The Beloved Son and the Suffering Servant | Mark 1:9-13
One phrase that Mark and the Bible uses in describing Jesus is that He is the Son of God. To us today that may seem kind of confusing. How can a son also be God? How does that work? We have to put ourselves in the shoes of those who heard or read this gospel: first century Gentiles and Jews.
When Mark wrote that Jesus was the Son of God it was very subversive and dangerous language. For the Jews, all throughout the OT, Israel was referred to as His Son. (Exodus 4:22) God cared, protected, and nurtured Israel like a father would his son. Even though Israel was rebellious, God still pursued them. God sent Jesus to show the world what a true Son of God looked like. Jesus came to do what Israel could not do; He is the true and better Son of God. When Mark called Jesus the Son of God, He was saying the Jesus is God. He is “of the same stuff” as God. He is God in the flesh to show us what God is really like.
Mark’s aim is to teach us that Jesus is God’s Son, and this is how we know it. Mark skips ahead of the birth narrative and focuses on Jesus’ ministry. He chooses his words carefully and gets to the point. The first two stories that Mark tells us about Jesus are His baptism and temptation. Jesus’ baptism and temptation tell us that He is the beloved son who identified with us and the suffering servant who was victorious for us.