Q2. Meaning of John's Baptism

[Pastor Ralph]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

[Clarence]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

 

Paul states in Acts 19: 3-5 that John's baptism was for repentance to prepare for "the one coming after him..." Jesus. John knew very clearly what God had put him there to do. (See answers to Q1). He was sent to prepare the way for the one coming after him, the Messiah (Isaiah 40). John the Baptist had a significant following during his time of public ministry in the wilderness (Matt 3:5-6). The people must have believed what John had told them about the significance of baptism in their lives and that of Israel at the time (Matt 3:11). He told them the meaning of his baptism and how to live, to demonstrate their repentance (Matt 3:8 and Luke 3:11-14).

[blezed]

Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

• John baptized with water, helping the people perform a symbolic act of purification and forgiveness. 

[JanMary]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize?

 

Baptism, along with a call for repentance was John's roll in preparation of the revealing of the Lamb of God, Jesus, who was soon to die for the sins of mankind.

 

What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing?

 

It is the "type and shadow" of one who says "YES" to His invitation for salvation, and in Him, dies to the old life of sin, is buried with Christ, rises with Him from the grave and lives in His righteousness both from that time and through eternity...the Bride of Christ.

 

What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

 

I'm not sure what they knew of prophecy....so most likely it was their hearts response to his call to repent, since conscience tells each of us that we are sinners and cannot be clean through our own efforts....It was a step toward God....a change of heart.

[Jen]

John baptized to draw attention to Jesus, the Messiah and to draws mens hearts which were open to God.  The pharisees thought that they were without sin.  Baptism signified cleansing and purifying and was said it would be used in the days of Messiah.

 

God Bless!

Jen

Numbers 6:24-26

[Delivered]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

The LORD God of Israel called John to be a Messenger, to prepare the way before the Messiah, the One who will bring “Peace”, the call for Israel is to “repent” and be “baptized” – a new concept that would display to others, that they outwardly renounce their ways of wickedness,  their offences against Jehovah and their contempt of His majesty, restoring instead moral order in the heart - Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

 

The act of baptism is to distinguish a remnant of faithful people, a people who will lift up a standard that will declare praise up to the LORD; for the faithful believe Isaiah 62:6-7 I have set a watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

 

Isaiah 62:10-12 go through, go through the gates; prepare you the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, the holy people, and the redeemed of the LORD: and you shall be called, Sought out, a city not forsaken.

 

Beginning from the baptism of John - From the time that Christ was baptized by John in Jordan; for it was at that time that his public ministry properly began.

 

[Guitar Jim]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize?

 

John was preaching and baptizing to prepare people for the coming of Jesus. He was preaching repentance from sin and cleansing from past sinful practices.

 

 

 

What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing?

 

It was an outward sign of an inward change of attitude and renewed obedience to God.

 

 

 

What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

 

It meant different things to different people. To some it meant exactly what I wrote above. To some others it was merely following along with what the crowd was doing. Without wanting to pre-empt Pastor Ralph's next lesson, it was clear to John the Baptist that some of those lining up for baptism weren't interested in changing their ways. Some didn't even know what they should do once they had "repented" of their sins. John took those people to task. Matthew's Gospel gives us more details of John's preaching and his encouter with Jesus.

[hanks]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) 

Why did John baptize? 

What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? 

What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

John was urging people to repent of their sins and then baptizing them as a sign of such repentance. The Pharisees maintained lavish washing rituals, including the baptism of Gentiles when they converted to Judaism. But John’s baptism was different and new to Jewish religious thought. In their theology, only God could forgive sins. However, John was merely performing a symbolic act of repentance, and announced that soon one would come who would truly forgive sins, something only the Son of God - the Messiah - could do. The Jews submitted to John’s baptism as a public expression of their repentance; for they knew from OT teachings of the necessity of spiritual cleansing in connection with the Messiah’s coming. 

 

[pickledilly]

John preached a message of repentance, and that was the purpose of his baptism.  It was not a baptism of forgiveness or salvation, for that was yet to come through the Christ who was soon to be revealed.  It was a baptism of preparation specifically for the Jews who humbled themselves to repent of missing the heart of God in all their law-keeping and who grieved over becoming a self-righteous, disobedient, and proud people. John called and baptized them into self-examination and a purification that prepared them for faith in the Way of grace and truth that would come through Christ, the Light who would supersede their Law given through Moses.  The Jews had been awaiting Messiah for centuries, and to think that He was soon-coming must have been a compelling force for repentance for many as John warned them to make themselves ready - and merely a draw for some who got caught up in an emotional expectation.  Those who honestly took this message to heart were the ones who became the first believers unto salvation in the newborn Church before the gospel message was offered to the Gentile world.

[Singergram]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

 

John baptized for repentance or turning away from a life not centered on doing the will of God. He was calling his generation to a life that looked to God as their source--not to their jobs or their governments to sustain them. This immersion in God's will was to prepare the hearts of the people for the powerful message of redemption that was to culminate in the death and resurrection of the Messiah. I think that to those John baptized, their baptism represented a washing of the old way of life and adopting a new center--God--for the focus of their lives.

[servant for Christ]

The Old Testament associated the coming of Messiah with repentance and spiritual cleansing. John focused attention on his position as forerunner of  Messiah, who used traditional proselyte baptism as a symbol of the need to recognize those Jews who were outside God's saving covenant like Gentiles. They too needed spiritual cleansing and preparation for Messiah's advent. The baptism of John thus powerfully and dramatically symbolizes repentance. The Jews accepting John's baptism were admitting they had been as Gentiles and needed to become the people of God genuinely inwardly. The people were repenting in  anticipation of the Messiah's arrival.

[lighthouse2014]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

John was baptizing because he commanded the Jews to repent from sin, exercise virtue both to their neighbors and to God.

The meaning of the baptism John was doing was to proclaim the Kingdom of God, for the people to repent for the forgiveness of sins.

To the people whom John baptized they knew it was for repentance from sins and purification of the flesh.   

[tgandy]

John baptized as an act of purification and forgiveness.  It was a cleansing. John was getting those ready for the one who would come after.

[haar]

Q3. (John 1:19-27) How does John the Baptist show humility? How can a person see himself as the fulfillment of a passage from Isaiah and still be humble about it? How does John see himself in relation to the coming Messiah? How can a person be such a strong revivalist preacher and still remain humble? Can humility and powerful, confident speech co-exist?

 

John showed humility by stating clearly to the messengers from Jewish authorities that he was not any of the three – the Christ, Elijah or the Prophet expected then. He further told them the one to come so great that he could not untie the thong of his sandals.

 

John’s humility stemmed from the fact that he knew he was merely a messenger sent by God and he could not therefore exalt himself.

 

One can be powerful and gentle/ humble when lead by the Spirit of God who is gentle but powerful.

[SoiKosum]

(John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

 

John heeded God's call for him to prepare the people for Jesus' coming to Earth. That was John the Baptist's mission in life. 

 

John's water baptism was an act of purification and forgiveness. It draws a resemblance from the Jewish proselyte baptism, a ritual bath by which a Gentile convert to Judaism was cleansed from moral and religious impurity.

 

John's water baptism was for the repentance and forgiveness of sins. The act of going under the water can be considered an act of death and rebirth. To some of the Jews who were baptized by John the, if they did not fully comprehend John's message, meaning of the baptism could be just the Jewish act of cleansing.  

[dillards]

John baptized the people so they could show an outward action of an inward change- much like folks in mourning used to cut their hair or put ashes on their skin. It was an action that made a declaration to the world. The baptism represented going down (giving up in death) the filth of sin and re-emerging cleansed and new.

[RebeccaMallinson]

John baptised to cleanse people from spiritual impurity.  They had to be willing to repent of their sins first. The immersion in water symbolises washing, but in a spiritual rather than physical sense.  It would represent a marker in a person’s life that they would draw a line and lead a new and righteous life from that point on.

[quilter]

John was baptizing to get ready for the one greater than him.This is what he was telling the Pharisees. John told all that He baptist with water,he was just helping the people perform a symbolic act of repentenace that soon one would come  to truly forgive sins. Some thing only the Son of God  -the Messiah could do.

 

The people listened to John,if he was not worthy of unlatching his sandals how much more could the one coming after John could be. I believe John got through to these people and all was baptist and waiting for the mighty one.  They wanted to be pure and perfect  for Jesus.

 

 

 

[AnonymousK]

Why did John baptize?  What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing?  What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

 God called him to preach and baptize; to make the way for Christ.  It was symbolic of repentance and forgiveness; an outward preparation of following Christ.

[parkerslope]

Why did John baptize?

God called John to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.  Thus John was told to baptize people for repentance to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Messiah.  The people - Jews - were led into the traditions by the Pharisees which had diluted the Law.  The Jews listening to John were told to REPENT- to turn from their sinful ways and to show that they had by being baptized.

 

What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing?

The baptism was to show that they had a change of heart toward God - that is by repented of their sins.

 

 

What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

The evidence to others, that they had taken the step to let go of the traditions and turn their lives over to the will of God.  They were looking for the Messiah to come and they were ready.

[Commissioned]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

John baptized because he was instructed to do so by God.  John's baptizing was an act of purification and forgiveness those who repented of their sins. For those John baptized they received the act as a sign that they were forgiven of their sins and were in obedience to God's command through John.

[Old Jerry]

John was baptizing to help may the way for Jesus. This is way that he had asked the people to repent from their sins and if they did then he would baptize them. They probably though that God had accepted them.

[grace2free]

Q2. (John 1:26-27)

John 1:26  John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
John 1:27  He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
 

Why did John baptize?

 

John was to prepare the way of the coming Messiah. One way of preparing to meet someone is to be presentable/acceptable. Having a good shower, grooming, and nice clean clothes. So John baptize with water to wash the body of a sinner-believer to purify them and make them presentable/acceptable before they meet the coming Christ.

 

What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing?

 

John's baptism with water means the washing of body for purification of the vessel. Being ready, being clean body, being acceptable.

 

What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

 

Those who are baptized by John are presentable and acceptable to Jesus Christ.

[royk]

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized?

John was preparing the way for Jesus' ministry, as he was called by God to do this. He jolted for joy as a fetus in his mother's womb where Jesus fetus was near. It was a spiritual connection of power and glory to God's plan for Jesus, to save the world. Those who heard John preach and were baptized knew that they had to change their ways and baptism was the fist step to returning more deeply to God.

 

May we find that way right now, in Jesus name, amen

[Stanley Tavaziva]

John was baptizing Jews. The Essene practiced baptism for purification, but normally only non-Jews (Gentiles) were baptized when they converted to Judaism. When the Pharisees questioned John’s authority to baptize, they were asking who gave John the right to treat God’s chosen people like Gentiles. John said, “I baptize with water”—he was merely helping the people perform a symbolic act of repentance. But soon one would come who would truly forgive sins, something only the Son of God—the Messiah—could do.