We’re only 4 verses into Mark’s Gospel and we are already in full preparation for Jesus’ baptism. But as I said a few weeks ago in Advent when we heard vs. 1-8, this is all a part of the prologue of Mark. Even though it feels like we are plopped right in the middle of the story, this scene and introduction to John and Jesus are just that: an introduction. Something distinct from the overall story that lets us, as readers, get a taste of what is to come and a sense of what it will all mean. In this introduction, we are being introduced to the unequivocal power and authority of Jesus as the Son of God (Son of man/humanity), before he will be questioned relentlessly by the earthly world. Why do I say all of this? Because the beauty of the Gospel of Mark is the myth of the Messianic Secret. Mark is not hiding who Jesus is. Mark tells us explicitly right from the very beginning and almost every hearer knows a little about where the story is going. But like those who miss the signs of Jesus (who miss the blatant presence of God), we will walk with Jesus and question why he does things the way he does. We will question why it must be this way. We will forget that he is God, and we are not. Even with this grand introduction, we will do the very same things that the world does to him in this narrative.