Rev. Erudite Redneck, B.S., B.S., M.A., M.Div.

John's baptism was not Jesus' baptism. It is the inauguration of Jesus' mission and ministry. It is not to signify his repentance; it is to signify the fulfillment of John's prophetic message: "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

We are in Advent, and still are to hear John's message - a call to live in preparation of what is coming. John's message, which is called "Good News" even as he calls his listeners "a brood of vipers", is as much for those of us who live "between the times" as is Jesus' message of love, acceptance, and hope.

I do not think we have to "choose", because we live in the midst of both these witnesses to God's love and justice. The choice has been made for us; it is up to us to figure out how to incarnate this in our own lives.
 

John baptized by water. Jesus baptizes by the spirit. John had many baptisms in different types of water depending on the severity of the sin. Jesus has one baptism for the remission of sins. John was a prophet pointing the way to the coming Messiah. Jesus is that Messiah. We can choose temporary fixes like those John had to offer, or we can choose the one and final Christ, King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
 

Re, " ... John's prophetic message: 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' "

But even John later asked Him directly: Are you the one, or should we look for another?"

Tyhe answer, for Christians, is clear. The stuff in between is the stuff of life, and faith.
 

That is: "it is up to us to figure out ..."

Yes. On our knees with our shoes off!
 

Boy, oh boy, oh boy, when you bar-b-que do you do the whole cow or what?

Jesus' (Joshua's) baptism by John, it's dang near a whole herd to cook up ER.

First we have John as Jesus's cousin who was born of an old woman past her child bearing days.

Then we have John as Isiah which he say he is not.

Heck there are whole courses in seminary on this one subject.

Let's see, John recognizes Jesus for what he is. But then he isn't so sure latter.
Then there is the whole "dove" thing:
Mark 1:
9: And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
10: And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: (KJV)

The Dove, that's a "metaphor", "symbol", or the actual visual Spirit of God a.k.a. Sophia-Wisdom-Holy Spirit. That of course ties the act back to Noah and God having him sending out the "Dove" to find the salvation of land after the flood of almost total damnation.

Then there is the variations in text of Mark that give rise to the belief of God adopting Jesus, a son of man, at the time of Baptism as the/a son of God.

And of course..."Behold the Lamb of God". The Sacrifice? Harking back to Abraham and Issac and the substitution.

Jesus was baptised for the remissions of his sins by John in the name of God but of course if he is God then he couldn't sin. So why subject himself to a ritual that was not needed. Was it because he didn't yet know who he was really? Then the baptism was his moment of insight as the Spirit enters him and begins to prepare him for what is has to do?

Then there is a variation on this theme that the heavanly Jesus in united with the earthy Jesus at the Baptism.

Then there is the act of Baptism itself. A nother whole bag of worms. The (Roman and pre-Roman God)Janus' act of Baptism which signified a puting away of the old ways and being reborn into a new Self/Life. Baptism as a seal unto the Church itself as in the infant Baptisms. Baptism as a symbol or Baptism as actual act of redemption (if he had just been baptised that same Sunday morning after he accepted Christ and not put it off till that night so as to have his wife there, and hadn't been killed in that car wreck on the way home, he wouldn't have gone to hell.)

And then there are the verses added later (50/100/300 or however many years later) such as
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Oh yes and the effects of this on human history...well...

Well heck it is a subject of interest anyway.

Say next time you have a bar-b-que please invite me. i've never seen no whole herd bar-b-qued at once.
 

LOLOL. Right ON, DrLobojo.

For all that -- and the preacher touched on most of it in his sermon -- the question remains:

Should Christians today be trying to follow John, the rebellious scion of royalty tied by a leather belt to the Old Testament, or trying to follow Jesus and His (New) Way, and his New Covenant, which is Jewish by definition, but not very Jewish now in practice -- and is so VERY RADICAL and so much a break from the Old Testament way of thinking that the only thing that keep the OT and the NT in the sasme boom is the glue and thread!

Pass me that 55-gallon drum of barbecue sauce!
 

Heck I thought we were all Paulians anyway.