Bible Question:
What were John the Baptist's legal Jewish credentials to baptize the Savior? We know that he was the son of the High Priest Zacharias. Shouldn't John have been ministering as High Priest, in the Holy Place of the temple, as opposed to baptizing the Savior in the wilderness? John the Baptist apparently trashed his fine religious robes to wear a poor man's garb of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. Shouldn't Jesus have been baptized by John at the temple? |
Bible Answer: Hi, Reighnskye! I think that you are missing the point altogether... As God, Jesus could have orchestrated His incarnation in a Mansion of earthly riches... He did not! There was a big to do about John... the people dismissed his mother's offering of the name because there was no such name in his ancestry--they refused to accept John as the infant's name till the father, who was unable to speak due to an act of God, wrote down the name "John" to designate his new born son--at this particular time Zachary gained his speaking abilities! Another particular point which seems to have eluded you is the fact that the status quo was never interested in Jesus nor in John ("What have you gone to see in the desert?" "The Son of man eats and drinks...")... and how accessible to the poor and sinners would John and Jesus had been if they would've been part of the Temple's facade? John the Baptist was separated from birth (no fruit of the grape--herald of the Lord) to bring the News of the coming change: the New Covenant of God with man... he had to be free to travel to pave the way for the Messiah! His authority came directly from Yahweh! God Bless! Angel |