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

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.

  1. Why was Jesus’s baptism significant in his ministry?
  2. Have you been baptized?
  3. Why do you think it is important to be baptized?
  4. Angelic Wars 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:

10 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.

Reply
    Rick says April 18, 2023

    Hey Judy,

    Thanks for commenting. I agree! My comments will come in six days with the next section.

    Reply
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

Reply
    Rick says March 2, 2023

    Thank you for your insights, Russell!

    Reply
    Rick says April 18, 2023

    I agree with you, Russell. I think you are the only person who I know that has been “dunked three times.” Sounds like a “Trinity kind of thing.” 🙂

    Reply
Debra Duncan says April 25, 2023

Yes I have been baptized. I believe being baptized is important in that it signifies the washing away of the original sin we inherit from Adam and Eve. As parents we are giving our child (if that’s the case) to God and uniting with Him and the community to raise this child in the Ways of the Lord.

Reply
    Rick says April 25, 2023

    Thanks for your comment, Deb. I believe most Christians will agree with everything you wrote. It is my view that society in general struggles with the concept that humankind is too evil (by nature)to stand in the presence of an infinitely holy God–thus requiring the need for redemption.

    Reply
Rick says May 1, 2023

Rick’s thoughts on John 1:19-28

1. Why was Jesus’s baptism significant in his ministry?

Jesus started his ministry with baptism. Here is the first situation where the entire Trinity was apparent in the New Testament—Jesus, the dove (representing the Holy Spirit) and the voice of the Father. (See Matthew 3). Baptism is as symbol of us dying to sin when we go down in the water where we rise to a new life when we emerge. In the Old Testament God uses water to cleanse the world. Remember Noah’s days?

2. Have you been baptized?

I was baptized as an infant and confirmed in the Catholic Church at 13. However, Judy and I are scheduled to be baptized in the Jordan River, just south of the Sea of Galilee in October 2023. Catholics and Protestants differ on the timing of Baptism. In Catholicism, it is done shortly after birth, freeing the infant of Original Sin that is the sinful human nature passed down from Adam and Eve. Other Christian denominations take the position that only a person who can consent to Baptism can be transformed and have a personal profession of faith. These denominations “dedicate” infants to the Lord.

3. Why do you think it is important to be baptized?

Baptism is a good sign of transformation from unholy to holiness. Remember what transpired at the Red Sea when Moses crossed over? They passed through the river and entered a new life.
Paul discusses the purpose of baptism and what kind of life we should lead in Romans 6.

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”

If you have not been baptized, it is important because it is a public display of your commitment to Jesus.

4. Angelic Wars Question: In my novel, Angelic Wars: End of the Beginning, can you name the angel that I modeled after the prophet Elijah?

Leihja, the angel who was a voice in the desert and trained the Septemviri in spiritual warfare.

Reply
van says May 3, 2023

Jesus’ baptism showed the Father and HOly Spirit.
Yes been baptized, once as a Roman Catholic baby and then as an adult, dunked 3 times as well
Receive gift of holy spirit as part of new covenant

Reply
    Rick says May 3, 2023

    Thanks for responding. I already threw in my thoughts last week.

    Reply
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