The Meaning Behind John's Baptism, Part 1 (TMF:2984)
Thursday, October 15, 2026
by Daniel Litton Listen to the Feature
“(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.” What then is really going on with John’s baptism? This practice of water immersion introduced by John appears to have its parallel in the Old Testament practice and procedure of admitting Gentiles peoples into the Jewish religion. In other words, in the Old Testament, when a person desired to become Jewish, and worship the Jewish God, Leviticus 15:13 called for a ritual of purification much like water baptism. In connection to this is the interesting fact of John basically saying that those who belonged to the Nation of Israel, those of the Jewish race, weren’t truly in right relationship with God.