man. Being a partaker in the nature of God, and perceived in perfect relationship to Him (untainted by sin), Jesus Christ demonstrates his solidarity with sinful mankind by accepting the baptism intended for sinners. The scene of Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan is a narrative prelude to the entire Christology that culminates in His death (15:33–39), which in itself is seen as a different kind of baptism for Jesus (cf. 10:38). This event answers the question of how deeply God has humiliated Himself.