Church Fathers Commentary Mark 1:9-11

"And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him: And a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased." — Mark 1:9-11 (ASV)

Pseudo-Jerome: Mark the Evangelist, like a hart longing for the fountains of water, leaps forward over places both smooth and steep; and, like a bee laden with honey, he sips the tops of the flowers.

Therefore, he has shown us in his narrative Jesus coming from Nazareth, saying, And it came to pass in those days, etc.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Since He was ordaining a new baptism, He came to the baptism of John. In relation to His own baptism, John’s was incomplete, yet it was also different from the Jewish baptisms, standing between the two. He did this so that He might show, by the nature of His baptism, that He was not baptized for the forgiveness of sins, nor because He needed to receive the Holy Spirit, for the baptism of John lacked both of these.¹

But He was baptized so that He might be made known to all, that they might believe in Him and fulfill all righteousness, which is the keeping of the commandments. For it had been commanded to men that they should submit to the Prophet's baptism.

The Venerable Bede: He was baptized so that by being baptized Himself, He might show His approval of John's baptism. He was also baptized so that, by sanctifying the waters of the Jordan through the descent of the dove, He might show the coming of the Holy Spirit in the laver of believers.ⁱ²

From this it follows: And immediately coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit like a dove descending, and resting upon him.

The heavens are opened, not by a physical parting of the elements, but to the eyes of the spirit, just as Ezekiel, in the beginning of his book, relates that they were opened to him. Alternatively, His seeing the heavens opened after baptism was done for our sake, as the door of the kingdom of heaven is opened to us by the laver of regeneration.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Or, it was so that sanctification might be given to humanity from heaven, and earthly things might be joined to heavenly things. The Holy Spirit is said to have descended upon Him, not as if He first came to Him then—for He had never left Him—but so that He might reveal the Christ who was preached by John, and point Him out to all, as it were, with the finger of faith.³

The Venerable Bede: This event, in which the Holy Spirit was seen to come down upon the baptism, was also a sign of the spiritual grace to be given to us in our baptism.

Pseudo-Jerome: But this is the anointing of Christ according to the flesh—namely, the Holy Spirit. Of this anointing it is said, God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows (Psalm 45:7).

The Venerable Bede: The Holy Spirit rightly came down in the shape of a dove, for it is an animal of great simplicity and far removed from the malice of gall. In this way, He showed us figuratively that He seeks simple hearts and does not deign to dwell in the minds of the wicked.

Pseudo-Jerome: Again, the Holy Spirit came down in the shape of a dove because in the Canticles it is sung of the Church: My bride, my love, my beloved, my dove.

The Church is the 'bride' in the Patriarchs, 'love' in the Prophets, 'close relative' in Joseph and Mary, 'beloved' in John the Baptist, and 'dove' in Christ and His Apostles, to whom it is said, Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16).

The Venerable Bede: Now, the Dove sat on the head of Jesus so that no one would think the Father's voice was addressed to John and not to Christ. The evangelist rightly added, abiding on Him, for this is unique to Christ: that the Holy Spirit, having once filled Him, would never leave Him.

For to His faithful disciples, the grace of the Spirit is sometimes conferred for signs of power and for the working of miracles, and at other times it is taken away. However, for the work of piety and righteousness and for the preservation of love for God and for one's neighbor, the grace of the Spirit is never absent.

But the Father's voice showed that He Himself, who came to John to be baptized with the others, was the very Son of God, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. From this follows the voice from heaven: And there came a voice from heaven, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased. This was not to inform the Son of something He did not know, but to show us what we ought to believe.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Therefore, Matthew relates that the voice said, This is my beloved Son, for he wished to show that the words, This is My Son, were in fact said so that the people who heard it would know that He, and not another, was the Son of God.⁴

But if you ask which of these two phrases was spoken in that voice, choose whichever you prefer. Just remember that the Evangelists, although not recording the exact same words, convey the same meaning. And that God delighted in His Son, we are reminded in these words: In thee I am well pleased.

The Venerable Bede: This same voice has taught us that we also, through the water of cleansing and the Spirit of sanctification, may be made sons of God. The mystery of the Trinity is also revealed in the baptism: the Son is baptized, the Spirit comes down in the shape of a dove, and the voice of the Father is heard, bearing witness to the Son.

Pseudo-Jerome: This may also be interpreted morally. We too, drawn away from the fleeting world by the scent and purity of flowers, run with the young maidens after the bridegroom. We are washed in the sacrament of baptism from the two fountains of love for God and for our neighbor, by the grace of forgiveness. Then, rising up in hope, we gaze upon heavenly mysteries with the eyes of a clean heart.

Then, in a contrite and humble spirit, with simplicity of heart, we receive the Holy Spirit, who comes down to the meek and abides in us through never-failing love. The voice of the Lord from heaven is directed to us, the beloved of God: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God (Matthew 5:9). And then the Father, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, is well-pleased with us when we are made one spirit with God.

1. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
2. in Marc., i, 4
3. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
4. de Con. Ev., ii, 14