seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 1:19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
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Here's the link to the commentary I read.
I am not the Christ: With emphasis, John told the Jewish leaders who he was not. He did not come to focus attention on himself, because he was not the Messiah. His job was to point to the Messiah.
“John completely rejected that claim; but he rejected it with a certain hint. In the Greek the word I is stressed by its position. It is as if John said: ‘I am not the Messiah, but, if you only knew, the Messiah is here.’” (Barclay)
He confessed, and did not deny: “Sincerely and studiously; he put away that honour with both hands earnestly, as knowing the danger of wronging the jealous God.” (Trapp)
It was important for John the Gospel writer to make clear to his readers that John the Baptist did not claim to be more than he was. “As late as A.D. 250 the Clementine Recognitions tell us that ‘there were some of John’s disciples who preached about him as if their master was the Messiah.’” (Barclay)
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Quoting from Isaiah 40:3, John explained his work — to prepare the way of the LORD. His baptism prepared people, cleansing them for the coming King. The idea was, “Get cleaned up, get ready for a royal visit.”
“John’s real function was not to teach ethics, but to point men to Jesus. ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’ is a call to be ready, for the coming of the Messiah is near.” (Morris)
The religious leaders wanted to know who John was, and he wasn’t really interested in answering that question. He wanted to talk about his mission: to prepare the way for the Messiah.
Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ: The Pharisees wondered about John’s authority if he was not actually one of the prophesied ones they had in mind. Yet John’s work of baptizing perfectly suited his calling, as he explained.
“His baptism was apparently distinctive in that he administered it personally; it was not self-administered as proselyte baptism was.” (Bruce)
I baptize with water: John’s baptism demonstrated the humble willingness to repent, be cleansed, and prepare for the coming Messiah. Yet John’s baptism gave nothing to help someone keep clean. The work of Jesus and His baptism of the Holy Spirit represents more than John’s baptism.
Jewish people in John’s day practiced baptism. It was an outgrowth of ceremonial washings, but only for Gentiles who wanted to become Jews. In submitting to John’s baptism, a Jew had to identify with Gentile converts. This was a genuine sign of repentance.
“It is not unlikely that John’s baptism followed the pattern of proselyte baptism, which required a renunciation of all evil, complete immersion in water, and then reclothing as a member of the holy communion of law-keepers.” (Tenney)
“The novelty in John’s case and the sting behind the practice was that he applied to Jews the ceremony which was held to be appropriate in the case of Gentiles coming newly into the faith…to put Jews in the same class was horrifying.” (Morris)
There stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me: John explained to the religious leaders that he was not the focus of his work, but the One who was already among them. John’s work was to prepare the way for the One.
Whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose: To untie the strap of a sandal (before foot washing) was duty of the lowest slave in the house.
Among Rabbis and their disciples, there was a teacher-student relationship that had the potential for abuse. It was entirely possible that a Rabbi might expect unreasonable service from their disciples. One of the things which was considered “too low” for a Rabbi to expect from his disciples was the untying of the Rabbi’s sandal strap. John said he was unworthy to do even this.
“‘Every service which a slave performs for his master’, said one rabbi, ‘a disciple will perform for his teacher, except to untie his sandal-strap.’” (Bruce)
These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan: “The interview took place at Bethany (House of the ferry-boat) on the east bank of the Jordan at the spot called in Origen’s time Bethabara (House of the ford) -- the traditional place of the passage of the Ark and the nation under Joshua (Joshua 3:14-17).” (Trench)
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I am Baptized. I am a child of God. I was Baptized in a Baptist Church in New London, Conn. That was in May 1962. My mother was Baptized on the same day. We were immersed, "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost". I was Baptized first. When my mother was Baptized, she choked a little coming up. No one dribbled some fancy water on us, we were dunked. I remember how different I felt after the dunking. I remember how even my clothes felt different.
The way Baptism was explained to me is simple in concept. When you are dunked you die. When you are brought out of the water, you live again, you are a different person. When you come out of the Baptismal Water, you are adopted by God. You are a child of God. Your name is in the book.... you new name!
Before Baptism you have to confess that you Believe that Jesus gave His life for you. Jesus paid the price for your Salvation. Before Baptism... every Baptist Confesses!!!
Jesus had been here long before I was Baptized. All the proof was there that Jesus is the Messiah. These people, in John's day, only heard a Messiah would come one day.
When John was Baptizing people in the River Jordan, Jesus hadn't started His Mission yet. John the Baptist was Jesus' cousin. His mother was Mary's sister, Elizabeth.
According to the commentary, the Jews had a "washing ceremony" but it was only for Jews. Gentiles were not involved.
John the Baptist would Baptize anyone who wanted to join God's family. Jew or Gentile.... no problem.
Admission to the Baptismal Pool was by "open invitation". Anyone could do it. This upset the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees and the Sadducees kept asking John "by who's authority" he did his cleansing ceremonies. Not just anyone could perform ceremonies.... and definitely the gentiles were never consulted.
Jesus hasn't even started His Mission and John, his cousin, was making waves in the Jewish Traditions.
John even told everyone that Jesus was coming. Jesus hasn't even started His Mission on Earth, and his cousin is pissing off the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
John told people his ceremony was not as good as the one his cousin, Jesus, would perform. John said, "I Baptize you with water.... but Jesus is coming and He will Baptize you in the Holy Spirit".
John also told everyone to get their lives together.... because the Messiah was on His way!
I want to point out something at the end of the commentary. John the Baptist was standing in the River Jordan, where centuries before, Joshua led the people across the Jordan during the flood stage on dry land. That story says that Joshua took the Arc of the Covenant to the middle of the river and held it there. The flood waters piled up and the Israelites crossed on dry land. As soon as everyone got across, Joshua stepped out of the Jordan, with the Arc, the flood waters returned.
I hadn't read that one before. So apparently even the place where John was working was special.
John the Apostle wrote about John the Baptist.
John the Baptist dunked people.
