John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”.
Mark 1:8
There is a distinct difference between the baptism of John and Jesus. The Gospels tell us that John baptized for repentance of sin in water while Jesus baptizes “with the Holy Spirit!” Today we want to try to understand how John’s and Jesus’ baptism were both similar and different.
First, according to Mark 1, John was a preacher sent to prepare the way for Jesus (vss 2-4). He was at the Jordan river baptizing people “to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.” (vs 4) His baptism was designed to prepare people for the coming of the Savior of the world. He was doing exactly what the prophet Isaiah foresaw in Isaiah 40:3. Mark is very clear here as he includes this quote in his gospel account. The baptism of John was for repentance. He actually says that John baptized them after they confessed their sins. His job was to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus and to put their faith in Him. As we discussed last week, John was purifying the people from their sins and getting them ready for the ministry of Jesus.
John’s baptism also ensured the people turned to God for forgiveness. Sometimes I think we are like the people in the first century who were confused about who and what they were worshiping. They had to go to the temple in Jerusalem to get the priests to sacrifice for them. They had to do what the priests or the Pharisees and or the Sadducees told them to do. They were separated from God by a series of people. John is reminding them that sin is a revolt against God and God needs to be the one to turn to for forgiveness. This is one of the key aspects of the coming of Jesus. God becomes human and ministers directly to His people. John is preparing them for this up close and personal God on earth. Isaiah does say that God is the one who is coming to be with His people.
Finally, John differentiates his baptism from Jesus’s based on the spiritual aspect of them. The water baptism of John is for the people to ritually purify themselves and turn to God for forgiveness, while Jesus’ baptism is with the Holy Spirit and fire according to both Matthew (vs3:11) and Luke (vs3:16). The idea that John’s baptism was a physical act that had spiritual implications is different than the spiritual baptism of Jesus with the Holy Spirit and fire. Perhaps we should think of today’s act of baptism as a combination of these two processes. One in which we repent and ask for forgiveness and also where Jesus gives us His Spirit to guide us on our journey.
Scripture: Mark 1:1-8
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