At about the age of thirty Jesus came to John for baptism. It was the age when a Levite was allowed to begin service in the temple (Numbers 4:3), the age when Joseph began his great work in Egypt (Genesis 41:46), the age when David began to reign (2 Samuel 5:4). So now Jesus made the journey from Nazareth in Galilee specifically for the formal beginning of his public life. (For Bethabara, see Study 19).
At first the Baptist sought to deter Jesus from his intention (cp. John 13:6), for almost at once he knew Jesus to be a man of far higher holiness than himself: “I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” How did John know this? In spite of their blood relationship, he and Jesus had grown up apart, as complete strangers. It is not even possible to postulate that they may have met from time to time, for later on John told the Pharisees: “I knew him not’ (John 1:31).
It would require no time at all for John to recognize the superior quality of Jesus. Those who came to John were not baptized indiscriminately, but only after the Baptist’s interrogation of them had satisfied him as to their sincerity and proper appreciation of what the rite involved (Matthew 3:7). The apostle Peter makes reference to a similar practice in the early church when he alludes to baptism as the “interrogation of a good understanding” (1 Peter 3:21; and note the allusions to a ‘statement of faith’ in v. 18,22). All who came to John made confession of their sins also—all, that is, except Jesus, and this without any hypocrisy. So even before the sign of the Holy Spirit was given John knew that this was the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. “I have need to be baptized of thee”, he declared very emphatically. The words seem to imply that John had not been baptized as yet-waiting for Messiah to come and baptize him? And now Messiah was here. So it seems not improbable that when the two men went down into the waters of Jordan they baptized each other. More than this, one day Jesus will baptize John in the fire of the holy Spirit to an extent far surpassing anything he experienced in the days of his mortal service.
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Author: Harry Whittaker
Keywords: Baptism of Jesus, Jesus baptized, Jesus baptised, Christ baptized, Christ's baptism, Christ baptised, baptism of Christ, baptism, baptize, baptise, baptized
Bible reference(s): Matt. 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-23, John 1:32-33
Source: Studies in the Gospels.
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.