Think Wink.

I want to spend my next few posts examining the divine utterance or pronouncement at Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1:11. There are three likely or probable sources behind this text: Genesis 22; Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 42:1. My purpose here is not to argue for or against any particular text as the background to Mark 1:11. Rather I just want to show how each text is a candidate and how each text finds its fulfillment in Jesus, how Jesus is the substance to the shadow that these texts form. Mark 1:11 reads,

And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The order that I will take the three probable candidate texts are from least likely to most likely. The first background text is Genesis 22. In the divine pronouncment, the Greek reads, σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός ἐν σοὶ εὐδόκησα. In Genesis 22:2, 12, 16 we see the following: τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν ἀγαπητόν (Gen. 22:2 LXX), τοῦ υἱοῦ σου τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ (Genesis 22:12 LXX), τοῦ υἱοῦ σου τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ (Gen. 22:16 LXX). There is an obvious grammatical link between Mark 1:11 and Genesis 22 LXX. As I said, my purpose here is not to argue for or against these three texts being the background to Mark 1:11. Rather I am going to assume that there is some idea of Genesis 22 in the background and see how this text finds its fulfillment in Jesus.

Let us get the whole chapter in front of us before we continue. Genesis 22 reads,

1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac [τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν ἀγαπητόν], whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son [τοῦ υἱοῦ σου τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ], from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son [τοῦ υἱοῦ σου τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ], 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.

20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Here, τὸν ἀγαπητόν is used by the LXX to translate yachidka in all three texts. Yachid is translated as “only.” Thus here, τὸν ἀγαπητόν means more than just “beloved” but it also includes the idea of “only.” This term, yachidka/τὸν ἀγαπητόν intimates the relationship between Abraham and Isaac. I see this relationship as two-fold: one is the relationship by birth, the other is the relationship in Abraham’s affection for Isaac.

First is Isaac’s relationship by birth. Isaac is the only son of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham had another son, Ishmael the son of Hagar the Egyptian. However, this child was not the child of Abraham’s wife. Ishmael did not come from the womb of Sarah. Also, God told Abraham to put out Ishmael in Genesis 21:8-14. Thus when Isaac is referred to as Abraham’s “only son,” it is very much in terms of birth. Ishmael is no longer on the scene to be Abraham’s son.

But then there is also Abraham’s affection for Isaac. In Genesis 21:8 we read, “And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.” Abraham loved Isaac as he and Sarah should not have been able to have children at their old age. But also, God says of Isaac in Genesis 21:13 (a passage cited by Paul in Romans 9:6-13 to speak of election), “for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” Isaac is the fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 15:4 in response to Abraham’s request for an heir, “your very own son shall be your heir.” Again the promise is confirmed after the birth of Ishmael concerning Isaac in Genesis 17:15-21 where we read,

15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

Isaac is the heir promised to Abraham and he loves this boy greatly for this. But then in Genesis 22, Abraham is commanded by God to sacrifice Isaac, his “only son.” Abraham is obedient to Yahweh and ties Isaac down to the altar and is ready to drive the knife into Isaac when a lamb is presented as a substitute for Isaac.

In Mark 1:11, God is saying that Jesus is not just the Messiah, but that he is God’s only and unique Son. He is part of the Trinity, eternally existing with the Father and Spirit before the world and time every came into being. He is also the Son whom God loves very much and very deeply. But Jesus is also the Son that is to be tied down on the altar to be offered up as a sacrifice to demonstrate that God loves his glory and will not allow his name to be trampled upon like pearls before the swine of humankind and their sin. Jesus is also that ram where that takes the place of God’s Israel, the church. He is the one who is killed in our place. Oh how rich and deeply connected to the Old Testament is Jesus’ ministry. The Old Covenant perfectly pictures the One who is to come.

Related posts:

Son, Son, Or Servant and Mark 1:11 Part 3

Son, Son, Or Servant and Mark 1:11 Part 2

“Son of Man” and Jesus