BAPTISM

We were buried therefore with him through our baptism (immersion) into his death.” (See also Ro; ED.)

baptism into Christ and his death: 1:252-253

Baptism 1:248-254

Since Jesus (also at the age of about 30) presented himself for baptism in the autumn, John, six months older, must have begun his ministry in the spring of 29 C.E.​—Lu 3:1-3, 23.

John preached baptism for forgiveness of sins for those repenting, confining his baptism to Jews and proselytes to the Jews’ religion. (Mr 1:1-5; Ac 13:24)

His Baptism.

The outpouring of holy spirit at the time of Jesus’ baptism marked the time of his becoming in actual fact the Messiah, or Christ, God’s Anointed One (the use of this title by angels when announcing his birth evidently being in a prophetic sense; Lu 2:9-11, note also vss 25, 26).

The water of baptism.

Jesus was apparently speaking of the water of baptism, when a person repents of his sins and turns away from his former course of life, presenting himself to God through baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.​—Compare Eph 4:4, 5, which speaks of the “one baptism.”

Jesus’ sacrificial course, terminating in his death and resurrection, was likened by him to baptism. (Mr 10:38, 39; Lu 12:50; compare Eph 4:9, 10.)

The apostle Paul showed that Jesus’ anointed followers also would go through a similar baptism into death, their resurrection to heavenly glory ensuing. (Ro 6:3-5; Php 3:10, 11)

Thus, from about October 1 of the year 2 B.C.E. (the approximate time of Jesus’ birth) to October 1 of 29 C.E. (the approximate date of Jesus’ baptism) is a total of 30 years, that is, one full year plus 3 months in the B.C.E. period and 28 full years plus 9 months in the C.E. period.​—Lu 3:21-23.

To the baptism of Jesus

For this reason Jesus said to his Father when presenting himself for baptism, to begin his sacrificial course: “You prepared a body for me.”​—Heb 10:5.

Thus all the body follows the head, dying his kind of death and receiving his kind of resurrection.​—Ro 6:3-5; see BAPTISM (Baptism Into Christ Jesus, Into His Death).

Aquila and Priscilla, who remained in Ephesus, met Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria, Egypt, who was acquainted only with John’s baptism, and they “expounded the way of God more correctly to him.”​—Ac 18:24-26.

When Paul returned to Ephesus, likely by the winter of 52/53 C.E., he found several men who had been baptized with John’s baptism.

Therefore, they wondered whether John was the Christ, even though John evidently began his ministry in the spring of 29 C.E., about six months before Jesus presented himself for baptism.

Since the 70th “week” began about the fall of 29 C.E. at Jesus’ baptism and anointing to be Christ, half of that week (three and a half years) would extend to the spring of 33 C.E., or Passover time (Nisan 14) of that year.

Hence baptism ‘in the name of the holy spirit’ implies recognition of that spirit as having its source in God and as exercising its function according to the divine will.

That spirit acts as a driving force that moves and impels them, even as Mark says the spirit “impelled” Jesus to go into the wilderness after his baptism. (Mr 1:12; compare Lu 4:1.)

Evidently Jesus, the man, was then “born again” as a spirit-begotten Son with the hope of returning to life in heaven, and he was anointed by spirit to be God’s appointed king and high priest. (Joh 3:3-6; compare 17:4, 5; see JESUS CHRIST [His Baptism].)

Thus, it is seen that, even as David as a grown man could ‘become God’s son’ in a special sense, so, too, Christ Jesus also ‘became God’s Son’ in a special way, at the time of his baptism and at his resurrection, and also, evidently, at the time of his entrance into full Kingdom glory.

The Messiah came when Jesus presented himself to John for baptism and was then anointed by God’s holy spirit. (Mt 3:13-17)

He thereby became the King-Designate, the One recognized by Jehovah’s Court as having the legal right to the Davidic throne, a right that had not been exercised during the preceding six centuries. (See JESUS CHRIST [His Baptism].)

After his baptism, Jesus did not show special favoritism toward Mary; he addressed her, not as “mother,” but simply as “woman.” (Joh 2:4; 19:26)

Mary was Jesus’ mother according to the flesh; but since his begetting by holy spirit at the time of his baptism, he was primarily God’s Son, his “mother” being “the Jerusalem above.” (Ga 4:26)

Baptism (immersion in water), except in the case of Jesus, was a divinely provided symbol associated with repentance, both on the part of those among the Jewish nation (which had failed to keep God’s covenant while it was in force) and on the part of people of the nations who ‘turned around’ to render sacred service to God.​—Mt 3:11; Ac 2:38; 10:45-48; 13:23, 24; 19:4; see BAPTISM.

At the time of Jesus’ baptism and subsequent anointing by God’s holy spirit, that holy spirit was caused to appear “in bodily shape like a dove,” its visible descent upon Jesus perhaps being similar to the fluttering descent of the dove as it approaches its perch. (Lu 3:22; Mt 3:16; Mr 1:10; Joh 1:32-34)

Unifying factors provided by God: one spiritual body making up the congregation, one holy spirit, one hope, one Lord Jesus Christ, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father (4:1-6)

The evidence also indicates that Jesus’ birth, as well as his baptism and anointing, took place during this month.​—See JESUS CHRIST.

John the Baptizer warned the religious leaders of his day of a baptism with fire, which came upon Jerusalem in 70 C.E., when the Roman armies destroyed the city and burned its temple.​—Mt 3:7-12.

Jesus Christ was spiritually begotten at the time of his baptism and was resurrected from the dead to life in the spirit on Nisan 16, 33 C.E., the day of the year on which the firstfruits of the first grain crop were presented before Jehovah at the sanctuary.

In the first century C.E. miraculous gifts attended the baptism with holy spirit.

It is noteworthy that, for about six months before Jesus came to him for baptism, John the Baptizer preached: “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near,” and when Jesus appeared, John pointed to Jesus as “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!” (Mt 3:1, 2; Joh 1:29)

Jesus, too, used the heavens as representing God when asking the religious leaders whether the source of John’s baptism was “from heaven or from men.” (Mt 21:25; compare Joh 3:27.)

This statement was made during a conversation with Jesus Christ near the time of the first Passover after Jesus’ baptism. (Joh 2:13-20)

Spoken late in 32 C.E., a full three years after Jesus’ baptism.

Some, favoring the traditional location for Jesus’ baptism, would place it across the Jordan opposite Jericho.

After his baptism and during his three-and-a-half-year ministry Jesus periodically visited Jerusalem; he certainly was there for the three annual festivals, attendance at which was obligatory for all Jewish males. (Ex 23:14-17)

Though at first hesitant because he knew of Saul’s fiery persecution of the Christians, Ananias thereafter responded and went to Saul, caused him to recover his sight, informed him of his commission to be God’s witness, and arranged for his baptism.

These writings manifest an attempt to provide information that the inspired writings deliberately omit, such as the activities and events relating to Jesus’ life from his early childhood on up to the time of his baptism, or an effort to manufacture support for doctrines or traditions that find no basis in the Bible or are in contradiction to it.

He seems to have been witnessed to by disciples of John the Baptizer or else by Christian witnesses prior to Pentecost, since he was “acquainted with only the baptism of John.” (Ac 18:24, 25)

At Matthew 28:18-20 a new command was given to Jesus’ disciples to go, not to the Jews only, but to all nations, to make disciples and baptize them with a new baptism, “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.”

Similarly, John the Baptizer had served as a light when “preaching baptism in symbol of repentance” and pointing forward to Messiah’s coming. (Lu 3:3, 15-17; Joh 5:35)

At his baptism by John, holy spirit comes upon Jesus and a voice from heaven identifies Jesus as God’s Son

“It will be seen presently that the evidence for the existence of a single Christian soldier between 60 and about 165 A.D. is exceedingly slight; . . . up to the reign of Marcus Aurelius at least, no Christian would become a soldier after his baptism.” (The Early Church and the World, by C. J. Cadoux, 1955, pp. 275, 276)

When he presented himself for baptism, “the heavens were opened up,” the account says, “and he [John the Baptizer] saw descending like a dove God’s spirit coming upon him [Jesus].

First at this time, by means of Peter, baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and holy spirit was preached, as Jesus had commanded at Matthew 28:19. (Ac 2:21, 36, 38, 39)

Through the baptismal arrangement, they had received a good conscience and would continue to enjoy such by living in harmony with what their water baptism symbolized. (1Pe 3:21–4:6)

The apostle Paul demonstrated that, while it was not possible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take away sins, God prepared a body for Jesus (which he showed a willingness to sacrifice when presenting himself for baptism), and according to the divine will, Christ’s followers “have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.” (Heb 10:1-10)

Born as sinners, those who become Christians repent, turn around, dedicate their lives to Jehovah, to worship and serve him, and then submit to water baptism. (Mt 28:19; Ac 2:38; 3:19)

After his baptism, Satan approached Jesus in the wilderness with three different strong temptations, thoroughly testing him on the issue of devotion to Jehovah.