THE BAPTISMS OF MOSES, JOHN AND JESUS.

Saturday 14 December

And each one of them [allowed himself also] to be baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea [they were thus brought under obligation to the Law, to Moses, and to the covenant, consecrated and set apart to the service of God]; 1 Corinthians 10:2 (NKJV)

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Matthew 3:11 (NKJV)

for John truly baptised with water, but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:5 (NKJV)

Here are three examples of baptism in the Bible. What you should notice straightaway is that they are completely different from each other. To understand this fully, we need to go back to the Greek word ‘baptizo’ which simply means ‘to immerse’.

Looking at Moses baptism of the children of Israel it was simply an immersion of the people into the Moses teaching in the law. You could use ‘baptiso’ this way. ‘She was baptised (immersed) into the plot of the movie’. Someone can be baptised (immersed) in their work.

We can see from these examples that ‘baptizo’ means to be immersed, it does not presuppose the medium into which someone is baptised. This is important to take note of as we continue.

John was baptising in water for the sole purpose of locating the Messiah. John 1:31 confirms this:

“I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

the interesting thing about John saying ‘I did not know Him’ is that Jesus was John’s cousin. What He meant was John didn’t recognise Jesus as the Messiah until he saw the Holy Spirit descend as a dove on Jesus.

This was the sign that God gave John so he would know who the Anointed One is. Imagine his shock when he realises that it’s his younger cousin who is the one they have been waiting for.

Question: If water baptism or John’s baptism was for the sole purpose of announcing the Messiah to the Jews then didn’t it become obsolete after doing so?

Then we have the baptism of Jesus. This time the immersion is not into water as John highlights but with the Holy Spirit and fire. In other words you will be baptised in the Holy Spirit or immersed into Christ. We call this receiving salvation.

Notice the medium has changed. It’s not water, it’s now the Spirit.

John 7:37-39 tells us something powerful!

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Did you see that? Jesus said the waters were the Spirit not physical water which was only a symbol of the real. Jesus confirmed it Himself in Acts 1:5 when he stated to his disciples ‘for John truly baptised with water, but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The baptism of Moses was being immersed into the teaching of Moses. The baptism of John was being immersed into water which was shadow of the real that would come through Jesus. ‘Out of HIS belly would flow rivers of living water which is salvation. (John 7:38). Finally we have the baptism of Jesus which is being immersed into Christ by the Spirit not by water.

Out of all three that we’ve briefly looked at there is only one baptism that remains. Can you guess by now which one it is?

APPLICATION

Read through John the Baptist’s account in John 1:19-34 to gain a deeper understanding into his purpose and mission to announce and reveal the Messiah to Israel.