Did Jesus Baptize?

Painting by John McNaughton

Did Jesus Baptize Anyone?

Spring, AD 27

How Did Baptism Get Started?

Baptism was a new concept in the first century. Judaism recognized self-immersion in water as a key element of conversion to the Jewish faith. Self-immersions as acts of faith were also an important element for those who wished to join the Esssene community at Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.  

But the concept that a person should be baptized (immersed in water) by another person as an act of faith--or that a person could be baptized "in the name of" another person--is not recorded before the ministry of John the Baptist. In all likelihood, Baptism was invented by him--or more precisely, it was given to him by the Holy Spirit.

It is possible that John's practice was an expansion upon the Qumran rituals, for many academics have speculated that John spent some time with them "in the desert" of Qumran. David Flusser, former professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, wrote that John's theology of baptism was in accord with the Qumran theology of water immersion, in the sense that no amount of water immersion would have any effect without a change in the heart of the one who was immersed. (This is found in an academic article by Flusser which has yet to be translated from the Hebrew.)

John's baptism was a "Baptism of Repentance," done in the context of expectation of the imminent arrival of the expected Messiah. It was done in preparation for the visitation of God to the Jewish people. 

Who got baptized by John the Baptist?

Clearly, people who heard of John's ministry in the desert flocked to him in droves. They heard his warning of the coming of God's kingdom, and many were baptized. This included people who knew they were not right with God due to sin in their lives, and tax collectors, and probably even Roman soldiers. Pharisees and Sadducees who believed they were all right with God due to their close adherence to the Law of Moses stayed away for the most part.

There is biblical evidence that those who were baptized by John were considered to be his "disciples" (John 4:1). This is true in the sense that those baptized were obeying the Baptist's call, and were intending to follow his ethical teachings (Luke 3:10-14). In this sense, even Jesus has been called a disciple of John, for he allowed himself to be baptized by John.

In the broader sense, a fully trained disciple was expected to become like his teacher. It's unlikely that there were droves of people who moved out into the desert to live with John, put on clothing of camel's hear and a leather belt, and eat locusts and wild honey. But there were likely a few that did just that, for even after John was jailed he had disciples who maintained contact with him and carried messages to Jesus. And many years later, Paul the Apostle encountered men who knew only the baptism of John, and were presumably following his teachings (Acts 19:3).

Who else got baptized during the time of Jesus' ministry?

Did Jesus baptize anyone? According to the picture above, yes. This splendid painting was created by John McNaughton in fulfillment of a commission. (If you google his name, you can buy a print of this on his website.) But a closer look at the Gospel message shows that this depiction is untrue.

In the early part of Jesus' ministry, before the Baptist was jailed by King Herod, John had moved his location to "Aenon near Salim," (John 3:23) which was either in Samaria (Governor Pilate's territory) or in the Decapolis (territory of the ten self-governing polis Roman cities). During this time, Jesus had relocated with his disciples to Judea (Pilate's territory) and according to John 3:22, was "spending time with them and baptizing."

A likely place for Jesus' baptizing activity would be the Ein Feshkha cliff-top spring, overlooking the Dead Sea. This site is just a few miles from Jerusalem, where Jesus could be found by people who heard about him while visiting the big city.

Jesus and the Baptist were simultaneously gaining disciples from their baptism activities, but Jesus was gaining more disciples than the Baptist. Here is where we learn, just a few verses later, that Jesus himself was not baptizing, but that his disciples were doing it, presumably under his direction (John 4:3). Jesus closed up shop and departed from Judea to return to Galilee with his disciples.

Did Jesus' disciples who were baptized by John the Baptist get re-baptized "in the name of Jesus?" The scriptures are silent. Were all the disciples who followed Jesus during his ministry baptized with water? The scriptures are silent.

We know about the prophecy of John the Baptist, who said that the more powerful One who would come after him would baptize not with water but with fire and the Holy Spirit. We read about the fulfillment of John's prophecy on the day of Pentecost, when the gift of speaking in other languages was distributed among Jesus's disciples.

But what about water baptism? Was that supposed to continue? Yes, we find, in just two mentions in the Gospels, and both of them from the mouth of Jesus after he had risen from the dead. Here they are:

Matthew 28:19 (literal translation) -- "Having gone, therefore, baptize all people-groups in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Mark 16:16 (literal translation) -- "The one who has believed and been baptized shall be saved; but the one who refuses to believe shall be condemned."

These are heavy-duty instructions, presumably referring to water baptism. Rivers of ink have flowed with interpretations of just what it means to be water- and Spirit-baptized. Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Baptists, and the Roman church all have theological nuances to be considered.

I  will leave these alone, and let the Scriptures speak for themselves.