Rend the Heavens Asunder!

The Spirit of God and the voice from heaven confirmed the calling and identity of Jesus, Son, Messiah, and the Servant of the LORD.

Jesus first appears in the Gospel of Mark when John baptizes him in the Jordan River. The account identifies him with his hometown, Nazareth, a village of no consequence, though its insignificance plays a role in the story. He is the “Servant of the LORD” anointed by the Spirit, but he does not conform to popular expectations about the Messiah.

John was baptizing suppliants in the river, including the man from Nazareth. The account in Mark stresses the audible and visual phenomena that accompanied the baptism of Jesus, the “rending asunder” of the heavens, the Divine voice, and the descent of the Spirit “like a dove”:

• (Mark 1:9-11) - “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. And immediately, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens being rent asunder and the Spirit descending as a dove to him. And a voice came out of the heavens: You are my Son, the Beloved. In you, I delight.”

[Dove - Photo by Johannes Plenio (Munich) on Unsplash]

The Greek verb translated as “rent asunder” is ‘schizō’, which means to “split, rip open, tear apart; to rend asunder.” It provides a graphic image of the heavens being opened suddenly in reaction to Christ’s baptism.

The same Greek term occurs once more in Mark’s Gospel to describe the veil of the Temple being “torn in two” as Jesus died. This verbal link is deliberate. In the same way as the opening of the heavens above the Jordan River revealed the Messiah, so the “rending of the Temple veil in two” preceded the moment of revelation when the Roman centurion identified Jesus as the “Son of God” - (Mark 15:36-39).

The opening of the heavens above the Jordan River pointed to the cosmic significance of Christ’s arrival. From then on, the Kingdom of God would be open to all men who repented and embraced the Gospel.

No longer would the Divine presence be confined to the Temple in Jerusalem or restricted only to one nation. From that moment – “In those days” - the Creator of all things could be seen and understood only in the man from the small village of Nazareth.

The description echoes a passage in the Book of Isaiah addressed originally to the God of Israel:

• “Oh, that you would rend the heavens asunder, that you would come down so the mountains might quake at your presence <…> that the nations may tremble at your presence” – (Isaiah 64:1).

The plea of Isaiah was fulfilled when God “rent the heavens asunder” and anointed His Son with the Spirit to carry out his mission, but it was not the mountains of Judea that quaked, but the hearts of men as they heard his words.

The Greek preposition applied to the descent of the Spirit stresses movement “into” or “onto” something or someone (‘eis’). Perhaps the Spirit entered Jesus at this point, though the verb and preposition more likely portray the Spirit coming to rest upon him.

At this moment, the Nazarene was anointed for his messianic ministry and received “the Spirit without measure” to accomplish his mission of proclaiming the Gospel.

THE VOICE

Jesus heard the voice calling him “Beloved Son.” The same voice is heard only once more in the Gospel of Mark when it makes a similar declaration at Christ’s transfiguration. In Mark’s passage, the voice combines words from two Old Testament passages to identify Jesus as the Son of God who came to fulfill the covenant promises:

• (Psalm 2:7) - “I will surely tell of the decree of Yahweh: he said to me, You are my Son! Today, I have begotten you.”

• (Isaiah 42:1) - “Behold, my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the nations.”

Both prophecies are Messianic. By combining them, Mark clarifies the identity and mission of Jesus. He is God’s “Son” and the Suffering Servant described by the Prophet Isaiah. Unjust suffering characterized his ministry and sonship.

The descent of the Spirit means that Jesus is now equipped to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The heavenly voice confirmed God’s approval of Christ’s mission and person, not just because of who he is, but also due to his submission to the baptism of John in obedience to his Father and Scripture.

The ministry of Jesus began in fulfillment of Scripture as the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended on the Nazarene. Whether his contemporaries understood his mission or not, he was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel sent to redeem his people, establish the Kingdom of God, and shepherd the nations to salvation and righteousness:

• “Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” – (Matthew 1:21).

• “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession. You will rule them with a rod of iron” – (Psalm 2:8).

• “And she was delivered of a son, a male child, who is to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron” – (Revelation 12:5).

• “For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to fountains of living waters” – (Revelation 7:17).

Above all, Jesus would carry out his Messianic role as the Suffering Servant of the LORD, something none of his contemporaries foresaw, and a reality that would defy all popular expectations and desires about God’s Anointed One.

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SEE ALSO:

• The Beginning of the Good News - (The promised Kingdom of God arrived in the ministry of Jesus the Messiah, commencing with his baptism – Mark 1:1-3)

• Voice in the Wilderness - (John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, the herald of the Good News of the Kingdom of God – Mark 1:4-8)

• In Spirit and Fire - (The Spirit of God descended on Jesus, equipping him for his Messianic mission. He is the One who baptizes his followers in the Spirit)

• The Salvation of Yahweh - (Jesus means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In this Man of Nazareth, the Salvation promised by the God of Abraham and Israel has arrived for all men)