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Read: Mark 1:9-11
Listen: Mark 1

Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:10-11

Jesus wades into the Jordan River alongside ordinary sinners to be baptized by John. John the Baptist knows who Jesus is—the Messiah he’s been pointing people to. John tries to refuse, believing he should be baptized by Jesus instead (Matthew 3:13-15). But Jesus insists. He has no sin to confess, no record to wash clean. John lowers him under the water. It’s a preview of Jesus’s ministry: the holy one standing in the place of sinners, closely identifying with the people he came to save. The Father declares his pleasure, and the Spirit descends.

Jesus’s baptism gives us a window into our own. When we follow him into the water, we aren’t just checking a box; we’re declaring that our lives are joined to his. Baptism by immersion visibly models this union. Going under the water symbolizes dying to the old self. Coming up out of it represents rising to a new life in Christ (Romans 6:3–4). Through baptism, we visualize and proclaim that we have been united with our Savior who conquered death. Our immersion in baptism acts out the gospel for everyone to see: “The old has gone, the new is here” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

TODAY: Reflect on what it means that Jesus stepped into the water with sinners before he ever asked us to follow. Then join Ada Bible Worship as they sing, “Nothing but the Blood,” and let the words remind you that God’s grace makes new life possible. If you have questions about baptism, reach out to your campus pastor.