The Authority of Jesus Challenged!

[MatthewG]

This is a great scene between the Pharisees and Jesus, interesting question by him too.

“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven or was it merely human?

I don’t know the answer to the question either, however from what I gather, it was to fulfill Gods purposes when Jesus and John were both together, with John stating “I need to be baptized by you.”

The water baptisms were for a material representation to the Jewish people that they needed to repent of their sins, mainly for disregarding God. That’s all it was, Jesus was to later baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire after his death and resurrection.

While there is nothing wrong with being baptized today with water or sprinkling however you choose it doesn’t really show a change of heart, that truly has to come from within oneself in realization of looking to God and asking him to help you by the spirit which Jesus mentions later on in the recording of Luke 11:13.

 

[Verily]

I would say it was from heaven

Because it shows us that John was sent by God

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

Jesus said he was more than a prophet

Mat 11:9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

Jesus said,

Mat 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

Both of these rejected the baptism of John and puts it this way,

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

So not being baptized of John was considered to be rejecting the counsel of God

On the otherhand these are shown as justifying God by doing so

Luke 7:29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

The one rejects Gods counsel and the other justifies God when it comes to Johns baptism

Not to mention, John himself had the Holy Ghost from his mothers womb Luke 1:15

Keeping that in mind, when John says to Jesus

Mat 3:14 I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

What baptism did John need to be baptized of Jesus with if Jesus was to baptize with
the Holy Ghost when we know John had the Holy Ghost from his mothers womb.

 

[MatthewG]

Thank you @Verily. I wanted to also share something else but it left my mind.

 

[Verily]

Thank you @Verily. I wanted to also share something else but it left my mind.

Don't you just hate that? The older I get the more this happens.

 

[MatthewG]

Don't you just hate that? The older I get the more this happens.

That’s alright, sometimes it comes back @Verily. What I wanted to say was when Elizabeth and Mary met up together John from the womb, lept. It’s a wonder if since John had the Holy Spirit in the womb and Yeshua being the Word of God soon to be born in the flesh, they may have communed with each other while together. Just something that I heard during one of the Bible studies that I had come across and thought it was interesting.

 

[Verily]

That’s alright, sometimes it comes back @Verily. What I wanted to say was when Elizabeth and Mary met up together John from the womb, lept. It’s a wonder if since John had the Holy Spirit in the womb and Yeshua being the Word of God soon to be born in the flesh, they may have communed with each other while together. Just something that I heard during one of the Bible studies that I had come across and thought it was interesting.

I always loved that even in the sense of being greeted in Christ by another who has the Holy Spirit and your own spirit leaps for joy because of their presence, life and words. That picture was always one that I "felt" when I read it. I always loved that one.