Faith of Our Fathers

Episode: Mark 1:9 – The Baptism of Jesus by Donald Grey Barnhouse
Date: December 2, 2025
Host: WDAC Radio Company
Speaker: Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse

Overview

In this episode of "Faith of Our Fathers," Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse delves into the account of Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1:9, uncovering the spiritual richness and deeper meaning behind the event. Dr. Barnhouse argues that Jesus’ baptism was not about repentance, as is common for believers, but about identification: Christ associating Himself fully with humanity and inaugurating His mission as the Savior. Throughout, Barnhouse challenges denominational debates about baptismal methods and exhorts listeners to embrace the call to identify with Christ’s love and mission in a hurting world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Nature of Mark’s Gospel and Jesus’ Baptism

• Summary of Mark’s Action-Packed Gospel (00:27)
  • Barnhouse describes Mark’s gospel as “the gospel of action,” proceeding rapidly through major events but packed with spiritual significance.
• Scripture Reading and the Question of "Why Was Christ Baptized?" (02:00)
  • Barnhouse stresses: “Certainly not for the same reasons that men are baptized today. Christ had no sin, and therefore He needed no baptism.” (02:12)
  • Baptism as commonly understood—symbolizing repentance—is not applicable to Christ.

2. The True Meaning of Baptism: Identification

• Original Meaning of "Baptize" and Its Spiritual Depth (03:45)
  • Barnhouse illustrates how "baptize" originally meant to dye or change the identity of cloth, not simply to immerse in water.
    • “John the Baptist would have been called John the Dyer...someone who would take your cloth in and change its identity.” (04:45)
  • The focus should be on spiritual identification, not on the method or mode (immersion, sprinkling, pouring).

3. Christ’s Identification With Humanity

• Jesus as the Passover Lamb (07:25)

  • Drawing from Galatians 4:4—God’s Son, born under the law to redeem—Barnhouse highlights Jesus’ public identification as the Lamb of God.
  • Jewish tradition of selecting a spotless lamb foreshadows John identifying Jesus:
    • “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.” (08:35)

• God’s Affirmation from Heaven (11:40)

  • After Jesus' baptism, God the Father speaks: “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (12:02)
  • “What a wonderful, wonderful word it was. For this was the very voice of God speaking so that men could hear.” (12:12)

4. Baptism Debates: A Peripheral Issue

• Rejection of Mode Disputes (10:00)
  • Barnhouse notes denominational splits over the method of baptism are trivial:
    • “There have been denominations...split over whether they should be baptized three times face forward or three times head backwards. It seems utterly absurd and ridiculous…” (10:47)
  • Emphasizes spiritual identification over physical method.

5. The Father’s Delight and the Deity of Christ

• Affirmation of Jesus’ Unique Sonship (13:10)
  • Barnhouse points out that the heavenly voice is a guarantee of Christ’s person: “Who is Jesus? Well, he’s Jehovah, God.” (14:03)
• Solidarity of the Father and Son (14:30)
  • “He did not go out of the Father’s house on his own…when the Lord Jesus Christ left heaven, he was followed by the Father. And at the very outset of his work, the voice of God speaks and says…’I am back of it.’” (14:34)

6. Application: Our Identification with Christ

• Implications for Believers (17:25)

  • The shared righteousness of Christ is credited to believers:
    • “Let them recollect that the Father regards them as members of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ. He sees no spot in them. He beholds us as in Christ, clothed in his righteousness...” (18:05, quoting Bishop Rylee)

• Transfiguration Parallels (19:30)

  • God speaks again at Jesus’ transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him.” (19:42)

• Christ’s Earthly Ministry Among Outcasts (21:10)

  • “If Jesus had been in Philadelphia today, you’d have found him down in the beer halls and around the saloons, sitting down with publicans and harlots.” (21:31)
  • Warns against “false respectability” and calls believers to dwell among the needy, as Christ did.

7. The Christian’s Call: Blooming Among the Weeds

• Barnhouse’s "Scarlet Rose" Illustration (25:20)
  • A rose blooming amid weeds, yet rooted in a distant, cultivated garden—
    • “And there is indeed the perfect picture of the way God wants us to be baptized...Heaven’s scarlet rose blooming in the midst of the weeds of our lives.” (26:06)
• Loving the World as Christ Did (27:00)
  • Our identification with Christ means living His love among the world’s loneliness and need.

8. Personal Testimony: A Modern-Day Good Samaritan (28:00)**

• Barnhouse recounts helping a lonely, broken doctor in a Toronto subway.
  • “I said to him, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? And tears came to his eyes…’I’m so lonely. I’m so lonely.’” (28:50)
• Many are desperate for love and connection, which believers can offer.

9. Conclusion: The True Purpose of Christ’s Baptism

• Jesus’ Baptism as Loving Identification (29:42)

  • “He was not baptized for the remission of sins. He had no sin. But he said, Father, I’m going down there and be identified as a human being.” (29:42)
  • Christ meets humanity’s loneliness and need, and now works through believers.

• Believers as Christ’s Representatives (30:05)

  • “He left no other method of carrying it on except that He might project Himself through you…when you are identified, baptized—the rite is so unimportant—but when you are identified with Christ, then you stand as little Christs out in the midst of the world.” (30:09)
  • True witness comes from lives overflowing with Christ’s love.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Baptism’s Spiritual Significance:

  “The true meaning, the spiritual meaning of baptize goes far beyond a method of water, far beyond the setting forth of a rite. The true meaning of baptism is the identification of the believer with Christ.”
  — Dr. Barnhouse (03:15)

• On Christ’s Solidarity With the Father:

  “At the very outset of his work, the voice of God speaks and says, what is happening here on earth? I am back of it.”
  — Dr. Barnhouse (14:43)

• On Christian Identity:

  “He sees no spot in them. He beholds us as in Christ, clothed in his righteousness, invested with his merit, accepted in the Beloved.”
  — Dr. Barnhouse (18:05, quoting Bishop Rylee)

• On Reaching the World:

  “You and I must go and take Christ out to the world that is round about us...He left no other method of carrying it on except that He might project Himself through you.”
  — Dr. Barnhouse (29:58)

• Story of the Scarlet Rose:

  “The rose had grown out in the midst of the weeds and was blooming beautifully there in the midst of all the tangled skein of that garden…Heaven’s scarlet rose blooming in the midst of the weeds of our lives.”
  — Dr. Barnhouse (26:06)

• Modern Good Samaritan Moment:

  “I said to him, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? And tears came to his eyes…He said, 'I’m so lonely. I’m so lonely.'”
  — Dr. Barnhouse (28:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:27 | Mark’s Gospel—summary and introduction to the text | | 02:00 | Why was Christ baptized? | | 03:45 | The meaning of "baptize"—identity and dyeing metaphor| | 07:25 | Jesus as Passover Lamb; identification with humanity| | 11:40 | The Holy Spirit descends; God the Father’s voice | | 13:10 | Significance: guarantee of Christ, Father’s delight | | 17:25 | Application: believer’s identity in Christ | | 19:30 | Mount of Transfiguration parallel | | 21:10 | Christ among outcasts—call to believers | | 25:20 | The scarlet rose among weeds illustration | | 28:00 | Modern-day Good Samaritan testimony | | 29:42 | Jesus identified with mankind, call to believers | | 30:05 | Believers as "little Christs"—practical application |

Final Thoughts

Dr. Barnhouse’s exposition of Mark 1:9 moves beyond the surface of baptismal ritual and immerses listeners in the spiritual reality of Jesus’ identification with humanity. He challenges the tendency to focus on outward forms, urging believers instead to root their lives in Christ and bring His love into the darkest, loneliest corners of the world. The baptism of Jesus thus becomes both a model for mission and a source of profound assurance: “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” As Barnhouse reminds us, our truest witness flows not from ritual but from being “little Christs,” channels of love and grace to all.