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,’”…. 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.”
Comment: It seems as if Mark is so keen to talk about the man Jesus and His ministry that he can’t be bothered with all this baby talk. But Mark is very careful to point out that the gospel which he is about to reveal to his readers is about the Son of God, and he highlights the voice from heaven where the Father, from heaven, proclaims Jesus as His Son! And the bit between the two quoted passages (if you look it up) is about John the Baptiser who, as quoted there, is a direct fulfilment of another OT prophecy. (Malachi 3 v1)
Prayer: Please deepen my understanding of and faith in the Christmas story.
As I read it! 
Thank you Barry for your comments on this passage. It would appear that Mark wants to tell about the ministry of Jesus after his baptism, but the baptism of Jesus and God’s voice of commendation and love for His Son is obviously an important starting point. God bless you.
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