The Gospel of Mark begins with John the Baptist baptizing along the Jordan River, proclaiming and pointing toward the coming of the Lord (Mark 1:1-8). John’s message filled the Judean countryside with fear and visions of judgment, and yet the Lord enters Mark’s Gospel without a windstorm, or an army of angels. He enters Mark’s narrative as a man.
Jesus voluntarily left his throne in heaven to enter our world. He existed before the beginning, and yet he lowered himself to be born, as a child, fully human, in a manger. At his baptism he had no sin to confess, and yet he entered the water, humbling himself, to identify with us. Why? The short answer is, love!