Post
by Nasruddin » Sat Jan 18, 2020 9:53 am
So why was Jesus there anyway? John was baptizing for the forgiveness of sin (as the quoted Cathar text says), So what sin was Jesus seeking forgiveness for?
The possibility is that Jesus did not go to John to be baptized. He went to John to question his authority. The Gospel of John 1:19-30 reads:
"When the religious authorities in Jerusalem sent some Priests and Levites to ask John – "Who are you?", he told them clearly and simply: "I am not the Christ." "What then?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?" "No," he said, "I am not." "Are you 'the prophet'?" He answered, "No." "Who then are you?" they continued; "tell us so that we have an answer to give to those who have sent us. What do you say about yourself?" "I," he answered, "am – 'The voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness – "make a straight road for the Lord"', as the prophet Isaiah said." These men had been sent from the Pharisees; and their next question was: "Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ or Elijah or 'the prophet'?" John's answer was – "I baptize with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know; he is coming after me, yet I am not worthy even to unfasten his sandal." This happened at Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him, and exclaimed: "Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! I was talking about him when I said 'After me there is coming a man who ranks ahead of me, because before I was born he already was.' "
The scene places Jesus as one of representatives of the Pharisees, one among the Priests and Levites, sent to question John about his religious calling and claims. The ignorance among the other representatives about who Jesus really was (i.e. the coming Messiah), was also shared by John, who knew that the Messiah was 'one of the them', but not precisely which one.
John explains how he finally knew [John 1:31-36];
I did not know who he was, but I have come baptizing with water to make him known to Israel." John also said: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and rest on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water, he said to me 'He on whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him – he it is who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' This I have seen myself, and I have declared my belief that he is the Son of God." The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ "
It is noticeable that in this account, nowhere is it said that John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend on Jesus at the time of his baptism. In fact, John doesn't baptize Jesus at all. John first meets Jesus as an agent of the religious authorities in Jerusalem, and only sees the Spirit descend on him the next day as Jesus is walking towards him. This then prompts John's exclamations of "Here he is!!".
I wonder what Jesus was walking towards John to discuss? Probably more annoying questions from the Pharisees. Was John trying to deflect attention away from himself by making people talk about Jesus? Neat trick to turn your interrogator into the suspect.