“One day…” Two simple words. Six letters in all. Just about two weeks ago we dropped off our son Carter at Liberty University for his… Sophomore. Year. Of. College. It seems like it was just the other day that Jami and I were saying, “One day we’ll be dropping Carter off at college” as he was starting high school. Our youngest, Morgan, is entering her senior year of high school. One day very soon we’ll be dropping her off at college too. If you’re in any stage of parenting you know, or you’ll soon come to understand, that the days are long, but the years are short. I can’t remember who said it, but it’s true.
One day
We’ve all said these words at one time or another. We see these two words show up in Scripture as well. Check this out:
“One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.’” (Mark 1:9-11 New Living Translation)
You see, this day, this one day went from being ordinary to extraordinary. The day we dropped our son off at college and drove home ten and a half hours away went from being a typically normal day to an extraordinary day. It was anything but normal! And this day, the day when Jesus went from being an unknown carpenter to starting His public ministry was anything but normal.
One day
We’ve all had these “one day” moments. Some of these one-day moments are crazy amazing and great. Some of these one-day moments come and they are some of the most horrible moments of our lives. And no matter what kind of one-day moments we’ve had, we can all learn from this one day when Jesus appeared on the scene.
First, Jesus arrived humbly. Check this out:
One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. (Mark 1:9)
This is Jesus arriving on the scene ya’ll. This was His first public appearance. You’d think that His entrance would be more hype. Afterall, He had spent years in Nazareth preparing for this moment. You’d think it would’ve started with a cool hype video, then His hype men would’ve come out first to get the crowd… you know… HYPE! But it wasn’t like that at all. Instead of Jesus arriving on the scene and start baptizing the probable thousands waiting, He instead humbly let John baptize Him. This, of course, fits the nature of who Jesus is. He was born in a barn around animals. He lived in Nazareth. He grew up and worked as a carpenter. Jesus walked in humility His entire life up unto this point. And His first public appearance would be no different. Jesus’ first act within His public ministry was to humbly submit to God, His Father, in obedience.
This act of humble obedience to God was done as a sign of fulfilled prophecy, and more importantly to identify with you and I. Jesus, who was without sin, was identifying with us so that He could represent you and I as He would eventually hang on the cross. This baptism is a symbol of commitment and surrender. In essence, Jesus was publicly committing to His mission.
Second, God recognizes His Son. Check this out:
As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove.” (Mark 1:10)
This must have been a crazy sight to see! The heavens literally being split apart. Typically, when the heavens open it is usually a sign that God is about to speak or do something so that we can get a glimpse at His purposes. This sight of the heavens splitting apart is a sign that God is about to do something amazing! The Old Testament prophet this very thing…
“Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1)
This prayer of Isaiah was fully answered in this one day. Not only did the heavens split apart, but the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and rested on Jesus. Can you imagine being at the Jordan River in this moment? Not only did everyone who was there see this take place, but Jesus Himself also saw the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descend. Listen. Listen. Listen. Jesus not only saw the glory of God in this moment. He could also see the suffering He would experience three years later. Yet He would still go through with everything in obedience to the Father’s will for the restoration of humanity… for the possibility that you and I could be restored back to the Father through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. And so too, we through Scripture and the testimony of others can see the victory and glory both for the future and now as we place our faith in Jesus Christ.
And third, Jesus received His Father’s love. Check this out:
“And a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.’” Mark 1:11
God the Father let Jesus know, and everyone else in earshot and those who can read Scripture now, that despite having taken on human flesh and coming as a humble servant, He still loved Him. This love of God the Father for Jesus makes His love for us possible. God declared from the heavens His love for Jesus. And as this voice from heaven spoke to Jesus one day, this voice from heaven still speaks to each of us today through Scripture, the Bible. The Word of God, the Bible, Scripture, is the voice of God speaking to each one of us today. We can trust it. We can depend on it. What it says is true. When God spoke to Jesus that one day, it was significant. And when God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible, it’s still significant today. This great joy that God the Father has in Jesus, is the reason we have hope today.
“So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” (Ephesians 1:6)
So what does this mean for each of us? It means that because Jesus arrived humbly… Because God recognized and loved Jesus as His Son… And because received His Father’s love… we have the possibility to experience new life that makes us whole if we give our lives to Jesus, the one who gave His life so that we might have life. So why not make this the one day an amazing day by transforming your life through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for the cleansing of your sin by the grace of God?
Listen. Listen. Listen. There is a danger in trying to live your life by your own rules. Jesus’ baptism is His recognition that He was submitting to His Fathers will. The greatest gift you can ever receive is to humble yourself… Recognize Jesus as God’s Son… And to receive God’s love by trusting in Jesus as the One who saves your soul and gives you new life.
Make this one day, your day.
“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” (Romans 6:4)
