For the most part, many have no clue about the origin of water baptism. Thus, they do not understand or place the proper importance on the Jewish Jesus and his baptism. Since the circumstances of his baptism are unknown it leaves a dark area of knowledge concerning water baptism by John the Baptist and later the Apostles.
Why would the Jewish Jesus be baptized?
Why would the Jewish Jesus baptize?
Why would the Jewish Jesus instruct his disciples to baptize?
Why was it essential for a person to believe and be baptized to be saved?
Let me begin with why the Jewish Jesus was baptized.
Baptism has its roots in two areas of religious practice in Israel. The first is the total immersion of the High Priest prior to his entry into the Tabernacle on the day of Atonement. This passing through the waters is a mikveh. A mikveh is any passing through of the waters where a purification of uncleanness is deemed necessary. Some of the purification mikvehs have to do with bodily defilement and or a person deemed to be unclean. Several things would make a man or woman unclean. It is in the mikveh these are spiritually washed away. The mikveh in the case of a woman is not the washing away of anything, it is only a sign she has completed her cycle and is now ready to resume her life. This said, there are divers washings that are mikveh because the person or item passes through waters to bring about sanctification. This sanctification is the setting aside of the person again for a holy purpose. Apply this to the high priest afore mentioned. He enters the Atonement mikveh, not to wash away filth of the flesh. It is a moment of sanctification wherein he is set aside to come out of the waters of purification to now be able to enter the holy of holies. He may not enter the holy of holies as the high priest to make an Atonement until after he has passed through the Atonement mikveh.
It is on the day of his baptism at the Jordan River that Jesus passed through his mikveh to begin his assent into the holy of holies to make Atonement for all the world. His baptism was not just a show how it is done, that is by total immersion in water, but it was to signal his work of redemption for the world had begun. Those waters of Jordan became his moment of spiritual purification before the world. Even as no man dare accuse the high priest of sin after his mikveh and his assent toward the holy of holies, even so, dare no man to become an accuser of Jesus as a sinner who was from that moment on his way to Calvary to make Atonement for the world.
Why do I write these things? The Jewish Jesus has sent me to the world to testify of him. To testify of the truth. Something that few other men in the world have been selected to do in these past years. This ministry is unique. And in it, the revelation of the Lord Jesus Messieh is supreme. This is why, this son of the Blood is anointed to preach, to write, and to bring out truths so many cannot get from the carnal minds that lead them. This message is from the Jewish Jesus. And his baptism is all about his glory.
At the baptism of the Jewish Jesus, his Messianic ministry began. The 69th week of Daniel expired at sundown the night before. Daniel prophesied that unto Messieh the Prince would be 69 weeks. Jesus could not come on any day of or prior to the end of this time period. So, at sundown the night before, the 70th week of Daniel began. And it was exactly time for the Messieh to be manifest according to the prophecy of Daniel. How would the Messieh be manifested? Where would he make his appearance? This is a beautiful part of the Jewish Jesus story.
The place where John was baptizing was called Bethabara. Now this name means Beth-house and bara-crossing. It means house of the crossing. It is here, on this exact spot that the children of Israel passed over into the Land of Promise. Bethabara is adjacent to the location of Gilgal. And it was here at Gilgal the prophet Elijah passed the place of the prophets before he was taken up into heaven. Gilgal was also the place where Samuel acknowledged Saul as the first king of Israel. David came here to Gilgal to also receive the kingdom. So, we can understand the spiritual significance of Jesus coming to Bethabara and Gilgal and why John was at that precise spot. Now John is the equivalent of Elijah. He is also the ministry of the Prophets. And in this succession, John is performing the role of Samuel to Saul and David. There is a prophet and there is a king. Except this time, it is John the Baptist and the Jewish Jesus. This is why Jesus told John that he must fulfill all righteousness in baptizing him. This is why the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, to show John and the world that Jesus was now anointed to go forth into his Messianic work of high priest king. No, Jesus did not become the Messieh at his baptism, he was born the Messieh. But at his baptism he was officially sent forth to do the salvation work of the Messieh.
Did the Jewish Jesus baptize, or did only his disciples baptize?
According to John 4:1 the Prarisees had spies who reported to them that Jesus had made and baptized more disciples than John. For some reason someone did not like this and so added the next statment ("Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples). The brackets show it was not in the original text. I am not sure why so many do not want to admit Jesus baptized. There is no reason to deny it. Notice the following text:
"After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them and baptized" (John 3:22).
There is no mistake here. Jesus did baptize. How many we do not know. But it is almost a certain he baptized all of his Apostles otherwise they would go forth baptizing and had not been baptized themselves.
The Jewish Jesus instructed his Apostles to baptize.
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16).
We do not believe the Scriptures teach self baptisms, and so they who preached the Gospel the sinners believed, would also of necessity to do the baptizing. There is no reason to deny this except to claim the Apostles did not have authority from the Jewish Jesus to baptize.
Why did the Jewish Jesus insist that a person was not saved until they had believed and were baptized?
Because baptism was to bring with it the remission of sins, as well as an act of faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Yes, correct water baptism is an act of faith. It is at the time of baptism a person is risen with Christ (Col 3:1). No one is risen with Christ until they are baptized, and no one is saved until they have been risen with Christ. Therefore, water baptism is essential to salvation and a person cannot be born again and saved without it.
The Jewish Jesus laid it down straight and all the world is commanded to be baptized. The Apostle Peter sealed this and locked it up in Acts 2:38.
The Jewish Jesus is the center of New Testament water baptism. It is his name into which we are baptized for the remission of sins. Remission of sins can come only by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, in baptism our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus. It is not the water that washes away it is the Blood that is applied while we are immersed and buried. Once this has been performed by faith, no person dare accuse us of any sin that was pardoned and remitted by the Atonement. It is here at this moment, we have our first holiness. The blood of Jesus cleanses us, sanctifies us, and gives us a holiness. It is this holiness you must maintain for the rest of your life. It is both an inner and outer holiness. And without it no man shall see the Lord (Heb 12:14). It is a sin to reject New Testament mikveh baptism. These waters become our mikveh, our sanctification, our purification, our crossing over, our translation from darkness to light, and our resurrection from the past carnal life to a new spiritual life in Christ. Baptism is our real starting point as a true follower of Christ, just as baptism was the starting point of Jesus as the Messieh of Israel. Until we are resurrected with him, how can we walk, live, and reign with him?
The Jewish Jesus has ordained water baptism to be the place where each person becomes a new creation.
Have your re-creation soon. Be baptized according to Acts 2:38 and begin the completion of your new birth of water and Spirit (John 3:3-5).
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