Contrasting Baptisms

In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist prepares his listeners for Jesus by drawing dramatic contrasts between himself and, the soon to come, Jesus. John the Baptist was highly regarded by many folks. They had gone out of their way to hear his preaching. John used that high regard to exalt Jesus. Basically, he was saying, “If you think I’m something, Well…I’m nothing in comparison to Jesus.” John the Baptist’s most striking contrast is between their baptisms.

John says of himself, “I baptize with water.” Regarding Jesus, he says, “[He] is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”

John’s baptism is described as a baptism of repentance. John says, “…the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” John’s preaching was a personal call for individual Israelites to get their act together, to better personify the heart of their covenant teachings. John was very effective. Many people were convicted by his preaching and were led to respond in a quite unusual way. Israelites were taking personal responsibility for their state of affairs and were submitting to a demonstrative act of repentance. This was not corporate repentance like we see in various O.T. narratives, this is personal. John’s preaching was stimulating a change of heart, one Israelite at a time. This heart change was publicly acknowledged in submission to water baptism at the hands of John and/or his disciples.
And this is how we find the fulfillment of the great prophecy of Isaiah, “The voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

By contrast, Jesus’ baptism is not characterized by water, but by the Holy Spirit. Now, it is important to acknowledge that Jesus did, for a while, preach a message like John’s and Jesus’ disciples did baptize respondents with water. But, John’s point is that Jesus is bringing something entirely greater to the table, the power of the Holy Spirit.

Maybe, a better viewpoint from which to appreciate this contrast of baptisms is the one of the respondent. The initial response involves a change from within. I hear the preaching and am convicted because I now see myself as completely devoid of true faithfulness. I am resolved to change. I repent. But then comes that which only Jesus can bring, the change from without, the power of the Holy Spirit at work upon me.

Nicodemus comes along and exclaims to Jesus, “…we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus brings it together, “…no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. …the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

The defining characteristic of this newly formed community of God’s people is the power of the Holy Spirit. The person of God with the persons of this faith community. A new wine for a new wineskin!