Baptism of Jesus
| Major events in Jesus' life in the Gospels |
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The Baptism of Jesus is the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. The event is an important moment in the New Testament and is the foundation of the Christian baptism rituals.
In the New Testament the baptism of Jesus is covered in Mark 1:9-11, Matthew 3:13-17, Luke 3:21-Luke 3:22, and John 1:29-34. The basic outline in all three synoptics Gospels is the same. They all begin by introducing the figure of John the Baptist and describing his preaching and his ritual of baptism. Jesus comes to the Jordan River and is there baptized, and after the baptism occurs the heavens open and God pronounces that Jesus is his son. Only after this moment Jesus' ministry begins.
There are some important differences between the accounts. Mark, as usual, has a much briefer version than the other two leaving out much detail, including John's preaching. Luke and Matthew have very similar accounts, and are unquestionably drawn from the same source. There are also some important differences between these two. In Luke Jesus is one of the large crowd who came to see John and is baptized before them, and Luke 3:22 has God's message is a private one directed towards Jesus. Matthew makes no mention of anyone besides John and Jesus being at the scene, and makes God's announcement public. Matthew adds a description of John balking at baptizing Jesus because he felt that he should not baptize one so above him. The common understanding is the Matthew was writing mainly for a Jewish audience. At the time Matthew was writing John the Baptist was a figure of as great, or even greater renown, than Jesus. Gundry argues the author of Matthew added John's reluctance to make clear his subordination to Jesus.
One of the most important differences that some scholars see is in the theological understanding of the baptism between Mark and the other two synoptics. Mark does not contain an infancy narrative, and his Gospel begins with the baptism, giving it great prominence. This has been interpreted as illustrating two different understandings of the Christological moment, the moment that Jesus became the Son of God. According to one group of scholars the Gospel of Mark implies that Jesus did not become Christ until his baptism, while Luke and Matthew are clear Jesus was since before birth. The most common theory is that Mark was the first Gospel written, and that it was recorded several decades before the other two, this theory thus fits with the idea of a gradually advancing of the Christological moment, as some feel the works of Paul, the earliest surviving texts, imply that Jesus only became Christ upon the cross.
Traditionally Jesus is believed to have been baptized on the Jordan near Qasir al-Yahud on the West Bank. An Eastern Orthodox church stands on the site, which is today in an Israeli military district closed to the public. Open areas down the river are provided for Christian pilgrims who want to copy Jesus. Another site showing early Christian activity on the Eastern bank in Jordan is considered by some to be the site of the baptism, and is promoted as such by Jordanian tourism officials.
The baptism of Jesus is considered important by most Christian churches, but there are wide variety of rituals. Modern Christian baptismal practices are based less on the Baptism of Jesus, which like the temptation, is an event only for the Son of God, but rather on Matthew 28:19 where Jesus encourages his disciples to go out and baptize. For Anabaptists the Baptism of Jesus is important evidence for how these baptism are carried out. The scripture makes clear that Jesus' was baptized in the Jordan River, and he was thus at least partially immersed. Most Christian churches baptize by merely sprinkling water on a person, Anabaptists insist immersion is the proper procedure. Since Jesus was thirty years old according to Luke 3:23, Anabaptists also reject pedobaptism, arguing one should be baptized as an adult as was Jesus. Some Christian sects reject the Baptism of Jesus. The Gnostic Bogomils saw John the Baptists as an agent of Satan an his ritual an attempt to spread the corruption of the world to Jesus.
The theology of Jesus' baptism is uncertain. The Gospels make clear that John's baptism ritual was one of cleansing of sin, but they also make clear that as Son of God Jesus was sinless. In Matthew 3:15 Jesus replies to John's concerns by stating that his baptism will "fulfill all righteousness," an ambiguous phrase that has sparked millennia of debate. There are two main explanations for why Jesus thus undertook the ritual. One is that Jesus by being baptized is setting a good example for the rest of humanity, that while he does not himself need the cleansing he is showing how important it is for others. The second view is that Jesus' being baptized is part of the process of taking on the burden of the sins of all humanity.