The Gospel of John 1:19-28 (Baptism)

Here is the next section, John 1:19-28:

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

“I baptize with[e] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Questions and discussion:

Here, John plays the role of the one who will arrive before the Messiah–the one predicted by Isaiah. John said he only baptized with water.

Why was Jesus’s baptism significant in his ministry?
Have you been baptized?
Why do you think it is important to be baptized?
Novel Question: In my novel, Angelic Wars: End of the Beginning, can you name the angel that I modelled after the prophet Elijah?

Leave a Comment:

4 comments

Judy says February 24, 2023

It is important to be baptized to give your community an outward expression of you commitment to the Lord.

Rick says February 24, 2023

I agree! I will post my comment expanding this notion. Thanks!

Russell Snider says March 1, 2023

Why was Jesus’s baptism significant in his ministry? It signified the beginning of his public ministry I believe.

Have you been baptized? a long time ago in a pond in Indiana with water (dunked 3 times)

Why do you think it is important to be baptized? It’s an outward profession of my faith in Christ.

Novel Question: In my novel, Angelic Wars: End of the Beginning, can you name the angel that I modeled after the prophet Elijah? OH, shoot, I cannot…. LOL

Rick says March 2, 2023

Thank you for your insights, Russell!

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