Meditation on Calvary: Mark 1: 9-11
I am currently studying the Gospel of Mark because I realized I was avoiding the gospels for some reason. I think I'm intimidated by them. So God showed me a way to study Mark that is turning out to be interesting. I thought I'd share some bits of my journal. Basically I'm looking at Mark in the context of Calvary. Not really sure exactly what that means entirely. Only that I'm looking for traces of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus in every passage and verse. So here goes....
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And immediately coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
And there came a voice from heaven, saying, You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Where is Calvary?
I see it both in similitude and contrast. I am struck by the word "opened." Some translations read "torn open" or "splitting apart." The Greek word is "schizomenous;" the root being schizo: to rend, divide asunder, to cleave. And here it's being used to describe the sky. But the same word is used later to describe the rocks that suddenly break apart and the veil in the temple that is split in two at the death of Jesus. It is a dynamic, violent and fearsome word; to "open" in this way involves a sudden and explosive application of raw power. This open sky was a supernatural act that brought men quaking to their knees, not a description of a rather lovely day by the Jordan.
Both here and at Calvary the God of creation uses a massive display of power to reveal His own feelings over the actions of His Son. The first time to express His pleasure and the second time to confirm that His justice has been satisfied. But there is a difference. With pleasure comes acknowledgement and the clear unmistakable voice of the Father. With justice comes silence from above and abandonment. There is only Jesus calling out to His Father longing to hear once again that voice of encouragement and blessing. But nothing comes. The dove of the Holy Spirit gives way to the eagle of Rome.
At the beginning there is one lone voice in the wilderness, John the Baptist. In the end there is a different John; the only disciple that did not run away. And that same John would die in exile on rocky Patmos. Another voice in the wilderness; urging us to return to our first love; a prophet going before Him to make His paths straight before He comes again.
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12
But I am drawn back to that torn open sky. This was not merely clouds parting. This was something astonishing. Something that sucked the breath out of every person there. What did they see? Perhaps it was a veil being parted to reveal suddenly the very throne of God - so blindingly bright that eyes had to turn away. And all the stars in the universe swarming about His head like fireflies or a crown of lights. Or did the deep darkness of night appear through that tear in the clear blue sky with galaxies all aswirl and Angels standing at the edges like sentinels. Perhaps that angelic legion knelt before their swords in homage as Wings of Holy Light and Fire moved past them to descend and enfold itself around Jesus who was still wet from the waters of the Jordan. The rushing hum of those flaming feathers singing a song:
My Son, My Son.
My Beloved, My Love.
My Pleasure, My Joy are in Thee.
My Pleasure, My Glory you are.
A voice that is 10,000 voices all at once. The wings enfold Jesus and disappear within Him. Of course they did. No one ever said the dove flew away.
No, the dove does not fly away until my sin is beaten into His flesh. Its feathers are stripped as I presume to judge God. Its wings are torn away by my denials. Every time He took a blow and said nothing. Every time He blessed where He was cursed. Every friend that abandoned Him wore my shoes. The one who sold Him out did so with my money. All my lies were told against Him. I set murderers free because I preferred them to Him. All these sins were drenching downy feathers red with blood.
Oh sweet dove, Your light has gone. The light has gone out of His eyes. And yet He still says "forgive them." Because inside He remembers that song You sang:
My Son, My Son.
My Beloved, My Love
My Pleasure, My Joy are in Thee.
My Pleasure, My Glory you are.
You would not sing to Him. You could not. Because in that moment it was not His song to hear. When He died the song roared out from heaven; 10,000 times 10,000 voices and the sky grew dark and the temple veil was rent from sound of it. And the rocks yearned to sing along but they could not contain the beauty of it so they split apart. And mankind could not hear it because the dove had not yet wrapped its wings around us.
Ah, but if we could have heard it, we would have known that the song was now being sung over us. For the sin that was ours was now on Jesus and the blessing of sonship was now on us.
My Child, My Child.
My Beloved, My Bride.
My Pleasure, My Joy are in Thee.
My Pleasure, My Glory are yours.
How many times, Oh Lord, have You split the sky for me and I would not see? How many times did You rejoice over me with singing and I would not hear? There is nothing more important than this.
Father, let me hear it now and tear open my heart for Your Glory.
(image: Baptism of Christ by Daniel Bonnell)
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And immediately coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
And there came a voice from heaven, saying, You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Where is Calvary?
I see it both in similitude and contrast. I am struck by the word "opened." Some translations read "torn open" or "splitting apart." The Greek word is "schizomenous;" the root being schizo: to rend, divide asunder, to cleave. And here it's being used to describe the sky. But the same word is used later to describe the rocks that suddenly break apart and the veil in the temple that is split in two at the death of Jesus. It is a dynamic, violent and fearsome word; to "open" in this way involves a sudden and explosive application of raw power. This open sky was a supernatural act that brought men quaking to their knees, not a description of a rather lovely day by the Jordan.
Both here and at Calvary the God of creation uses a massive display of power to reveal His own feelings over the actions of His Son. The first time to express His pleasure and the second time to confirm that His justice has been satisfied. But there is a difference. With pleasure comes acknowledgement and the clear unmistakable voice of the Father. With justice comes silence from above and abandonment. There is only Jesus calling out to His Father longing to hear once again that voice of encouragement and blessing. But nothing comes. The dove of the Holy Spirit gives way to the eagle of Rome.
At the beginning there is one lone voice in the wilderness, John the Baptist. In the end there is a different John; the only disciple that did not run away. And that same John would die in exile on rocky Patmos. Another voice in the wilderness; urging us to return to our first love; a prophet going before Him to make His paths straight before He comes again.
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12
But I am drawn back to that torn open sky. This was not merely clouds parting. This was something astonishing. Something that sucked the breath out of every person there. What did they see? Perhaps it was a veil being parted to reveal suddenly the very throne of God - so blindingly bright that eyes had to turn away. And all the stars in the universe swarming about His head like fireflies or a crown of lights. Or did the deep darkness of night appear through that tear in the clear blue sky with galaxies all aswirl and Angels standing at the edges like sentinels. Perhaps that angelic legion knelt before their swords in homage as Wings of Holy Light and Fire moved past them to descend and enfold itself around Jesus who was still wet from the waters of the Jordan. The rushing hum of those flaming feathers singing a song:
My Son, My Son.
My Beloved, My Love.
My Pleasure, My Joy are in Thee.
My Pleasure, My Glory you are.
A voice that is 10,000 voices all at once. The wings enfold Jesus and disappear within Him. Of course they did. No one ever said the dove flew away.
No, the dove does not fly away until my sin is beaten into His flesh. Its feathers are stripped as I presume to judge God. Its wings are torn away by my denials. Every time He took a blow and said nothing. Every time He blessed where He was cursed. Every friend that abandoned Him wore my shoes. The one who sold Him out did so with my money. All my lies were told against Him. I set murderers free because I preferred them to Him. All these sins were drenching downy feathers red with blood.
Oh sweet dove, Your light has gone. The light has gone out of His eyes. And yet He still says "forgive them." Because inside He remembers that song You sang:
My Son, My Son.
My Beloved, My Love
My Pleasure, My Joy are in Thee.
My Pleasure, My Glory you are.
You would not sing to Him. You could not. Because in that moment it was not His song to hear. When He died the song roared out from heaven; 10,000 times 10,000 voices and the sky grew dark and the temple veil was rent from sound of it. And the rocks yearned to sing along but they could not contain the beauty of it so they split apart. And mankind could not hear it because the dove had not yet wrapped its wings around us.
Ah, but if we could have heard it, we would have known that the song was now being sung over us. For the sin that was ours was now on Jesus and the blessing of sonship was now on us.
My Child, My Child.
My Beloved, My Bride.
My Pleasure, My Joy are in Thee.
My Pleasure, My Glory are yours.
How many times, Oh Lord, have You split the sky for me and I would not see? How many times did You rejoice over me with singing and I would not hear? There is nothing more important than this.
Father, let me hear it now and tear open my heart for Your Glory.
(image: Baptism of Christ by Daniel Bonnell)
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