A few months ago, a pastor decided to see what he could learn from biblical scholars and other clergy about the baptism of Jesus. He started his computer, went online and typed in the words “The Baptism of Jesus.” He then asked the computer to search out information about that subject. Guess what he discovered? The computer found 253,000 comments, articles, sermons and discussions all dealing with the baptism of Jesus.
The pastor read for almost half a day and then, somewhat exhausted, he stopped for lunch. By that time, he figured he knew all he really needed to know anyway. And that leads us to ask: What do we know about the baptism of Jesus?
To fulfill all righteousness
The essential facts most of us might recite would surely focus first on John the Baptist. Some call him John the Baptizer, which he was indeed. We need not go into that unique person’s character and dress. Both were unusual and attention-getting to say the least.
Let’s consider instead John’s profound and soul-shaking message. Like an Old Testament prophet — an Amos or Hosea or Jeremiah — his truthful words went right to the heart of his listeners. They burned deeply, disturbingly, past all their defenses, beyond all rationalizations, until those words uncovered every sin and resurrected every buried guilt. What a preacher!
Years ago, the psychiatrist, Dr. Karl Menninger, used to tell of two men walking on a Chicago street. Suddenly a street evangelist poin
