"When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria."
Although what is said in today's quote appears to contain only a time line of events, and where those events took place on a map, this text actually relates some very, very important information.
Note, the text says; "Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John", and then in clarification and in parentheses, it says, in essence, Jesus Himself did NOT baptize, but rather His disciples did.
(The term baptism, and it's grammatic variants, as they are applied in this text are all in reference to water "baptisms".)
We know Jesus would eventually offer a soul saving "baptism" but that could not be until He was sacrificed for the sins of the world. We know too that the baptism Jesus offered was (and still is) a baptism of the spirit, NOT of the flesh.
This information is very important in that it helps clear up the confusion some have concerning the reason those first followers of Jesus underwent and performed water baptisms.
As we have discussed before, water baptism was borne out of Hebrew law and tradition and was practiced, beginning in Genesis, as a means to prepare an individual to enter the presence of God, whether that be in tabernacle, or temple. As in this example it was done to prepare those early disciples to worship Jesus, the Son of God.
Remember, John the Baptist said "I indeed baptize you with water UNTO repentance". (Matthew 3:11 in part)
Water baptism was NEVER scripturally designated as anything more than a step "unto", or toward, repentance. It NEVER had any purpose other than cleansing the flesh of EARTHLY impurities.
John's statement in itself clearly defines the purpose of water baptism. In the above example it was done as a step "unto" or toward, repentance, and had nothing to do with salvation, seeing that there would be no salvation until Jesus fulfilled the law and remitted the sins of those who would simply believe in Him.~
NOTE: (To repent simply means to deny the old and accept the new, or to change one's mind.)
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