Why was the Messiah Baptized?

Why was the Messiah baptized? This is a popular question which the church has attempted to answer with fabricated ordinances and rituals that are entirely unscriptural in regards to what baptism was and how it was interpreted. In regards to the baptism of the Messiah, he answered that his personal baptism was necessary in order to fulfill all righteousness. Righteousness is the keeping of the Law. Therefore what Law was the Messiah fulfilling in being baptized?

We know that the Messiah was our final Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), a sin offering, a peace offering, and more for the children of Israel. Therefore in order to be a legitimate sacrifice, the life of the Messiah must have fulfilled the Levitical laws related to sacrificial offerings as much as his life must have been guiltless, as he was our unblemished lamb (John 1:29, 1 Peter 1:19). In Leviticus, we read that a sacrifice needs to be washed before it can properly be offered on the altar:

We also read that the Levitical priests themselves had to be washed for a sacrifice to be legitimate:

From Leviticus 8:4-6:

To fulfill these needed requirements for the Levitical priests and the cleansing of a sacrifice, we see in a prophecy of John the Baptist found in Malachi, that he would “purify the sons of Levi” (Malachi 3:3). The Messiah himself confirmed that John was the Second Ministry of Elijah, the one who would perform this. John cried out his voice in the wilderness and washed any true Israelite who came to him in the Jordan river, and through this he himself and many other Levites were cleansed and purified.

It is important to identify that John would not cleanse those who were not of Israel, even if they were geographically from Israel (Romans 9:6). A prime example being those Idumean Pharisees, who were the offspring of vipers, and had no part in the Body of the Messiah (Antiquities 13:9:1, Strabo 16.2.34). The Messiah agreed, and Judas Iscariot also, an Idumean, was similarly not cleansed through the words he spoke to his apostles (John 13:10). The Messiah confirmed that it is his Word of Truth that cleanses (John 17:17-19).

Once the Levites were purified, the Messiah of course came to be baptized himself after fulfilling the required thirty years for him to be of age to teach (Numbers 4:3). The Messiah’s life and ministry was a perfect fulfillment of the Law and Prophets (Matthew 5:17), and throughout his ministry he would also fulfill all the Levitical laws related to the offering of a legitimate sacrifice. We see another instance for example where he prevented Mary Magdalene from touching him after his resurrection (John 20:17) in fulfillment of another aspect of Leviticus 1 which says:

No sacrifice is complete until it is offered to YEHOVAH God: the whole burnt offerings were burnt until little was left and the smoke symbolically sent it all to YEHOVAH, this being the sweet savor (Leviticus 1). The Messiah being sacrificed, had to first present himself before YEHOVAH God until one could touch him. This is because in Leviticus 7, it is commanded that if anyone with unclean hands touches the sacrifice, it would make the sacrifice illegitimate and they who touched it themselves would then be cut off from the people.

Therefore, if Mary Magdalene had touched the Messiah before he had presented himself to the Father, the sacrifice would have been voided, she would have been cut off, and it all would have been for nothing. It is amazing the extent the Messiah went to fulfill his Father's Law, and it is an example to us also to read and understand the Law and Prophets, so that we can better understand YEHOVAH God and our place in the world of Israel.

There are those who claim the Messiah told Mary not to touch him because he was to appear before YEHOVAH God in Heaven at 9:00 a.m. that morning (the very time of the Morning Sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple) to "wave" the sheaf or omer (representing the first-century Ecclesia and all those to follow) before his Father, and to be exalted to the right hand of YEHOVAH God and take on his NEW spiritual body.

But let me ask this question -- WHY would the Messiah zoom all the way to Heaven and then zoom back to earth when YEHOVAH's Shekinah Glory was resident in the Jerusalem Temple? Wouldn't this then be his second coming, and his future arrival at the end of the age his third coming? This presents all kinds of problems!

YEHOVAH's Glory was present in the Tabernacle and then in the Jerusalem Temples that followed.

The question is: Why did he tell Mary not to touch him, and yet the disciples held him by the feet, worshipping him? The assumption is that between these two events, he very quickly ascended to Heaven and returned, being accepted of the Father -- so now they could "touch" him. But is this assumption correct?

Let's examine John 20:17 in detail and see what it really says!

It appears that both Matthew and Luke are saying that after the Messiah's resurrection he could be "held" and "handled" while John is saying that he could not even be "touched" in some translations. To answer this apparent contradiction we first need a mini-lesson in Greek grammar.

Now, let's apply the original Greek to the beginning of John 20:17. The verse also includes a prohibitive, present imperative: me mou haptou. It would be better rendered as "Stop touching me." The point? A prohibition in the present imperative demands that ACTION then IN PROGRESS be stopped. So Mary was not just touching the Messiah -- she was HOLDING him, GRASPING him, CLINGING to him. The Messiah is simply telling her to let go, enough is enough already! Putting all the above together, the first part of John 20:17 should be rendered, "Stop holding me..." or possibly, "Stop clinging to me..."

So Mary is already touching the risen Messiah. But the Messiah is commanding her to stop. But why? Help in answering this question can be found by looking at the word rendered "touch."

In his commentary on the Gospel of John, Merril C. Tenny summarizes the lexical connotations of this verb as: "The verb hapto DOES NOT mean to touch with the tip of a finger to test whether an object is real or not but to "CLUTCH" or "GRIP."

So Mary was not just touching the Messiah -- she was HOLDING him, GRASPING him, CLINGING to him. The Messiah is simply telling her to let go, enough is enough already! Putting all the above together, the first part of John 20:17 should be rendered, "Stop holding me..." or possibly, "Stop clinging to me..."

So the Messiah is being "held" in Matthew; he is being "handled" in Luke; and he is being "held" or "clung to" in John.

When you think about it this was the MOST MOMENTOUS event in the history of Israel! Without the resurrection there is nothing -- this life is all there is, no life after death, nothing -- just a huge blank! With the resurrection of the Messiah Israel could now reach for the stars -- become kings and leaders in the World Tomorrow here on this earth -- and eventually the entire universe! Clearly Mary did not yet understand this, and instead of RUSHING immediately to inform the disciples that everything the scriptures pointed to had occurred, she clung to the Messiah and thereby received his loving rebuke.

It is evident that the Messiah had completed his task of presenting himself to YEHOVAH God in the Temple prior to this dialogue with Mary Magdalene and his later encounter with the apostles.

So John the Baptist fulfilled the duty of the Aaronic priesthood, being a descendant of Aaron himself. Being a Levite, he could fulfill the priestly role of cleansing which Moses had done first before him. [1] With the priesthood no longer consisting of Levites at the time of John, of course no Sadducee would never have ever been able to fulfill such a role as this. We read that the Levites at the time of John were in fact starving because of the oppression they experienced from the Sadducees, who stole from them their birthright of priesthood. Interestingly, the Messiah subtly eludes to the corruption of the Levitical priesthood when he mentions a priest and Levite separately in his parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:31-32).

We know of course, that there should have been no distinction between a priest and a Levite in that parable, because if one was not a Levite, they were not a legitimate priest (Malachi 2:8, Leviticus 21:15). The denominational scholars will read the parable a hundred times and twist it to support universalism: but will never notice this subtle nod which the Messiah makes and its associated implications. YEHOVAH God prophesied through Malachi that the priesthood would become further corrupted (Malachi 2:3), and as it was fulfilled it allowed for the Messiah to be killed by the power of the dog (Psalm 22:20), just like the other prophets which had preceded him (Luke 11:51). The Messiah is the last prophet (Hebrews 1).

So this was the purpose of the baptism of the Messiah: to cleanse the offering in preparation for its coming sacrifice. However, baptism as a ritual was not unheard of at the time and was in fact well known. YEHOVAH speaks to His people through terms they understand in the times which they are living, for example having done this when making His oath to Abraham (Genesis 15:17). The Pharisees when hearing of John’s baptism did not ask what baptism was, but asked John who gave him the authority to baptize, as they ostensibly perceived John as a lesser man than themselves (John 1:25). The Pharisees themselves performed a ritual similar to John’s baptism when they accepted new proselytes (Lightfoot’s volume 2 on pages 55 to 63 in A Commentary on the New Testament ).

The Pharisees viewed immersion as a rebirth, and aliens would be considered Israelites after the vain ritual was completed. The Pharisaical understanding was later adopted by the Roman Catholic Church and is now shared by nearly all denominational churches. This is a mistake. While the Pharisees would baptize anyone and make them twice the sons of hell (Matthew 23:15), John refused to baptize vipers (Matthew 3:7). The Messiah also rejected the traditions of the elders, saying “ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.” Concluding that “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:1-23) These traditions were not scriptural, but came from the rites and practices of men.

Many of the Messiah’s apostles were former students of John and clung for a time to their former teacher’s ways. The apostles did not immediately understand the purpose of the baptism carried out by John, therefore while the apostles baptized some during the Ministry of the Messiah, Yeshua himself did not baptize anyone. John himself is recorded at Matthew. 3:11 as stating: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” The Messiah affirmed shortly before his departure that “John immersed in water, but you shall be immersed in the holy spirit after not many days hence” (Acts 1:5).

The apostles did not even understand the technicalities behind the requirement for the Messiah’s death, until after several periods of time and revelation from the Messiah himself. This was often in waves of independent growth and understanding. The transition from the Old to New Covenant is recorded in the Book of Acts and was an era of learning for them, as they came to understand the meaning of the New Covenant in its scope and purpose.

So while in the beginning of Acts we see that they did not fully understand why John had baptized, by the end of the account growth and understanding had enveloped them and their assemblies. Peter at the household of Cornelius saw that they were baptized with the holy spirit, and adjusted his understanding (Acts 11:15-16). The baptism of John was for the Messiah and the sons of Levi, and from that point forward the Messiah informs them that they are to baptize with the holy spirit. This baptism was the immersion into his death, which the crucifixion had allowed after the washing of the sacrifice (Romans 6:3). But once the sacrifice had been made, the baptism of John was no longer required.

Therefore we read of when Priscila and Aquila saw Apollos still teaching the baptism of John, they took him aside and “expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly” (Acts 18:24-26). While the apostles went on to baptize during the Acts era, during the transition we see an evolution of understanding regarding what the Messiah had meant when he said that the baptism of water was for John, but they were to baptize with the holy spirit. There is more to be said on this subject, and this will be the subject of a coming article.

The baptism of the Messiah was what it was, despite how men sought to interpret it in the generations that followed. Many incorporated their former pagan ideas in their attempts to understand its meaning. The meaning was of course defined in the Old Testament, which the Messiah came to fulfill, and was not a new ritual sprung out of thin air. In fact, the works of the Law are done away with (meaning the rituals and rituals only; namely anything related to the Leviticus priesthood). [2] This passing does not include the moral Laws of YEHOVAH God apart from the rites and rituals of the Levitical priesthood, for those are eternal (Matthew 5:18, Romans 3:31).

If it was required at a time for men to be cleansed in water, to prepare and present sacrifices, such is no longer required, for we now have the Messiah, who died once as a sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12). With this simple understanding of what the Baptism of the Messiah was, we once again open many doors and opportunities towards understanding scripture on a more cohesive level.

The word baptism comes from the Greek word baptizo, which literally means immersion. Therefore the Messiah said he had an immersion to be immersed in, which was his death. This is the same baptism which Paul and Peter speak of in their epistles, a baptism of the Word, of his Death, and not of the immersion of the flesh. The baptism which was fulfilled in the Jordan river was the baptism which was required for the Messiah to be a legitimate sacrifice and to carry out the office of High Priest for Israel. This baptism was the preparation for salvation, but salvation is not from the baptism of John but is rather from the sacrifice which was sanctified through it: that being the Messiah.

Having been sacrificed, we are able to enter into his baptism: which is his death. If we die with him, then we live with him also (Romans 6:8). Therefore, as Paul said, we have his marks on our body, being regarded dead in body but alive through the Messiah (Galatians 6:17). This is the immersion for the children of Israel, and they have no further need for cleansing. To think otherwise is to believe that men need rites and rituals to be saved, and that the Messiah alone was not enough. That is the heresy of the Judaizers, the heresy of the Nicolaitans, and of all modern churches.

Let none steal away our liberty in the Messiah to bond us in rituals, for his sacrifice certainly sanctified all of Israel, and indeed we are sanctified.

Many have wondered exactly why the Messiah insisted on being baptized. While Yeshua the Messiah obeyed Levitical priestly law throughout his ministry, it is his baptism that the Messiah said gave him the legal authority to carry out his priestly ministry -- he had been truly ordained a priest and possessed authority to cleanse the Temple. So how does this apply to us today?

Clearly YEHOVAH God has chosen those of us of Israel to be in the First Resurrection and to assist YEHOVAH God and the Messiah in ruling in the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God. As part of that responsibility we are to act as "kings and priests;" and to do so we have to abide by the Old Testament procedure put in place by YEHOVAH God.

Notice what Douglas A. Van Dorn states in his article, The Old Testament Roots of the Baptism of the Messiah:

In both the baptism of the Messiah and the baptism of Israelite-Christians, the imagery is identical to that of the priestly ordination in Exodus 29:4-9. Therefore, as the Messiah's baptism gave him the legal authority to carry out his priestly ministry, so too does the baptism of those Israelites called to be in the First Resurrection give us the required legal authority to act as priests in the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God.

Since YEHOVAH God has called those of us of Israel to be "kings and priests" in His soon-coming Kingdom, we should follow the Messiah's example and be baptized into the priesthood to enable us to fulfill the roles promised us in YEHOVAH's Kingdom. This, however, does not mean that baptism is required for salvation. All the Israelites resurrected in the Second Resurrection (Ezekiel 37) at the end of the Millennium will receive the gift of eternal life without the baptism into the priesthood as they will not be serving as priests in the Kingdom.

The correct way to be baptized into YEHOVAH's priesthood is covered in our article, A NEW LOOK at Baptism. Send for it or download it from our websites.

[2] Romans 3:19-28; 4:1-9; 9:11, 32; 11:6-7; Galatians 2:16; 3:2-10; Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 6:1-2 and 9:1-14.