#49 John Sends Disciples to Jesus

#49 John Sends Disciples to Jesus

Please first read: Matthew 11:2-30; Luke 7:18-35

Jesus continues his ministry in Galilee. He has drawn crowds of people but there has been opposition … many people refuse to repent and believe. He has just left Nain and word of his raising the dead son of the widow has gone throughout all Judea and Samaria. It is now summer and John the Baptist (JB) has been in Herod’s prison at Machaerus Castle since last fall. It is possible that news of the events at Nain have already reached John. There is no question in JB’s mind regarding Jesus. He knows Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. He is now trying to get his faithful disciples to understand they are to leave JB; his mission for God is through. They are now to transfer their allegiance to the one for whom John prepared the way. It is understandable they would be reluctant to leave John, and him in prison as well. Since Jesus in now in the area John may very well wonder if Jesus intends to free him from prison. This action by JB of sending his disciples to Jesus is a final great testimony that Jesus is the Lamb of God. He is relying on their seeing and hearing the Master, the Spirit will prompt them to go to this greater light.                                                                                                                                                                                               

Points considered in these scriptures:

·         Getting JB’s followers to now follow Jesus

·         Jesus’ efforts to make this happen … he does not say “yes” to their question

·         Jesus testifies of John the Baptist

·         The people have had two different messengers from God testify of the Messiah who is now here … many have refused both of them

·         Jesus testifies of himself

John’s disciples come and ask Jesus if he is the One, the Messiah, or should they be looking for another. Instead of saying “yes” Jesus makes them think of the marvelous things they have seen, and heard him do, and then sends them back to John who will give testimony and confirmation of Jesus as the Messiah. A new age has dawned … new words and new deeds are appearing.   They are seeing and hearing these events against the many-centuries-taught expectation the Messiah will come with great power and over-throw all Israel’s enemies. (They expect the second coming.)

When they went out to see JB who and what did they expect to see? A reed shaking in the wind … someone fickle, of easy persuasion? Someone clothed in soft raiment … someone weak, unsure? What they did see was a prophet in the style of the Old Testament dispensation … rough, strong, forceful, unbending, fearless. They reject John, they believe he has devil in him.

Now Jesus comes with a sympathetic, loving heart, healing and helping, and they call him a “winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. He offers evidence of being the Messiah and teaches from Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah and others) that the time of salvation has come, but they reject him also.

Luke 7:28: No greater prophet than John the Baptist.

·         He was chosen to prepare the earthly way before the Lord.  A signal honor.

·         He baptized the Savior.

·         He was the only legal administrator with Priesthood keys and powers on earth in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28:  

“he (Jesus) that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (John.)”

Joseph Smith said: “Jesus was looked upon as having the least claim in God’s kingdom, and (seemingly) was least entitled to their credulity as a prophet; as though he had said, “He that is considered the least among you is greater than John – that is I myself.” (“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” p.276)

Matthew 11: 16-19; Luke 7:31-35:

“What illustration can I choose to show how petty, peevish, and insincere are you unbelieving Jews? You are like fickle children playing games; when you hold a mock wedding, your playmates refuse to dance; when you change the game to a funeral procession, your playmates refuse to mourn. In like manner you are only playing at religion. As cross and capricious children you reject John because he came with the strictness of the Nazarites, and ye reject me because I display the warm human demeanor that makes for pleasant social intercourse.” (“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary,” volume one, Bruce R. McConkie)     

Matthew 11:20-24:

“Woe,” Judgement of the cities … Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum. Translation of the word “woe” means/reveals judgement not as a curse but more as pity and sorrow than anger.      Capernaum was Jesus’ home city for his work in this Galilee area. It was beautiful, well-populated, on the Sea of Galilee, economically prosperous with fishing, agriculture, and a commercial center. There was a toll station there … caravan routes passed through … and a military post. Jesus did much of his teaching here and in the surrounding cities and areas. This passage is a strong warning as to the unbelief of these cities. In the final wars between Rome and the Jews, Capernaum and the surrounding towns were obliterated; this area was almost totally destroyed. Only the ruins of a later synagogue remain.

Prophet Spencer W. Kimball:

President Kimball loved to walk in the paths of Jesus. He once visited the site of the three cities mentioned herein and shared the following in a Conference talk in April 1961:

“We asked our guide for the cities in which Jesus lived and performed so many miracles, for we remember that in this area of but few miles, much of his work was done, much of his ministry was accomplished. We would like to walk through the triplet cities he so often visited: Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum. We see no spires nor towers, nor walls. We ask our guide:  Where is Chorazin? He shakes his head. There is no Chorazin. We conclude it must have been on those hills where now are sprouting grain and vegetables and dry weeds.

“Then where is Bethsaida? We ask. Where is that noted city where so many sick were healed and the lame were made to walk; where deaf could hear and lepers lost their curse? Where is his favorite place he often lodged, the home of Andrew, Peter, and Philip, his dearest friends?   Where is Bethsaida? the house of fishers, the place of miracles, the seat of gospel teachings, where fishermen became apostles? In these very few miles much of interest happened. Where is Bethsaida? Our guide shakes his head again. There is no Bethsaida.

“Capernaum, then? We ask. Where is that important place, the port where fish were loaded, traded, marketed? He shakes his head again, then smiles as he thinks it through and changes the accent, and, Oh, you mean CaperNAUM. He shows us the ruins of a large synagogue. If this is of the Messianic period … it is the sole survivor. A back wall, great stones tumbled in disarray.   But (this IS) Capernaum, his own city, the great Capernaum, the haughty, wicked rebellious, Capernaum!”

Glenn R. McGettigan

February 2016

References: 

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” Volume 1. McConkie

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” Clark

“Complete Biblical Library: Matthew and Luke.”

“Communicator’s Commentary: Mathew and Luke.”  

“Companion Study of the New Testament.” Ludlow

#40 John's Disciples Question Jesus About Fasting

#40 John’s Disciples Question Jesus About Fasting

New Doctrine; New Gospel; New Revelation; New Church

Please first read: JST Matthew 9:15-23; Matthew 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22; Luke 5:33-39

Note: The King James’ version is incomplete, missing some verses. That version implies that Jesus’ remarks about new cloth and new bottles have to do with fasting. The JST adds several verses of scripture that clarify and show Jesus was talking about baptism, not fasting. We also learn that Jesus is the author of the law (of Moses,) that the law is about to be fulfilled in Jesus; and that the Pharisees’ baptism is now useless because the old dispensation is coming to an end. The people need to be baptized into the new dispensation by the proper authority.

“The disciples of John come to Jesus and ask why do not the disciples of Jesus fast as do they and the Pharisees; Jesus answers in parables – children of the bridechamber, a piece of new cloth in an old garment, new wine in old bottles, and new wine against old wine.” John still languishes in prison.

As is quite often the case in an event in the life of our Savior, we need to see it in the eyes of the viewers at that time. We must understand that this Jewish audience has a more negative mind-set about fasting than we do.

The following material deals with fasting as understood and practiced by the Jews in New Testament times, with corrections by Jesus regarding what true and proper fasting should have been. Jesus then includes teachings about fasting within the new Gospel, new Church, new Revelation, and new Doctrine He is bringing.

Edersheim:

Fasting, both public and private, has been a part of evolving Jewish history for many centuries.

Regarding public fasts, “there was only one Divinely-ordained public fast, that of the Day of Atonement. But it was quite in accordance with the will of God, and the spirit of the Old Testament dispensation, that when great national calamities had overtaken Israel or great national wants arose, or great national sins were to be confessed, a day of public fasting and humiliation should be proclaimed.  (Judges 26. 1 Samuel 6; 1 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 20) To these the Jews added, during the Babylonish captivity, what may be called ‘memorial-fasts,’ on the anniversaries of great national calamites.” This created an unhealthy religious pattern/movement of both private and public humiliation.

In contrast to this there were four other Great Fasts that were observed going back well before the Babylonian captivity to the days of Zechariah (early 700’s BC) … fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months. Through the prophet Zechariah the Lord told the people these fasts “shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.”

It was customary to fast during certain weeks at the time of Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles on Mondays and Thursdays. People appeared in public in sackcloth and ashes. “In order to be a proper fast, it must be continued from one sundown till after the next, when the stars appeared, and for about twenty-six hours the most rigid abstinence from all food and drink was enjoined. Most solemn as some of these ordinances sound, the New Testament shows how sadly it all degenerated into mere formalism; how frequent fasting became mere work and self-righteousness. Instead of being the expression of true humiliation and the very appearance of the penitent, unwashed and with ashes on his head, it was even made a matter of boasting and religious show.” (Matthew 9:14; Mark 2:18; Luke 5:33; Luke 18:12; Matthew 6:16)

                                                                              

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie:

Jesus has been eating at the home of his newly called disciple, Matthew, the publican.

He is now teaching an audience of his followers, disciples, Pharisees and others. Some of John’s disciples come and with the Pharisees ask Jesus why he and his disciples do not fast. Fasting is a fetish with the Pharisees and they attend to every sacrificial detail. Jesus will now address this and several other matters he is trying to teach. Fasting as such is not to be condemned. There is a proper time, purpose, mind-set, and procedure that is to accompany one’s fasting, and the Jews have lost sight of this. Their fathers had been condemned for fasting for evil purposes. Isaiah rebuked them saying “Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness. Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.” Jesus teaches they should fast “to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke … to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house.” (Isaiah 58) How far away from this the leaders and people had strayed.

In all of this the Lord is presenting new doctrine, a new gospel, new revelation, a new church … the law of Moses is now fulfilled. New revelation will not fit in an apostate church. Jesus now uses parables:

·         A new gospel: you do not put a new piece of cloth in an old garment. (Luke 5:36)

·         New revelation: you do not add to a dead religion … new wine must go into new bottles. (Luke 5:37-38)

·         New church, New doctrine: it is difficult for John’s disciples (and others) to switch. (Luke 5:39)

Jesus now uses a word picture, something they are very familiar with: The Bridegroom and his friends. John’s disciples are as friends of the Bridegroom. Jesus asks, “can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the Bridegroom is with them?” And then answers, “as long as they have the Bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.” Jesus, the Bridegroom is with them; why should they mourn or fast? Is it not, rather, a time to rejoice? Then Jesus said, “But the days will come, when the bridegroom will be taken from them and then shall they fast in those days. But their fast will not be to smite with the fist of wickedness, but rather, to draw near unto that Lord who has gone, for a moment from them, but who will return in power and great glory at the appointed time.” There is a proper time for fasting but now is not that time.

                                                                                 

In the Bethany Commentary the author writes:

John’s disciples and the Pharisees may be boasting a little about themselves, and criticizing those who do not fast as they do. Christ defends his recently called disciples … for some of them fasting and other spiritual activities are new experiences … they are just learning. They are babes in Christ, and not grown men.

Ausubel:

The writings of Isaiah were well known and used by the Jewish people. Isaiah, the prophet of the Babylonian captivity in the 6^th century BC, defined what fasting should not be: “Is such the fast that I God have (not) chosen, The day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord?” (Isaiah 58:5) And what it should be: “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the fetters of wickedness, To undo the bonds of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, And that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?” (Isaiah 58:6-7) Jesus now cites both of these in his teachings.

Brown:

Fasting was used with purification rites, in preparing to converse with God, by the nation in danger of war and destruction, or plague; at times of exile and mourning the dead. In the course of time the deeper meaning of fasting, as an expression of man’s humbling of himself before God, was lost for Israel. Increasingly it came to be regarded as a pious achievement. The struggle of the prophets against this was without success.

The entirely new view brought by the New Testament to the question of fasting is most clearly expressed in the words of Jesus, “How can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” The irruption of the Kingdom of God, the presence of the Messiah, the good news of salvation not dependent on good works – all this means joy which is now something excluded by fasting in the Jewish sense. In the light of the Messiah-center preaching of Jesus, such fasting is a thing of the past, belonging to a bygone era.

Howick:

The Law of Moses prescribed only one official fast day, the Day of Atonement, but the rabbis had added many public and private fasts. The public fasts generally commemorated the calamities of Israel’s past but the question posed to the Savior was centered around the private fast days wherein the Pharisees aimed at the highest degree of merit obtainable under the observance of their law.

The Pharisees, however, had enlarged the fast even beyond this. They celebrated it for many occasions, believing that fasting would give them lucky dreams and the interpretation thereof, or that it would allow them to receive revelation, avert evil, or procure some good. They reasoned this way because of their concept of hostility between body and spirit. They believed that the spirit could be exalted only by suppressing the body.

To their questioning Jesus responded with another question: “Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus had come to liberate the Jews from the yoke of the Mosaic ordinances and the bondage that had been placed upon them by the traditions of their fathers. His answer also proclaimed that he was the Messiah who had come to declare a new law, not merely reform the old one. The gospel that Jesus taught was a new and everlasting covenant. The old ceremonial law could not be patched.

Additional Notes:

·         There were many instances of individual fasting under the influence of grief, vexation, or anxiety.

·         Even among many of the Jewish leaders fasting as a practice had been relegated to secondary importance.

·         Pride was a real problem for the Pharisees and influenced their fasting practices. Some Pharisees fasted often for very selfish reasons.

                                                                               

Glenn R. McGettigan

September 2015; Revised November 2015

References:

“The Temple.” Edersheim

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” McConkie

“The Mortal Messiah.” McConkie

“Bethany Commentary.”

“Dictionary of New Testament Theology.” Volume 1. Brown

“Sermons of Jesus the Messiah.” Howick

“Life of Christ.” Farrar

“Gospel of Luke.” Volume 1. Fitzmyer

“Life of Christ.” Geike

                                                                                  

#32 Jesus Calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John

#32 Jesus Calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John

Please first read: Matt 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; JST John: 1:42; JST Matt 4:18-21

President J. Reuben Clark Jr.:

Jesus, pressed by the people, stands by the Lake of Gennesaret; he sits in Simon’s boat, and having it pushed out a little from the shore, he teaches the  people; he then takes Simon and his boat into the sea, tells Simon to cast his net; Simon demurs, saying he has toiled all night and taken nothing, but says he will do as told; he casts his net and gets so many fish that the net breaks; he beckons his other partners who come and they fill both ships. Peter falls upon his knees saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord;” all are astonished, and he says to them – Peter, Andrew, James, and John, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men;” they leave their boats and follow him.

Jesus is now selecting a small group of disciples and beginning their preparation for a future calling. He comes upon Peter and Andrew and after he testifies to them that he is the Messiah they follow him. (JST Matthew 4:18-21) James and John are also called to be followers, or disciples, and they do so. They will later become Apostles. Phillip is not mentioned but was also among the followers of Jesus here. It is he who brought Nathaniel to Jesus. Matthew and Mark record this as the same event; Luke’s account appears to be a separate occasion.

The scriptures show that Jesus had to keep calling these and other disciples back to him. They were young in their discipleship. The Greek “disciple” means “learner” and in the strict sense of the word a physical follower of the teacher. They also show that even after the Lord’s resurrection he had to call some of these same followers back to their callings as Apostles. It will not be until the Gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon them on the Day of Pentecost that they will leave the temporal and give full service to the Apostleship.

“Casting out” and “fishers and hunters of men” were familiar expressions in their own Jewish scriptures. (Jeremiah 16) Fishing was a metaphor for missionary work. Regarding Jesus’ saying, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” President Harold B. Lee, in October 1960, likened it to “If you will keep my commandments, I will make you leaders of men.”

Jesus spent much of his time with the poor and downtrodden but they were not the only ones to follow him. Fishing in Galilee was a thriving industry. These four called disciples appear to have successful fishing businesses … they own their boats and have hired employees working for them. It is very likely there were kinship and/or occupational ties between some of them. Eleven of the Twelve Apostles called by Jesus came from around the Sea of Galilee. It also seems reasonable to me there would certainly be a cross section of the public, especially from what we would refer to as the “middle class.”

John the Baptist was instrumental in preparing some of Jesus’ closest disciples. This was part of his calling. Kinship may also have played a role in his gaining early followers ready to accept Jesus when he came.  

“Apostles” and “Disciples’ as defined in Jesus’ time:

·         Disciple: an adherent, a learner, one who follows another’s teachings; especially of the Twelve Apostles. (Vines Dictionary of NT Words)           

·         Apostle: In Jewish Palestine it was “the one sent,” i.e. emissaries commissioned by the Sanhedrin, rabbis, etc. to represent them and act in their name with authority on fiscal or legal matters. Greek: one sent, charged, or commissioned. The criteria for an Apostle elsewhere in the New Testament seem to be mainly two: 1. A witness of the risen Christ, and 2. One commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the Christ. (J. Fitzmyer, “The Gospel According to Luke)

·         Apostle: The Twelve called by Jesus and sent forth to preach the Gospel and be with him during his ministry on earth, one sent forth. (Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

Glenn R. McGettigan       

December 2014; Revised: September 2015

References:

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” McConkie  

“Mortal Messiah.” Volume 2. McConkie

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” Clark  

“The Gospel According to Mark.” Mann 

“The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ.” Holzaphel and Wayment  

“Gospel Studies of the New Testament.” Ludlow

“The Gospel According to Luke.” Volume 1. Fitzmyer   

#26 John is Imprisoned

#26 John is Imprisoned

Please first read: Matthew 14:3-5; Mark 6:17-20; Luke 3:19-20

As the scriptures indicate, the events leading up to the imprisonment of John are a bit complicated.

Jesus and John are both preaching and baptizing in the same general area, now governed by Herod Antipas, one of the sons of former King Herod the Great. Antipas is married to a daughter of Aretas, Emir of Arabia. There are two other sons of Herod the Great… Aristobulus and Herod Philip.

A daughter of Aristobulus, Herodias, marries her uncle, Herod Philip. On a visit to Rome, Antipas becomes involved with Herodias, his brother Philips wife and she leaves him to marry Antipas; there is no divorce. Herod Antipas has now married to his sister-in-law who is also his niece. There is adultery, incest, and illegal marriage involved in these actions.

We can only imagine, given the strong character and personality of John the Baptist, how he would confront, accuse, and criticize Herod Antipas as well as the others … visually and vocally for these sins … and he did so, as well as also condemning Antipas for his other evil doings. The time would come when Antipas would put John in prison to silence him, and possibly in part for John’s own protection.

Apostle James E. Talmage:

“Even before Jesus had returned to Galilee after His baptism and the forty days of solitude in the wilderness, John the Baptist had been imprisoned by order of Herod Antipas, tetrarch (governor) of Galilee and Perea. During the subsequent months of our Lord’s activities, in preaching the gospel, teaching the true significance of the kingdom, reproving sin, healing the afflicted, rebuking evil spirits and raising the dead to life, His forerunner, the God-fearing, valiant John, had lain a prisoner in the dungeons of Machaerus, one of the strongest of Herod’s citadels. The tetrarch had some regard for John, having found him to be a holy man; and many things had Herod done on the direct advice of the Baptist or because of the influence of the latter’s general teaching. Indeed, Herod had listened to John gladly, and had imprisoned him through a reluctant yielding to the importunities of Herodias, whom Herod claimed as a wife under coverage of an illegal marriage. Herodias had been and legally was still the wife of Herod’s brother, Philip, from whom she had never been lawfully divorced; and her pretended marriage to Herod Antipas was both adulterous and incestuous under Jewish law.

The Baptist had fearlessly denounced this sinful association; to Herod he had said: ‘It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.’ Though Herod might possibly have ignored this stern rebuke, or at least might have allowed it to pass without punishment, Herodias would not condone. It was she, not the Tetrarch, who most hated John; she ‘had a quarrel against him,’and succeeded in inducing Herod to have the Baptist seized and incarcerated as a step toward the consummation of her vengeful plan of having him put to death. Moreover, Herod feared an uprising of the people in the event of John being slain by his order.

In the course of his long imprisonment John had heard much of the marvelous preaching and works of Christ; these things must have been reported to him by some of his disciples and friends who were allowed to visit him. Particularly was he informed of the miraculous raising of the young man in Nain.”

Comment: Later, Herod is tricked by Herodias into ordering the death of John.

Continuing from Talmage:

“Herod was sorely troubled over the murder he had ordered; and when, later, the marvels wrought by Jesus were reported to him, he was afraid, and said: ‘That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.’ To those who dissented, the terrified king replied: ‘It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen form the dead.’”

Glenn R. McGettigan.        

August 2014

References:

“Companion Study Guide for the New Testament.” Ludlow

“Our Lord of the Gospels.”  Clark, Jr.

“The Mortal Messiah.”  Volume 2. McConkie

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” Volume 1. McConkie

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage

“Gospel of Matthew.” Albright and Mann

“Gospel of Mark.” Mann

“Gospel According to Luke.” I-I. Fitzmyer

#25 Jesus and John the Baptist

#25 Jesus and John the Baptist

Please first read: John 3:22-36; JST John 3: 27, 32, 34, 36

President J. Rueben Clark. Jr.:

It is now summertime, AD 27. Two of John’s disciples, Andrew and Simon hear Jesus and follow him. Jesus finds Philip, who finds Nathaniel, and they follow Jesus. When Jesus tells Nathaniel that he previously saw him under a fig tree, he believes him. (This is the first recorded evidence of Jesus using his divine power of over mind, matter, and elements of Space.) At least these four disciples go with Jesus into Judea. Jesus now begins teaching and baptizing individuals in the same area where John has been laboring and doing this. John’s disciples show evidence of concern about this and report to him that Jesus is receiving all who come to him, and baptizing them. The Baptist promptly reminds them He is the Christ and, as he has told them before, he (John) is the Elias, the forerunner called by God to prepare the way for He who is now come, the Messiah. John’s service will now wind down as Jesus, the Son, steps forward with all power from the Father. John has performed his calling well; the Father and the Son are highly pleased. The time will come when John will seal his testimony with his blood … a foreboding of that which also awaits the Savior. As their work goes on we find Jesus testifying to the multitudes that John is indeed a mighty prophet and confirming that his teachings are true.

Bruce R. McConkie:

For a time in their ministries Jesus and John overlap each other, but there is no competition. Much of their preaching efforts continue to be in the geographic area that John has prepared. John baptizes with water only, after which he tells his disciples to follow Jesus who will baptize them with fire and the Holy Ghost. Jesus is baptizing after repentance with water, but also with the promise that in due time they will be baptized by/with the spirit of the Holy Ghost.

John is now telling the people that his work and calling is about done; Jesus is the one to follow. John continues to bear great testimony of the divinity of Christ, who has the fullness of the Gospel and the Priesthood power. Those who believe on the Son, and the words of God which he speaketh, shall have everlasting life. John does know that few men receive and believe his testimony, and warns that those who do not believe will have the wrath of God upon them. 

James E. Talmage:

When John came out of the wilderness preaching his message there was great concern among all levels of the people, even among the ruling Roman counsels. Who is this new “prophet?” As they heard his message ‘make strait the way of the Lord,’ who is now coming, the concern for many deepened into fear. His reference that the one coming was the “Lamb of God” told the Jewish people that it was the long hoped for Messiah, the One appointed for sacrifice.  

Richard Holzapfel and Thomas Wayment:

Some other things John seems to have concentrated on accomplishing were the following:

·         Awaken the general public to how far many of them had strayed from the teachings of Moses.

·         Warn them of the corruption existing in their chosen leaders.

·         Prepare a group of disciples ready to receive and follow Jesus as their Messiah, and an inner circle from which Jesus would choose some of the Twelve.

                                                                 

The scriptures we have of John indicate he was very forceful and allowed for little if any challenging of his demanding and accusing message. His personality, fiery nature, and single focus on his calling and mission to prepare a people for the Messiah leaves very little patience, or tolerance for those refusing to believe what is about to come to pass. We can only assume that any words of testimony about Jesus (and there were many instances of this) would be similarly expressed. John was not only a nuisance, but a threat to king Herod and his supporters, and of course to the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, the Sanhedrin, and other Jewish leaders.  

Glenn R. McGettigan

May 2014; Revised October 2014

           

#21.2 John the Baptist Remembered

#21.2 John the Baptist Remembered

This is a good time to stop and review the great work that John the Baptist has done.  He has attracted huge crowds with his calls for repentance and baptism, and preaching that the Messiah is coming … in fact is now among them. John is very vocal, forceful, and vigorous, in his continuing testimony of Jesus as the Christ, and will not be silenced. The four New Testament gospels all tell of him baptizing multitudes before and after he baptized Jesus. With Jesus beginning his ministry John tells his disciples that Jesus will now increase and he, John, will decrease. That is the way the Father has planned it should be. Let us consider: For the first time in 400 years the people are seeing and hearing a prophet, and he is preaching by the power of the Holy Ghost.

In some six months of his ministry he has challenged the apostasy and priestcrafts among the Jewish leadership and is creating much excitement; “all Judea is going out to meet him.” We learn from the Book of Mormon that the iniquities in Jerusalem at this time were the worst of any generation in the world (2 Nephi 10: 3-5.) He alerted the Jewish nation to an awareness that the Messiah is soon coming and he, John, is the prophesied Elias, the forerunner foretold in their scriptures.  

John will be the last prophet of the Old Testament and the first of the New. The people know their own prophets have foretold of this for hundreds of years, and they have been yearning for the Deliverer to come. As a witness JB bears record of the gospel through the Son, unto all the world (JST John 1: 7.) He preaches repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, love, gathering, conversion, morality, true worship, resurrection of the dead, keys, judgment, and other principles of the gospel (JST Luke 3: 3-11.) The Lord made sure that his prophet was well prepared for his calling with full knowledge of the Gospel.

Joseph Smith said that John the Baptist was one of the Lord’s greatest prophets. Jesus tells his listeners that, “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (Luke 7: 28.)  He was divinely called to prepare the way for the Lord, he was entrusted to baptize the Lord, and he was the only legal administrator holding the Aaronic Priesthood there at this time (TPJS 275-76.) The Savior called John a “burning and a shining light” (John 5: 35) and testified that all things that John did were true (John 10: 41.) Several passages in the New Testament indicate that some (maybe a number) of Jesus’ Twelve were originally disciples of John the Baptist. John truly magnified and fulfilled his great calling.

Glenn R. McGettigan

February 2014; Revised August 2014

References:

“A Burning Light.” Matthews

“Behold the Messiah.” Matthews

#18 John the Baptist Testifies of Jesus

#18 John the Baptist Testifies of Jesus

Two specific scriptures:

John 1:19-28: JB preaching to the priests, Levites, and Pharisees and proclaiming he is not the Christ but is to prepare the way for the Christ who is even now among them.

   

John 1:29-37: JB testifies Jesus is the Lamb of God. There is a mistranslation in John 1:31 & 33, which read “and I knew him not.” The prophet Joseph Smith corrected these both to read “and I knew him.”

We have only a few other passages of scripture that give us a glimpse of John’s testimony of Jesus:

     Direct: Mathew 3; Mark 1; Luke 1; John 3.

     Indirect: Matthew 11; Luke 7:18-35. 

John was prepared from the beginning to be the forerunner for the Savior’s advent to the earth.  His father and mother (Zacharias and Elisabeth) knew of this calling from before John’s birth, and we can assume they raised their son to this end. Upon his reaching the age of thirty, John began his mission with great force and vigor. His signature cry for all to repent always bore testimony of the immediate coming of the long-awaited Son of God, and John’s role as the Elias, the forerunner to prepare a people to receive Him.

JB drew large crowds, many of them wondering if he is the Christ. He emphatically says “no,” he is the one sent by God to prepare the way for the Christ who is soon to come, that is, in fact, already among them!

John points out Jesus to others and says, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” The Jews would understand that “Lamb of God” was another name for the Redeemer, the Deliverer, the Messiah, the One appointed for sacrifice as told of in their Old Testament. John is testifying here of the Atonement that Jesus will accomplish, and that he is the Son of God who will baptize them with the Holy Ghost.

JB knew that the sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world to be a witness for the Holy Ghost. He also knew it would be a promised sign to him and others of the truth of the action of JB baptizing Jesus. With all his powers the devil cannot come in the sign of the dove.

Glenn R. McGettigan

June 2012; Revised August 2014

References:

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.”  Volume 1. McConkie

Joseph Smith Translation

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” Clark

“Messages of the First Presidency.”  Volume 1. Clark

#16 The Baptism of Jesus

#16 The Baptism of Jesus

           

Author’s note: It would be easy to include information about baptism in general here; however, my purpose is to try and limit comments and observations to those pertinent to the specific baptism of our Savior.

  Scriptures:

  Matthew 3 and JST Mathew 3

  Mark 1 and JST Mark 1

  Luke 3 and JST Luke 3

  John 1; 1 Nephi 11; 2 Nephi 31; D & C Section 93

Jesus comes to John the Baptist (JB) to be baptized. It is now time for him to begin his ministry on earth; he has been prepared by the Father and now at age thirty qualifies under Jewish law to teach and be heard. Jesus knew JB was the only legal administrator there with the authority to perform baptisms. John, knowing by the Spirit who Jesus was, objected at first.  Jesus explains to John the need for authority (John holds the Aaronic Priesthood) and for all things to be done in proper order. Jesus must so likewise be obedient and be baptized to “fulfill all righteousness.” John then baptizes Jesus.

“To fulfill all righteousness:”

Jesus was the one sinless person. Jesus did not need to have any sins forgiven; however, as he himself said, it was necessary for him to be baptized. Nephi gives us four reasons as to how and why he did this:

     1. He humbled himself before the Father.

     2. He showed obedience and covenanted to keep the commandments.

     3. Baptism is required of all to enter the Celestial Kingdom.

     4. Jesus was to set the example for all to follow.

All who attain the Celestial Kingdom will, like Jesus, need to “fulfill all righteousness,” which means to perform every ordinance, keep the commandments, and do all else the Father requires to attain eternal life. None but Jesus is perfect in this life, but as we strive to live righteously, continue to repent, and endure to the end, the Atoning Sacrifice of our Savior will make up for where we fall short.

When we enter the waters of baptism we symbolize the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  Just so also when Jesus was baptized did this portend of the Atonement, when Jesus would open the doors of the resurrection for all of God's earthly children.

As Jesus went forth with his ministry he taught all to follow him ... “What manner of men ought ye to be? ... even as I am.” 3 Nephi 27:27. When we enter the waters of baptism we commit and proclaim to the world identification with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. We bind ourselves to him in whose name we are baptized.

The King James version of the Bible says when Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened unto Him and he saw the Spirit of God descending, and heard the voice of the Father from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The Joseph Smith translation says John the Baptist saw and heard these things too. Also, that the Father said, “in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him.” As Jesus “went up straightway out of the water” John saw the heavens open, he beheld the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, and he heard the voice of the Father testifying of the divinity of his Son. We are not told whether any of the multitude also saw or heard these things. I cannot help but feel this was the Father's announcing his Son to the world, “Hear ye Him.” These additional words given in the JST would add strength to John's testimony of Jesus as the Son of God.

“The Sign of the Dove:”

Prophet Joseph Smith:

“The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence.”  (Teachings of Joseph Smith p.275-276)

It thus appears that John witnessed the sign of the dove, that he saw the Holy Ghost descend in the “bodily shape” of the personage that he is, and that the descent was “like a dove.” (Apostle Bruce R. McConkie)

Also, of interest is the fact that all four gospel writers record this event with the words, “like a dove.” This is not the case with many of the recorded events about Jesus.

We also see plainly here the three separate members of the Godhead; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost in the same place and at the same time, separately.

Glenn R. McGettigan

February 2012; Revised April 2014

References:

“Scriptural Teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith.” Smith / Galbraith

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.”  McConkie

“Companion Study of New Testament.”  Ludlow

“Teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith.”

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” Clark

“Jesus the Christ.” Talmage

“Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ.” Holzapfel and Wayment

“LDS Bible Dictionary.”

“Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.”

“Biblical Archeological Review.” March 1992 Jesus / Baptism / Dead Sea Scrolls

“Latter Day Prophets and Doctrine Covenants.” Volume 1. Whitney

“Journal of Discourses” Volume 2. Grant

“Commentary on the Book of Mormon.” Volume’s 1 & 2. Reynolds & Sjodahl

“Answers to Gospel Questions.” Volume 2. Smith