The Birth and Childhood of the Baptist and His Desert Life

1. SCRIPTURE Luke 1:57-80 Lk. 1:57 Now Elizabeths full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. Lk. 1:58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy on her, they rejoiced with her. Lk. 1:59 Now so it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. Lk. 1:60 And his mother answered and said, No!; he shall be called Yochanan. Lk. 1:61 But they said to her, There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name. Lk. 1:62 So they made signs to his father what he should call him. Lk. 1:63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, His name is Yochanan. And they all marveled. Lk. 1:64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed and he spoke, praising God. Lk. 1:65 Then fear came upon all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. Lk. 1:66 And all those who heard them kept tem in their hearts, saying, What kind of child will this be? And the hand of the Lord was with him. Lk. 1:67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: Lk. 1:68 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people. Lk. 1:69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David. Lk. 1:70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began. Lk. 1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us. Lk. 1:72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant. Lk. 1:73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham. Lk. 1:74 To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear. Lk. 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. Lk. 1:76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His was. Lk. 1:77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of sins. Lk. 1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us. Lk. 1:79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, so guide our feet into the way of peace. Lk. 1:80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the say of his manifestation to Israel. 2. COMMENTARY Vs. 59: Yochanan haMatbil (John the Baptist) is born and it is time to name him. Of course, the angel had already instructed what the name would be. However, that raises a problem with the community. It was a Jewish custom to name a child on the day of his circumcision and to use the name of a relative. Since it is the responsibility of the father to name the child, and in this case the father Zacharias cannot speak, evidently the neighbors intended to give them a little help. However, God had a different plan that would take precedence. Brit Milah (covenant of circumcision) is first mentioned in the book of Genesis as a divine commandment to Abraham. Circumcision is the characteristic symbol of Judaism, even though it was known to the ancient world long before Abraham. It is also observed by the Muslims and other religions of our time. There are four participants: the child, the father, the Mohel (circumcisor), and the Sandek or the one who holds the child in his lap during the operation. The mohel is usually subject to regulations to ensure the performance of the operation with adequate precautions. The sandek whose privilege is to hold the child, is the fourth participant who is said to have emerged into importance not before the 10th century C.E. It is interesting to note that the ritual of Pidyon haBin (Redemption of the firstborn) is not being performed and Yochanan is being named on the eighth day, instead of his thirty-first day. He is redeemed by the payment of the equivalent of five shekels to a cohen, a descendant of the tribe of Levi, chosen

for the service in the Sanctuary in place of the firstborn of all tribes. The sacred shekel had twice the value of the common shekel, known as the Sela. The ceremony of Pidyon haBin has its origin in the books of Exodus and Numbers. The precept was originally designed to counteract the heathen practice of sacrificing the firstborn of man or beast to the Smitic gods. The reason is that both Elizabeth and Zacharias are descendants of the tribe of Levi, and this ritual does not apply (M:Berachoth 2:1). Vs. 60: Yochanan haMatbil was a wonder-child, born to a priestly couple in their old age. For some years before his manifestation to Israel, Yochanan lived in the wilderness of Judea. Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, it had been thought probable that this wilderness sojourn was not solitary. Perhaps he lived for a time (perhaps most of his adult life) in the community at Qumran. Josephus, the first-century historian, wrote that the Essenes adopted other mens children and molded them according to their principles. There is still a debate as to whether the occupants of Qumran were Essenes or Zealots. One reason for this is that at least one scroll found at Masada was written in the same hand as a scroll at Qumran. This may explain what happened to the Qumran people. When the Roman Legions were about to come through, they escaped to Masada and were probably part of the group that committed murder/suicide. It is thought by some that Zacharias and Elizabeth allowed the Essenes to adopt their son at some late point in time and raise him, suspecting that their lives would soon end. If they both were righteous before God, walking in all His commandments, they would not fit into the existing Temple cult very well. To insure that their son was taught the principles that they believed in, they may have looked to the Essenes to finish raising their son for them. Vs. 61: According to Jewish custom of that day, you named your child after a relative, whether living or dead. In modern Jewish tradition, you still do this to a degree, except it must always be a dead relative. However, neither Elizabeths side of the family, nor on Zacharias side had ever had someone named Yochanan. Elizabeths response is probably due to Zacharias inability to speak, since according to custom it is the fathers responsibility to name the child. Vs. 62: The neighbors do not sem to like what Elizabeth is doing., so they try to go over her head and go to her husband. They were normally not allowed to be part of the naming process anyway, except to be observers. This is highly unusual for them to become this involved. Again, Zacharias inability to speak for the last three months is coming into play in this situation. Vs. 63: Zacharias cannot speak out so he writes on a tablet that the name is to be Yochanan. Any protest from the neighbors now stops, because Zacharias has the final word. They may wonder at what is going on, but they will not question his decision. Vs. 64: When he exercises this one act of obedience the judgment of dumbness is now removed and he is able to speak. No doubt when Zacharias could speak again he shared with them what the angel had said concerning the prophecy in Malachi. The miracle of him getting his speech back was confirmation. Yochanan would some day lead the way for the coming of the Messiah that Israel had wanted for several hundred years. Vs. 65: According to Micah 5:2 the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem which is very near to this location. As mentioned earlier, this was the greatest period of Messianic Expectancy known to the Jewish people. These people were very much aware of all the prophecies concerning the Messiah and interest in them was bound to be at their peak. Any stranger or unusual event taking place was bound to go through the community like wild fire. Also, no one in Israel had received a visitation from an angel of the Lord for over 400 years. They had to know that something was going on. Vs. 67: When Zacharias speaks he is now filled with the Holy Spirit and he issues a song found in verses 68-79. This song can be divided into two main segments: (1) verses 68-75 speak of the Messiah who is to come; and (2) verses 76-79 talk about his own son, Yochanan. Vs. 69: Again we find him relating the coming of the Messiah to the Jewish covenants. In this verse it is the Davidic Covenant. Vs. 72: In this verse it is the Abrahamic Covenant. Also in these verses we find a play on words. The name Zacharias means God remembers. The name Elizabeth means oath or covenant. The combined meaning is God remembers His covenants. The last line of verse 72 and the first line of verse

73 gives us the interplay. The oaths in particular are contained in the Jewish covenants, but now with the coming of the Messiah, the covenants are to find their fulfillments. Vs. 73: Also we find in these verses the play on the words of the meaning of Zacharias, God remembers and Elizabeth oath or covenant of God, the combined meaning God remembers His covenants. The last line of verse 72 and the first line of verse 73 give you the interplay. The oaths in particular are contained in the Jewish covenants, but now with the coming of Messiah, the covenants are to find their fulfillment. Vs. 75: Holiness is a state that comes only from God, for only God is holy. Righteousness comes only from our obedience to our obligations to our covenant obligations that we have entered into with God. Vs. 76: He will not merely be a forerunner, but he will have the office of a prophet. The Hebrew word for prophet is Navi, and it signifies a spokesman or one who speaks for a divine power to human beings. The idea of prophecy is based on a belief in a God on whom the destiny and the well-being of mankind depends. Vs. 77: In this verse it is the New Covenant. So, three of th Jewish covenants are related here to the coming of Messiah. Vs. 78: The word Dayspring means day star, or the morning star. The morning star announces the coming of day. In that sense Yochanan is the dayspring. He is the morning star announcing the coming of the Sun of Righteousness found in Malachi 42 (3:20). The Jewish Study Bible gives an interesting definition for the term sun of righteousness. The rising of the sun of righteousness is a metaphor for the dawn of a new day, i.e., an era of history. Without a doubt, the coming of Messiah began the most important era of history known to mankind. Absolutely nothing could have had a more profound impact on our lives than the coming death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah. Vs. 79: The two-fold ministry of the Sun of Righteousness is given in this verse, and notice the exchange of pronouns: to give light to them (to shine upon them, the Gentiles) that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our (the Jews) feet in the way of peace. The contrast is between them and our, Gentile and Jew. The reference here is Isaiah 9:1. The people that walked in darkness have seen a brilliant light. On those who dwelt in a land of gloom light has dawned. The verbs used in this verse are in the past tense. This is another example of the prophetic past, which predicts future events using past tense because they are as good as accomplished. When Zacharias quotes this verse prophetically, the verbs change to the present tense indicating prophetic fulfillment. Vs. 80: Early in life, we are not sure of what age, but early in life he leaves the town in which he is born and goes into the wilderness of Judea. There he spends most of his life. But, this does one thing for Yochanan haMatbil, it separates him from the Judaism of his day. When his message finally does come, he is going to have a different perspective on God.

Yochanan haMatbil Prepares the Way

1. SCRIPTURE Matt. 3:1-6; Mark 1:2-6; Luke 3:3-6 Lk. 3:3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of remission of sins. (Mt. 3:3; Mk. 1:4) Mt. 3:2 And saying, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Lk. 3:4a As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, (Mt. 3:4a; Mk. 1:2a) Mk. 1:2b Behold, I send My messenger before your face, who will prepare Your way before You. Lk. 3:4b The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight, (Mt. 3:3b; Mk. 1:3) Lk. 3:5 Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; and the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth. Lk. 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Mt. 3:5 Then all Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around Jordan went out to him, (Mk. 1:5a) Mt. 3:6 And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (Mk. 1:5b) Mt. 3:4 And Yochanan himself was clothed in camels hair, with a leather belt around the waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. (Mk. 1:6) 2. COMMENTARY In this segment we have the Synoptic Gospels coming together for the first time. They are called the Synoptic Gospels because they all tell basically the same story, although the wording of their story is based upon their particular theme. The reason that they tell basically the same story is that Matthew, Mark, and Luke, unlike John, are far more interested in what Yeshua did than what He said. Johns Gospel does not fully parallel the other three because he is more interested in what Yeshua said and what the others left out. That is why in this commentary we are including all four Gospels so the story is complete. Comparing all four Gospels can present some wording problems, but overall it is worth it to see the full story. Our sources concerning Yochanan haMatbil are the New Testament and Josephus. Josephus interpretation of the significance of Yochanans baptism is almost identical to the theology of baptism in the Dead Sea Scrolls. It appears that there was indeed an infinity between Yochanan haMatbil and the Dead Sea Sect, and scholars assume that Yochanan was once a member of the Dead Sea Sect and had left for ideological reasons. Baptism for Yochanan haMatbil had a great significance as the Jewish ritual immersion in a mikvah (a special pool of rain water used for purification purposes). Yochanan had the belief that immersion purified the body from sin that had been a Jewish concept from the beginning of their recorded history. But, they believed that a persons body was defiled not only through contact with objects which were ritually unclean, but also through sin. When someone sinned, his body was defiled, and therefore, a man who had not repented before his immersion would not become pure. While immersion might purify the body, it would immediately be defiled again through the persons sins. Therefore repentance prior to immersion was absolutely necessary. Numerous people flocked to him since he did not require them to abandon their usual way of life, to give away their property to a communal fund, or form a separate sect. They simply hoped to redeem their souls through confession and immersion. There were even some who believed mistakenly that immersion itself would purify them from their sins. These people did not grasp the idea that repentance purified a man from sin, and water only purified the body. The Biblical concept of forgiveness presumes, in its oldest strata, that sin is a malefic force that adheres to the sinner and that forgiveness is the divine means for removing it. It is not enough to hope and pray for pardon. A man must humble himself, acknowledge his wrong, and resolve to depart from sin. The many symptoms for contrition testify to its primacy in the human effort to restore the desired relationship with God: seek the Lord (II Sam. 12:16; 21:1), search for Him (Amos 5:4), humble oneself before Him (Lev. 26:41), direct the heart to Him (I Sam. 7:3), and lay to heart (II Kings 22:19). At the same time, inner contrition must be followed by outward acts. Remorse must be translated into deeds. Two substances are involved in this process. First, the negative one of ceasing to do evil, and then the positive one of doing good. This doctrine implies that man has been endowed by God with the power of turning. He can turn from evil and to good, and the very act of turning will activate Gods concern and lead to forgiveness. Vs. 3:1: Yochanan was preaching a baptism of repentance unto remission of sins. In essence, the word baptism means to identify and those who were baptized by Yochanan were identifying themselves with the back to God movement. The baptism of Yochanan is not the same as the baptism of the Messiah, although the mode was the same. That is why those who were baptized by Yochanan and later received Yeshua as Messiah, had to be baptized all over again in Yeshuas name (Acts 19:1-5). Some were possibly familiar with the ritual immersion done by the priests in the Temple, but this was far different from Yochanans baptism. What Yochanan was evidently patterning his baptism after was the practice called tevilah. When a proselyte converted to Judaism he was required to perform this tevilah as part of his coming back to God. It was required to be performed in some type of a natu-

ral spring, or living water. Yochanan use the Jordan River. It was then said that the convert had experienced a new birth. Scholars continue to debate the exact location along the Jordan River where Yochanan haMatbil baptized Yeshua. The traditional site has come to be known as Bethabara, which means house of the ford. It is about 7 miles north of the Dead Sea. An article in the Jan./Feb., 2005 issue of the Biblical Archaeological Review magazine gives very convincing support for this view. Some scholars feel the real Bethabara was further up the Jordan River near Galilee. This is probably the same place identified in John 1:26-28 as Bethany beyond the Jordan. This should not be confused with the Bethany on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, which was the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Pilgrim tradition identifies this same site on the Jordan for both Joshuas crossing and Yeshuas baptism. The anonymous Pilgrim of Bordeaux (writing in 333) locates this site as the place where Elijah ascended to Heaven. Regardless of the exact location, what is more interesting is the Aramaic verb abar in Bethabara. Abar (eber in Hebrew) indicates a movement, the thought that one CAUSES or MOTIVATES another to move. Gilbert Sidon, in his article :John the Baptist, Jesus and the Jordan, explains the concept of abar this way. In concrete terms, John was challenging his fellow Jews to go across to the east bank of the Jordan, out of Israel. This was an act of confession, admitting in this dramatic fashion that they had forfeited their right, not so much to live in the land, but to be Gods people. John then literally turned them around (shavin Herew, which is the root of the Hebrew word for repentance). John then led the people back through the river into the land. This is a dramatic example of Gods sure promise of restoration of our relationship with Him. Vs. 3:2: Notice that this verse uses the term Kingdom of Heaven. This same phrase is used all throughout Matthews Gospel. Yes, Mark and Luke use the phrase Kingdom of God. Why? Are there two different kingdoms being talked about in the Gospels? We must remember that Matthew was writing to the Jews. The Jews will not pronounce the name of God for fear of violating the commandments found in Exodus 20:7 and Leviticus 19:12., so they use the phrase kingdom of Heaven. The Greek word used here is Theos, which in itself is not a proper name. But, if you look further into your concordance you will see that the Hebrew word most often translated by Theos is Elohim, or El which is a shortened version of Elohim. Mark and Luke, being non-Jews, had no such compunction for using Gods name in their writings. It is the very same Kingdom that all three Gospels are talking about. Mk. 1:2: Luke and Matthew quote Isaiah 40:3 and Mark quotes Malachi 3:1. Both of these O.T. passages predict that before the Messiah is made known, He will be preceded by a forerunner. A forerunner will come announcing the soon coming of the King. This prophecy was fulfilled in a literal way by Yochanan haMatbil. That is the reason for quoting these two O.T. passages. Lk. 3:3: This is one of the prime examples of how modern translations have erred. In this instance it is a simple little punctuation mark that makes all the difference. Two questions must be answered in order to open our understanding. First, why was Yochanan starting his ministry our in the wilderness instead of Jerusalem or some other heavily populated area? Secondly, why would people travel such a long distance to hear him? The answer to both of these questions is found in the correct translation of Isaiah 40:3. The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) correctly reads: A voice rings out: clear the desert road for the Lord. Level in the wilderness a highway for our God. From this verse the Jewish people always expected that the first appearance of the Messiah was to be in the desert regions where Yochanan was. This is also probably the reason for the establishment of the community at Qumran which is nearby. This is also another reason why scholars believe that Yochanan was raise by the Dead Sea Sect. Yochanan was there announcing the fulfillment of prophecy, and the people went out fully expecting to see the Messiah. It would not be long until their expectations were realized. They would not be disappointed. Lk. 3:5: If there is any doubt in someones mind as to who Yeshua is, this same verse in Isaiah explains it very well. In Judaism there are two primary names for God: Elohim for Creator; and Yahweh (YHVH) for Covenant Maker. Again we quote the proper translation of Isaiah 40:3, putting in the correct Hebrew: A voice rings out: clear in the desert a road for Yahweh (YHVH). Level in the wilderness

a highway for Elohim. Yeshua the Messiah was and is God. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9). Mt. 3:5: This verse points out the tremendous response Yochanan begins to receive from all around the country of Judea and there in Jerusalem. Keep in mine that there were no telephones, radios or television to spread the news. News traveled by word of mouth. Remembering that will put this thing more in perspective. Yochanan had a message that really got the peoples attention. Mt. 3:4: Shaatnez in Judaism is the prohibition of wearing clothing made of any combination of linen and wool. The reason for this prohibition was this type of cloth was reserved to make the garments of the priests for wearing in the Tabernacle and Temple. Camels hair (wool) was exempt from this prohibition and was likely the wool used to make the priests garments. Camels were bound to have been the most popular, and the most plentiful animals used during the Exodus. The tribes of Israel wandered in nomadic fashion for 40 years in the wilderness, never staying long in any one place. Because of this, it was very difficult for them to grow the grains needed to make flour used in baking, especially for such things as the Shewbread in the Tabernacle. According to the Encyclopedia Judaica the most popular substance used in that day by the nomadic tribes was dried locusts ground into a fine meal. Water was also a scarce commodity in the desert, so wild honey was used in its place, especially in making the shewbread. To tie this all together, we need to take another look at Yochanan haMatbil. His clothes were made of camels hair (not skins), and his food was locusts and wild honey. Yochanan was of the priestly lineage (his father was a priest). It is said that the priest represented God to the people and the people to God. He fit this role perfectly. He fit this role perfectly in his introduction of the Messiah. He may have had extremely long hair because of his Nazirite vow, but this was a sign of his consecration to God. In preparing himself for his assigned task, his clothing was made of the cloth reserved for the priest (he was of the lineage of Aaron), and his food was two principle ingredients of the shewbread which was the food of the priests. Yochanan was not the wild, hairy mountain man that so many have tried to picture him as.

Yochanan Preaches to the People

1. SCRIPTURE Matt. 3:7-10; Luke 3:7-14 Mt. 3:7 But when he say many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Brood of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come? (Lk. 3:7) Mt. 3:8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance. (Lk. 3:8a) Mt. 3:9 And do not say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father; for I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (Lk. 3:8b) Mt. 3:10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the tree. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Lk. 3:10 So the people asked him, What shall we do then? Lk. 3:11 He answered and said to them, He who has two tunics, let him give to him that has none; and he that has food, let him do likewise. Lk. 3:12 The tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, What shall we do? Lk. 3:13 And he said to them, Collect no more than what is appointed to you. Lk. 3:14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, And what shall we do? So he told them, Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely; and be content with your wages. 2. COMMENTARY Mt. 3:7: First century Jewish sources provide no direct antecedent for a parallel to Yochanans baptism. Cleansing ceremonies using the waters of purification are prescribed in the Torah, and the priestprophet Ezekiel declared that God at the end of time will purify the people from their defilement with clean water and give them a new heart and a new spirit. The custom of baptizing converts to Judaism is close to Yochanans rite, although it cannot be proved that proselyte baptism antedates Yochanan. If the practice was current it is possible that Yochanan deliberately applied it to the children of Abraham

a rite devised by them to benefit pagans, thus evidencing his conviction that the whole Jewish nation needed to be reconstituted as the people of God. Matthews Gospel shows that Yochanans remarks were directed primarily at the Pharisees and Sadducees that were in the crowd. Brood of vipers is a reference to the dozen or more small, dangerous snakes that emerge at birth from the mother snake. Vipers are proverbial for their subtle approach and attack. Some of the Pharisees were well known for their sly ways they used especially the Oral Law for their own advantage. One of the basic teachings of the Pharisees was that at the coming of the Messiah there would be a time of judgment. Those who did not live by Gods laws would face His wrath. Some of the Pharisees and Sadducees thought they were the super pious, super religious ones around, but Yochanan here is telling them they are the worst ones of the bunch. Yochanans baptism had began to create quite a stir. Many years ago the prophet Ezekiel had prophesied something that seemed to be coming true (Ezek. 36:25-28). Yochanan was not just simply baptizing people, but leading them out of the land, and then back into the Jordan River where they could purify their bodies through baptism and purify their souls through repentance. They could then reenter the land given to their forefathers, and God their Messiah would come to them. The Sanhedrin was the Jewish Supreme Court. It consisted of seventy Torah Sages and the High Priest, making a total membership if seventy-one. They met in the Lishkat haGazit or Chamber of Hewn Stone adjacent to the Temple. There were also smaller religious Sanhedrins in every town in Palestine. There was also three-member courts in each synagogue called a Bet Din. Whenever there was any kind of Messianic movement of note, the Sanhedrin had a legitimate two-fold responsibility they had to carry out. In the previous paragraph Yochanan began preaching a message that the King and the Kingdom were near at hand. And so in that sense Yochanan was beginning a Messianic movement of some sort. Because he was creating such a great amount of attention, the Sanhedrin was obligated to do two things. First, they were to send a group for the purpose of observing. This is called the Stage of Observation. Unlike the Luke account where the multitude did come to be baptized, the Pharisees and Sadducees merely came to the baptism to carry out the first element of observation. They were not allowed to ask any questions, but merely observe what was being said and done. After a period of observation this group would go back to Jerusalem and report to the Sanhedrin their conclusion as to whether this movement was significant or not. If the movement was judged insignificant the whole thing was dropped right there. But, if the movement was significant, then the Sanhedrin would begin the second stage, the Stage of Investigation. A second delegation would be sent out to investigate. They were to ask such questions as: (1) who are you?; (2) who do you claim to be?; (3) what do you plan to be doing?; and (4) why are you doing it? Mt. 3:8: Yochanans eschatological message of imminent judgment closely resembles that held by the Dead Sea Sect, but Yochanans rite of baptism differs in meaning from the purifying waters of that sect. Yochanans preaching was intensely eschatological. He heralded the imminent day of judgment; Gods retributive punishment would soon fall upon the apostasy of Israel. The merits of the patriarchs would provide no escape and descent from Abraham would offer no advantage. Only sincere repentance would avert the wrath to come, and this must lead to baptism. Moreover, those who confessed their sins and received Yochanans baptism as a sign of this repentance were commanded to bear good fruit following in the way of righteousness taught by Yochanan. Vs. 3:9: Yochanan warns the Pharisees and Sadducees about saying, we have Abraham as our father. This was a reflection on a Rabbinic teaching that all of Israel has a share in the world to come (Olam haBa) found in Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1. Some Rabbis taught that the Jews did not have to be concerned about losing out with God because of the merits of the fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Also Bereshith Raba 48:8 records, In the hereafter Abraham was set at the gates of Hades and would not let any circumcised Israelite to descend into it. Yochanan was contradicting this teaching.

The indefinite expression Olam haBa (the future world), as opposed to Olan haZeh (the present world) is frequently found in Talmudic-Midrashic literature to signify a new order of things. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Athid Lana (the future), a vague phrase referring to the Messianic Era (Yemoth haMashiah) as well. Lk. 3:11: It goes contrary to the nature of individuals to share their wealth. People who have extras tend to hoard those extras, not share them with others. And yet, Yochanans instructions to the multitude was to do just that. Lk. 3:12,13: Publicans were Jews who bought the office of tax collector. This meant they were putting themselves in the position where they would be ostracized by the Jewish community because they would be reckoned as working for the enemy, and therefore, traitors. Why would Jews seek that office in light of the fact of the reaction of the community? The reason that people sold this office that paid only a very small salary was something that the Roman law allowed. If the Roman government determined that an individual owed 5 shekels, the publican would charge 10 shekels. He would then give Rome 5 shekels and keep 5 shekels for himself. It was through this kind of extortion that the publican became very wealthy. Here Yochanan is telling them to do exactly contrary to the reason why they entered this office to begin with. Lk. 3:14: Here we have a clear example of the power of Yochanans words He is preaching a message of preparation for the coming of the Kingdom of God through repentance and ritual immersion. Up until now, he had been talking to people who believe in the God of Israel (even publicans can still believe). But now, he is approached by pagan, polytheistic soldiers who had believed in many false gods. The Roman government allowed its soldiers the right to take spoils from the subjugated people even after peace had been established. In this way they were able to supplement their meager military income. Yochanan is telling these soldiers to do contrary to what they were legally allowed to do. Considerably later on, the Lord would be asked what is the greatest commandment. His reply was to love the Lord you God with all your heart, and secondly, love your neighbor as yourself. Yochanans message here parallels the Lords teaching. You show your love for God by repenting and being baptized. You show your love for your neighbor by treating him right. Both the teachings of the Lord and Yochanan parallel the two same major themes of the Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus.

Yochanans Prophecy of the Coming Messiah

1. SCRIPTURE Matt. 3:11,12; Mark 1:7,8; Luke 3:15-18 Lk. 3:15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about Yochanan, whether he was the Messiah or not. Lk. 3:16a Yochanan answered, saying, I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. (Mt. 3:11a; Mk. 1:7) Lk. 3:16b He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Mt. 3:11b; Mk. 1:8) Lk. 3:17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. (Mt. 3:12) Lk. 3:18 And with exhortations he preached to the people. 2. COMMENTARY Lk. 3:15: This verse speaks of the expectation of the people. When they came to hear Yochanan they fully expected to see the long awaited Messiah. History records that in the period shortly before and for a brief time after the first century C.E. the Messianic expectation had reached its greatest peak. The prophet Daniel, over 400 years before the time of Yeshua, had foretold that the Messiah would appear in the midst of the fourth kingdom from the time of his prophecy. The Messiah, according to Daniel 7, would then establish His own Kingdom that would be without end. From the days of Daniel four kingdoms had successfully risen on the earth. They were Babylon, Medea-Persia, Greek, and Roman empires. In another prophecy (Dan. 9:24-27), Daniel had foretold the time of the Messiahs coming as being approximately 400 years after the return of Nehemiah and Ezra. That time was here.

Lk. 3:16a: When we look at the phrase baptize with fire, most people think Yeshua is talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We associate this with the cloven tongues of fire on the Day of Shavuoth (Pentecost). But the fire being spoken of here by Yochanan is the fire of judgment. People are going to be judged according to how they respond to the words of Yeshua. The consequences for those who ignore His words will be terrible. Lk. 3:17: The colorful images of judgment in the minds of the Hebrew prophets and apocalyptists are prominent in the words of Yochanan recorded in the Gospels. The wicked would be burned in the fires of punishment and the righteous would be baptized with the divine favor of the Holy Spirit. The grace of God would be demonstrated to the people looking for His supernatural intervention. They must return to the Lord with a sincere heart. The lifestyle they pursue must change. They must follow a new righteous way of living.

The Baptism of Yeshua

1. SCRIPTURE Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23 Mt. 3:13 Then Yeshua came from Galilee to Yochanan at the Jordan to be baptized by him. (Mk. 1:9; Lk. 3:21a) Mt. 3:14 And Yochanan tried to prevent Him, saying, I have need to be baptized by You, and You are coming to me? Mt. 3:15 Then Yeshua answered and said to him, Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Mt. 3:16a Then Yeshua, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; (Mk. 1:10a; Lk. 3:21b) Mt. 3:16b And behold, the heavens opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. (Mk. 1:10b; Lk. 3:22a) Mt. 3:17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mk. 1:11; Lk. 3:22b) 2. COMMENTARY Mt. 3:13: Messianic baptism is different because with it we are identifying ourselves with the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah. The meaning of the act is identification. But the type of identification is determined on wheat kind of baptism it is. Proselyte baptism is identification with Judaism. Yochanans baptism was identification with his back to God movement. Yeshuas baptism is till yet another identification. The basic meaning of the word is immersion. Any other kind of baptism is not Biblical baptism. Immersion was the Jewish mode and also the mode of the early church. Later in church history it was changed to pouring and then later to sprinkling. These two modes are not Biblical. At the end of this segment we have included an article titled The Jewish Background of Christian Baptism by Dr. Ron Moseley. It is probably one of the best articles ever written on this subject. Mt. 3:15: The purpose of baptism (ritual immersion), according to Jewish Law even to this day, was for the forgiveness of sins and spiritual cleansing into a right relationship with God. Yeshua had a need to be baptized, but it was not because He had sin in His life. In Malachi 4:2 the Messiah is called the sun of righteousness who would come with healing in His wings. According to Ezekiel 34:11-16, the salvation that Messiah would bring was in four ways: (1) He would seek out the lost: (2) return them to the fold; (3) heal the sick; and (4) strengthen the weak. In other words, He would usher in the Kingdom of God. The reason that Yeshua was so insistent on being baptized was to fulfill all righteousness so that He might be the sun of righteousness. The importance of this will be demonstrated later on in another segment. Mt. 3:16a: The mode of baptism as explained in the Mishnah shows the candidate squatted down alone without anyone touching him and then coming straightway out of the water. Ancient sages taught that the word mikveh has the same root in the Hebrew as the word for rising or standing tall, as we see in the term straightway as used in the N.T. The earliest drawing of Christian baptism was found on the wall of a Roman catacomb in the second century showing Yochanan standing on the bank of the Jordan helping Yeshua back to the shore after self-immersion.

Mt. 3:16b: In Jewish literature the dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Babylonian Chagigah 15a commentary on Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the waters, says the Spirit of God hovered like a dove over her young without touching them. The Babylonian Berakoth 3b connects the Bat Kol from heaven with the Holy Spirit. Mt. 3:17: In Rabbinic literature a reference is made to a voice from heaven called Bat Kol, which literally means a daughter of a voice. This is understood to be an oracle, a declaration of the Divine Will. These verses are used by many people to establish the doctrine of the Trinity, but this has absolutely nothing to do with that. Perhaps an over simplification of its description is to say that the Bat Kol is heavens public address system. It is important to remember that the people witnessing these events were Jews, and things were being done so that they would understand what was happening. It was not written for our Hellenistic mind set. If we want to understand these things, we have to learn to think like a first century Jew. THE JEWISH BACKGROUND OF CHRISTIAN BAPTISM by Dr. Rom Moseley There is no question that the church is debtor to Judaism for its main structure, including such items as Messiah, Scripture, canon, liturgy, altar, pulpit, church offices, songs, offerings, the Lords Supper, as well as baptism itself. Dr. Merrill Tenney, the editor of the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible said, Baptism as a rite of immersion was not begun by Christians, but was taken by them from Jewish and pagan forms.... Since early Christianity was a part of Judaism of Jesus day, it was without question that baptism in todays church was originally Jewish. Further evidence comes from scholars like William LaSor And David Daube who tells us of the early churchs practice of baptism by self immersion after the custom of the Jews. History of the Jewish Mikveh The term Mikveh in Hebrew literally means any gathering of waters, but is specifically used in Jewish Law for the waters or bath for the ritual immersion. The building of the Mikveh was so important in ancient times it was said to take precedence over the construction of a synagogue. Immersion was so important that it occurred before the High Priest conducted the service on the Day of Atonement, before the regular priests participated in the Temple service, before each person entered the Temple complex, before a scribe wrote the name of God, as well as several other occasions. The Mishnah attributes to Ezra a decree that each male should immerse himself before praying or studying. There were several Jewish groups that observed ritual immersion every day to assure readiness for the coming of the Messiah. The Church Fathers mentioned one of these groups called the Hemerobaptists which means daily bathers in Greek. Among those use to regular immersion were the Essenes and others that the Talmud calls tovelei shararit or dawn bathers. On the third day of creation we see the source of the word mikveh for the first time in Genesis 1:10 when the Lord says, to the gathering (Mikveh) of the waters, He called seas. Because of this reference on Genesis the ocean is still a legitimate Mikveh. The Mikvaot Around the Temple The New Testament tells us that many of the early churchs daily activities were centered around the Temple. Historically, we know that there were many ritual immersion baths (Mikvaot) on the Temple Mount, including one in the Chamber of Lepers situated in the northwest corner of the Court of Women (Mid. 2:5). Josephus tells us that even during the war (66-73 C.E.) the laws of ritual immersion were strictly adhered to (Jos. Wars 4.20.6). The Temple itself contained immersion baths in various places for the priests to use, even in the vaults beneath the court (commentary to Tam. 26b; Tam. 1:11). The High Priest had special immersion pools in the Temple, two of which are mentioned in the Mishnah. We are told one of these was in the Water Gate in the south of the court and another was on the roof of the Parva Chamber (Mid. 1:4; 5:31). There was an additional place for immersion on the Mount of Olives which was connected with the burning of the Red Heifer (Para 3:7). A special ramp led to the Mikveh on the Mount of Olivies, which was built as an arch way over another arched way to avoid uncleanness from the graves in the valley below. Recent archaeological excavations have found 48 different mikvaot near the Monumental Staircase leading into the Temple complex.

Three Basic Areas According to Jewish Law, there are three basic areas where immersion in the Mikveh is required: 1. Immersion is required for both men and women when converting to Judaism. There were three prerequisites for a proselyte coming into Judaism; circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice (Maimonides, Hilkh. Iss. Biah. Xiii.5). 2. Immersion is required after a woman has her monthly period (Lev. 15:28). 3. Immersion is required for pots and eating utensils manufactured by a non-Jew (Encyclopedia of Jewish Religion, p-263). Besides these, there are many other times when it is customary to be immersed in the Mikveh, such as the occasion before Yom Kippur as a sign of purity and repentance and before the Sabbath in order to sensitize oneself to the holiness of the day. The Six Descending Orders of Ritual Immersion There are six descending orders of ritual baths in the Mishnah (Oral Law) of how to accomplish the Written Law, and the highest order is that of a spring or flowing river. We see Jesus understanding and fulfilling this order in Matt. 3:16 as He comes to be baptized in the Jordan River fulfilling all righteousness. This highest order was called Mayim Hayim or Living Water and illustrated the forgiveness of sins, therefore, we see Jesus using this term concerning Himself (John 4:10,11). The Water Restrictions There were also six basic restrictions on the water used in the Mikveh, including such rules as: (1) the Mikveh cannot contain any other liquid besides water; (2) the Mikveh has to be either built into the ground or be an integral part of a building attached to the ground; (3) the Mikveh cannot be flowing except for a natural spring, river, or ocean; (4) the water cannot be manually drawn; (5) the water cannot be channeled to the Mikveh by anything unclean; and (6) the Mikveh must contain at least 40 saah or approximately 200 gallons of water. The term saah is an ancient Biblical measurement equivalent to approximately 5 gallons. All six requirements come from the original Hebrew words found in Lev. 11:36. Rabbi Yitzchok ben Sheshes said the amount of 40 saah was derived from the idea that the largest normal human body has a volume of 20 saah, therefore the amount of the water needed to nullify this body is double this amount, or 40 saah. Why Be Immersed? To the ancient Jew, the Mikveh was a process of spiritual purification and cleansing, especially in relation to the various types of Trumah, or ritual defilement, when the Temple was in use. Although God has not revealed all the meaning of the Mikveh, it is obvious because of the amount of space given to it in Scripture, and the effort of Jesus to fulfill it, the command is of utmost importance. All commands of the Lord fall into three categories: 1. The moral or ethical laws that are necessary for man to live in harmony are known as Mishpatim and are literally translated judgments. 2. The rituals and festivals which reawaken us to important religious truths such as Sabbath, holidays, the Tefillin, and the Mezuzah that remind us of Gods presence are known as Edos and are literally translated witnesses. 3. The third group often has no explicit reason given for their existence except for Israels identification as Gods chosen people to the other nations (Deut. 4:6). This group of laws are known as Chukim and are literally translated as decrees. Among the decrees of this group are the dietary laws, as well as ritual immersion.

How Immersion Was Done Jewish baptism has never been taken lightly, but in ancient times immersion was to be performed in the presence of witnesses (Yebam. 47b). The person being baptized made special preparations by cutting his nails, undressed completely (Lev. 1516) and made a fresh profession of his faith before the designated fathers of the baptism (Kethub. 11a; Erub. 15a). This is possibly where churches sometime later got the term Godfathers. The individual stood straight up with the feet spread and the hands held out in front. The candidate would totally immerse himself by squatting in the water with a witness or baptizer doing the officiating. Note the New Testament points to the fact that Jesus came straightway out of the water. The earliest drawings of Christian baptism was found on the wall of a Roman catacomb in the second century showing John standing on the bank of the Jordan helping Jesus back to shore after self immersion. Ancient sages teach that the word Mikveh has the same letters as Ko(v)Meh, the Hebrew word for rising or standing tall, therefore we see the idea of being baptized straightway. Although it is the Jewish belief that repentance is necessary, purification from defilement is done primarily through water, while other effects of sins are covered by blood (Romans 4:7), note the almost all things in Hebrews 9:22). The concept of immersion in Rabbinical literature is referred to as a new birth (Yeb. 22a; 48b; Mass. Ger. C.i.i.). Note six other important aspects of ancient Jewish immersion 1. Immersion was accompanied by exhortations (Maimonides Hilkh. Milah iii.4; Hilk Iss. Bia Xiv. 6). A convert would reaffirm his acceptance of the Torah by declaring, I will do and I will hear which was a phrase from the oath that was originally taken by the priest not to forsake the Torah (Deut. 29:9-14). This ritual demonstrates the willingness of the convert to forsake his Gentile background and assume his Jewish identity by taking on the status of one who keeps the commandments. According to a number of Jewish sages, mayim, which is the Hebrew word for water, shares the same root as the word mah, meaning what. This teaching points out that when a person is immersed in water, he is nullifying the fleshly ego and asking what am I? in the same manner we are what? 2. The Jewish baptism candidates were often immersed three times. The idea of total immersion comes from the Scripture in Leviticus 15:16 when it says, he shall wash all his flesh in the water. One reason it was customary to immerse three times was because the word Mikveh ccurs three times in the Torah. 3. According to Jewish Law the immersion had to have a required witness. Dr. William LaSor in the Biblical Archaeological Review says apparently the Biblical phrase in the name of was an indication of the required witness. In several New Testament references such as I Corinthians 1:13,15; Matthew 21:25; Acts 1:22; and Acts 19:3 we see clearly baptism mentioned in conjunction with the name of individuals such as John and Paul. Further information on this can be found in Jewish literature concerning proselyte baptism where it indicates his baptism attestation by witness in whose name he was immersed. 4. The immersion candidate was not touched by the baptizer in Jesuss day. Because Leviticus 15:18 says, He shall wash all his flesh in the water, Judaism stresses that the entire body must come in contact with the water of the Mikveh. To insure the immersion was valid, no clothing or individuals could touch the candidate. Any such intervention that prevented the water from reaching a part of the body was known as Chatitzah and rendered the immersion invalid. Although the Mikveh was more spiritual than physical, often the bath had two sets of steps, one entering and another leaving so as to not defile what had been purified. 5. The baptismal water (Mikveh) in Rabbinic literature was referred to as the womb of the world, and as a convert came out of the water it was considered a new birth separating him from the pagan world. As the convert came out of these waters his status was changed and he was referred to as a little child just born, or a child of one day (Yeb. 22a; 48b; 97b).We see the New Testament using similar Jewish terms as born anew, new creation, and born from above. According to Dr. Arnold Fruchtebaum, Rabbinic literature uses the term born again to refer to at least six different occurrences. Note each of these life changing experiences: (1) when a Gentile converts to Judaism; (2) when an individual is crowned king; (3) at the age of 13 when a Jewish boy chooses to embrace Gods

covenant and be numbered with the believers; (4) when an individual gets married; (5) when an individual becomes a Rabbi; and (6) when an individual becomes the head of a Rabbinical school. 6. Jewish Law requires at least three witnesses made up of qualified leaders to be present for certain immersions (Yebam. 47b). Ordinarily a member of the Sanhedrin performed the act of observing the proselyte immersion, but in case of necessity others could do it. Secret baptism, or where only the mother brought a child, was not acknowledged. Baptism One of the most important teachings in Judaism is that of repentance. According to both Scriptures and Rabbinic literature, no matter how great the sin, if a person repents and forsakes the sin before God he can be forgiven. As we see in the case of John, Jesus, and all New Testament writers, repentance was always involved. The Jerusalem Talmud states, nothing can stand before repentance (Yebamos 47b). According to Dr. David Flusser, the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as the New Testament teach that water can purify the body only if the soul has been purified through repentance and righteousness. Water and Blood Both Illustrate Gods Cleansing in Judaism Both water and blood are used constantly in the Torah and New Testament as the two main agents to illustrate Gods cleansing. The Jews believe that uncleanness is not physical, but rather a spiritual condition as related to Leviticus 11:44 where it states by wrong actions one can make the soulunclean. Therefore, the purification through ritual immersion, as commanded in Scripture, is basically involved with the soul, rather than the body. Not how both water and blood are cited in Scripture: (1) blood is used in cleansing in relation to the Passover Lamb (Exod. 12); blood is used in cleansing in relation to the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16); (3)blood is used in cleansing in relation to the Feast Offerings (Lev. 23); (4) blood is used in cleansing in relation to the five Levitical Offerings (Lev. 1-7); (5) blood is used in cleansing in relation to the atonement of the soul (Lev. 17:11-14). Water is used in cleansing in relation to the separation and the ashes of the Red Heifer (Num. 19); (2) water is used in cleansing in relation to consecration to priestly ministry (Lev. 8:6); (3) water is used for cleansing in relation to the cleansing of the leper (Lev. 14:1-8); (4) water is used in cleansing in relation to the different washings of the Law (Heb. 9:10); (5) water is used in relation to the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5; Mark 6:16; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3; I Peter 3:20,21; Ephesians 5:26; John 19:34; I John 5:6; and Heb. 9:10-23). Summary A detailed study of the Jewish background of Christian baptism shows that it is vitally important, but God doesnt always tell us why. Obviously, the convert could repent and have a part in the world to come without it, but the emphasis seems to be pointing to the taking on of a new believer status illustrated as a new birth by immersion. In any convert with the Lord the three items of Gods Word, the blood and a token are always present. Jesus was always cautious to have three witnesses in everything He did (I John 5:7,8). In the Old Testament circumcision was considered the token of Gods covenant, and in the New Testament we see the same wording concerning baptism as it is referred to as circumcision made without hands (Col. 2:11,12). Whatever religious the denomination, believers should agree that immersion has its roots in the Jewish Mikveh of Jesuss day and it is of utmost importance for each of us to fulfill this righteous deed. The Jewish Nature of the Gospels by John Shelby Spong In a deep and significant way, we are now able to see that all the Gospels are Jewish books, profoundly Jewish books. Recognizing this, we begin to face the realization that we will never understand the Gospels until we learn how to read them as Jewish books. They are written, to a greater or lesser degree, in the midrashic style of the Jewish sacred storyteller, a style that most of us do not begin even now to comprehend. This style is not concerned with historic accuracy. It is concerned with meaning and understanding.

The Jewish writers of antiquity interpreted Gods presence to be with Joshua after the death of Moses by repeating the parting of the waters story (Josh. 3). At the Red Sea, that was the sign that God was with Moses (Exod. 14). When Joshua was said to have parted the waters of the Jordan River, it was not recounted as a literal event in history, rather it was a midrashic attempt to relate Joshua to Moses and thus demonstrate the presence of God with his successor. The Same pattern operated later when both Elijah (II Kings 2:8) and Elisha (Ii Kings 2:14) were said to have parted the waters of the Jordan River and to have walked across on dry land. When the story of Jesuss baptism was told, the Gospel writers asserted that Jesus parted not the Jordan River, but the heavens. This Moses theme was thus being struck yet again, and indeed, for a similar response. The heavens, according to the Jewish creation story, were nothing but the firmament that separated the waters above from th waters below (Geness 1:6-8). To portray Jesus as splitting the heavenly waters was a Jewish way of suggesting that the holy God encountered in Jesus went even beyond the God presence that had been met in Moses, Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha. That is the way the midrashic principle worked. Stories about heroes of the Jewish past are heightened and retold again and agin about heroes of the present moment, not because those same events actually occurred, but because the reality of God revealed in those moments was like the reality of God known in the past. As this journey through the Gospels progresses, we will watch this midrashic principle operating time after time. We are not reading history when we read the Gospels. We are listening to the experience of Jewish people, processing in a Jewish way what they believed was a new experience with the God of Israel. Jews filtered every new experience through the corporate remembered history of their people, as that history had been recorded in the Hebrew Scripture of the past. If we are to recover the power present in the Scripture for our time, then this clue to their original meaning must be recovered and understood. Ascribing to the Gospels historic accuracy in the style of later historians, or demanding that the narratives of the Gospels be taken literally, or trying to recreate the historical context surrounding each specific event narrated in the Gospels these are methods of people who do not realize that they are reading a Jewish book. Before we can fully address this issue and begin to read the Gospels as Jewish books, we must cast our gaze on the early history of the Christian movement to seek to understand where things went wrong. What were the forces of history that collaborated to tear the Christian church away from its Jewish origins? If we are able to find our way back to the Jewish perspective that produced our Gospels, then we must understand that perspective was first broken, then denied, and then lost. It was not an accident. Compilers Notes It is my conviction that all the events described in the Bible (both Original and New Testaments) were actual historical events. While I cannot agree with most of what Rev. Spong has written in the past, I could not agree more with him when he said that in order to understand the Gospels we must first realize that we are reading Jewish books and that they must be understood in that light. Without that perspective, our understanding will always be severely limited. The Word of God (including the Gospels) is the most incredible book ever to be written. I believe that the Lord Yeshua has a special blessing for those who are willing to put forth the effort to try to understand it in the way He intended it to be.