Baptism
1:4. In fulfillment of the preceding prophecy, John came (egeneto, “appeared”) on the stage of history as the last Old Testament prophet (cf. Luke 7:24–28; 16:16), signaling a turning point in God’s dealings with mankind. John was baptizing in the desert region (erēmō, dry, uninhabited country) and preaching a baptism of repentance. The word “preaching” (kēryssōn) could be rendered “proclaiming as a herald,” appropriate in light of the prediction in Mark 1:2–3.
John’s baptism was no innovation since Jews required Gentiles wanting to be admitted into Judaism to be baptized by self-immersion. The startling new element was that John’s baptism was designed for God’s covenant people, the Jews, and it required their repentance in view of the coming Messiah (cf. Matt. 3:2).
This baptism is described as one relating to or expressive of repentance for (eis) the forgiveness of sins. The Greek preposition eis could be referential (“with reference to”) or purpose (“leading to”) but probably not cause (“on account of”). “Repentance” (metanoia) occurs in Mark only here. It means “a turn about, a deliberate change of mind resulting in a change of direction in thought and behavior” (cf. Matt. 3:8; 1 Thes. 1:9).
“Forgiveness” (aphesin) means “the removal or cancellation of an obligation or barrier of guilt.” It refers to God’s gracious act whereby “sins” as a debt are canceled, based on Christ’s sacrificial death (cf. Matt. 26:28). Forgiveness was not conveyed by the outward rite of baptism, but baptism was a visible witness that one had repented and as a result had received God’s gracious forgiveness of sins (cf. Luke 3:3).
V 2, p 104 1:5. Using hyperbole (cf. also vv. 32–33, 37), Mark showed the great impact John made on all areas of Judea and Jerusalem. The people went out and were baptized by John in the Jordan River (cf. v. 9) as they confessed their sins to God. The imperfect tense of the Greek verbs portrays in motion-picture fashion the continual procession of people who kept going out to hear John’s preaching and to be baptized by him.
The verb “baptize” (baptizō, intensive form of baptō, “to dip”) means “to immerse, submerge.” Being baptized by John in the Jordan marked the “turn” of a Jew to God. It identified him with the repentant people who were preparing for the coming Messiah.
Included in the performance of the baptismal rite was the people’s open confession of sins. The verb “confessing” (exomologoumenoi, “agree with, acknowledging, admitting”; cf. Acts 19:18; Phil. 2:11), is intensive. They openly agreed with God’s verdict on their sins (hamartias, “failure to hit the mark,” i.e., God’s standard). Every Jew familiar with the nation’s history knew they had fallen short of God’s demands. Their willingness to be baptized by John in the desert was an admission of their disobedience and an expression of their turning to God.
Grassmick, John D. “Mark.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Ed. J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck. Vol. 2. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 103–104. Print.
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