Unique

Ps.40:^7-8 “Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”

Please read John 3:22-36. As you read, I pray that these Ancient Word will impart your life. John 3:²² “Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people.” If you read this passage out of context, you would assume that Jesus was doing the baptism. However, John 4:² says, “(though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did).” The Good News Translation says, “(Actually, Jesus himself did not baptize anyone; only his disciples did.)” (emphasis added). John the Baptist baptized, and Jesus chose not to baptize anyone but allowed His disciples to baptize people. Why do you think Jesus did that? The purpose of Bible study is for you to engage with scriptures and ask questions. Open your heart and God will lead you to discover and see so many things in His Word.

Jesus wanted to be known as the one that baptizes with the Holy Ghost and fire even as John the Baptist had testified about Him earlier. John said, ‘The one who is to come, whose sandals I am not worthy of lacing, will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire’. However, even though Jesus Himself did not baptize anyone with water, His disciples under His authority baptized people with water and He was seen as baptizing with water. The truth is that, human beings will be human beings, if Jesus had baptized some people and not others, it would have become a thing for people to brag about. Imagine someone that Jesus baptized laughing at another person that Judas baptized and saying their baptism is fake. But Jesus was there with His disciples giving credit to their leadership, letting people know that they can baptize, and it is also authentic.

As we progress in our study of the Book of John, we will see how The Book of John is different from the other Synoptic Gospels [Matthew, Mark, and Luke]. You will see the things that make John’s account unique. John 3:²⁴ “(This was before John was thrown into prison.)” Interestingly, John, the beloved gives an account of Jesus’ ministry before the imprisonment of John the Baptist. The Synoptic Gospels [Matthew, Mark, and Luke] focused on Jesus’ ministry after John the Baptist had been imprisoned. But John the beloved is the only one that included the part of Jesus’ ministry that happened before John was imprisoned. When next you read the Synoptic Gospels, you will see that the Book of John is adding and completing what was left out by the others.

John 3:²⁶ “So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.” Some of John’s disciples never accepted Jesus as the Messiah. They were so focused on John that even when John said, “that is the Messiah”, they did not accept it. At the time John the beloved wrote this Book in the city of Ephesus, and even till today, there are still people that are disciples of and following John the Baptist.

Prayer: Father, help me identify my unique path in Your design, in Jesus Name. Amen!