Apparent Contradictions in the Bible

Question:

I spent some time at your site and I have a number of questions:

1. Why would Jesus feel that he needed to be baptized if he was the son of God, without sin, and already saved?

2. Who baptized Jesus? Matthew and Mark say John the Baptist. Luke doesn't say, but makes it clear that it couldn't have been John the Baptist because, according to Luke, who supposedly wrote a chronological report, J the B was already in prison when Jesus was
   baptized. I don't think that John's gospel mentions the baptism of Jesus at all.

3. What type of baptism would this have been....immersion, pouring, sprinkling, dousing, dunking, what? On what evidence do you base your answer and how important is this?

4. Was there anything special about being baptized in the Jordan River or doesn't that matter....water is water, in other words?

5. Why didn't John the Baptist and his own disciples become followers of Jesus? Why did J the B continue to have his own followers for nearly 100 years following his martyrdom......70 or 80 years past the death of Jesus?

6. If J the B recognized Jesus from before his own birth [Luke 1:44], why would he have had to ask his messengers to go ask Jesus if He was the one, or if they should look for another? [Matthew 11:2-3]
   
   Submitted by EB on March 1, 1999.

Answer:  (Given by Bro. Jack Burdue)

Question 1. In Matthew 3:15 after John had told Jesus that "I have need to be baptized of thee", Jesus' reply is "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness". The inference is that John's baptism, though not mentioned in the Old Testament, was approved and even commanded by God. And though Jesus had no need of forgiveness, still he had to be obedient to all of God's commandments, even baptism, in order to fulfill all righteousness.

Question 2. In Luke 3:2 we find "the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness".  This is John the Baptist. Now it is true that due to his hard preaching he is imprisoned in verse 20. I don't think that chronological order can be assumed verse by verse. Jesus after all is baptized in verse 21 "when all the people were baptized". It seems that Luke is trying to clarify that Jesus was baptized at the time that John was baptizing and not after he was imprisoned. The scripture cannot contradict and based on your other 2 citations, this seems to be the only logical explanation.

Question 3. Immersion is the only baptism spoken of or described in scripture. We base this on two facts.  First the Greek root word transliterated (not translated) into the various forms of the word baptize is baptizo. This means to dip or immerse. They had another word for pour, ballo. And yet another word for sprinkle, Rhantizo. The only true example that may give inference to the form of baptism would be the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8: 38, 39. We see Philip and the eunuch go down into the water and come up out of the water. Now bear in mind that this is a desert road, and the treasurer of Ethiopia. I'm certain that the caravan was carrying enough water to administer a sprinkling if that were an option. Just a fine point, in vs. 35 Philip preaches unto him Jesus. Out of that topic, the eunuch discerned the need to be baptized. Jesus cannot be preached without preaching baptism. Also we see in John 3:23, John the Baptist is baptizing in Aenon near Salim, "because there much water there". It takes much water to immerse, and little to pour or sprinkle.

Question 4. The river Jordan was special because as stated earlier, there was much water there. There's nothing special about the water other than you need enough to immerse.

Question 5. I don't know why some of John's followers would not come follow Jesus. Some like Appolos may have needed simply to be taught more perfectly. Some may have held on due to jealousy, that attitude is already apparent in the last half John chapter 3. Many hold false beliefs today, and I can't explain why.

Question 6. Matthew 11:2&3. John is in prison, even the most faithful of us all can have their faith shaken in the worst of circumstances. Also, John knows that God has sent to prepare the way for Jesus. If Jesus is the Christ, John's work is done, and he will no doubt die in prison. If he should expect another, then he knows that God will arrange for him to continue his work. Mostly, I think that he was just discouraged.

Back to the Index of Questions and Answers

What's New   |  TOC  |  Home  |  Contact Information   |  Personal Studies
Correspondence Courses  |   Ask a Question  | The Bible
Software   |  Guestbook  |  Visitor Log

Member of the Church of Christ Ad Exchange.

© Copyright 1998-2006. Quartz Hill church of Christ. All rights reserved.