Show Don't Tell: Mark 1:9-13
Instead of saying "Jesus was baptized and tempted," watch the sky tear. Jesus comes from Nazareth in Galilee and is baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus is coming up out of the water—dripping wet, Jordan mud between his toes—he sees heaven being torn open. Not gently parted but ripped, like fabric under pressure. The Spirit descends on him like a dove. A voice from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Father, Son, Spirit—the Trinity visible in one moment. Then immediately—Mark's favorite word—the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. Forty days. Satan tempting him. Wild animals surrounding him. Angels attending him. Mark compresses what Matthew and Luke expand. The beloved Son goes straight from affirmation to assault. The wilderness shapes the Messiah.
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