And thus he preached, One is to come after me who is mightier than I, so that I am not worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his shoes. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Ghost. At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And even as he came up out of the water he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down and resting upon him. There was a voice, too, out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
The Message:
As he preached he said, “The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out.”
At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”
I actually don't like the way Knox translated this passage. I like Mark's depiction of the baptism because the skies are "split/torn/etc", like the veil in the Temple. It's a more visceral image than Matthew and Luke, where they are simply "opened".
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'll take Knox over The Message any day. Have you read the way The Message butchers the Lord's prayer? Dreadful!
ReplyDelete