John the Baptist was a messenger Angel. He was sent by God to prepare the way/coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (vs1-3). The bible shows us that John was dressed in a certain way, he had a camel’s hair and leather girdle around his waist, and he fed on locust and wild field honey…. wieeerd!!.
John was kinda famous. The bible showed us that people poured out from Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordanian countryside to hear and see him in action. There at the Jordan River (where he baptised people), those who came to confess their sins were baptized into a changed life. In verse 11, we found out that John had a sense of humility. John was sent by God to prepare for the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ, he did not take his place, he still could not have been able to take His (Jesus) place because he (John) was not the Messiah, he was humble enough to say He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy. John understood his assignment, he knew his place and did not compete for authority or position with Jesus. He knew and understood what God had sent him to do.
Still on vs 11, John made a very interesting statement, while he baptized the people who came to him, he said, ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry: he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire…. What is the meaning of baptism? Well, I will go first. Baptism is immersion in water. What does it mean to be baptized? It simply means to be immersed into something, an activity or role. Synonyms or similar words for baptism could be immersion, to launch, inauguration, commencement (to mark a new beginning).
There are 2 forms of baptism as seen in Mathew 3: 11-12
Baptism by water: This is a brief immersion in water for repentance. Now guys, this does not just end here lol. I am going to explain better and in a broader perspective much later in this blog… so sit tight!! 😊
Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with Fire: This is the inauguration of the power of the Holy spirit within you, to ignite the kingdom life within you, the power of the Most High within you changing you from inside out… (Its an amazing experience and journey).
Quick Question.…Why did Jesus concede to be baptized by John?
Isn’t He the messiah after all? He is the chosen one, right? Okay no assumptions let find out. The bible said John would have prevented Him by saying “I need to be baptized by you and do you come to me? (vs14) Lol. Now listen to Jesus’s response “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness”. Did you catch that response? Hmmm… Jesus Christ wanted to fulfil all righteousness. What does it even mean to fulfil all righteousness…? I think it means to ensure that no detail is left out completely from the package. Jesus Christ was careful in letting us know how it should be done. He wanted to show us how relevant it is baptism by immersion in water is. Remember He is the Messiah, the King of Kings, this is beyond humility, He came to show us how it is done.
Culled by Eseosa