After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judæa; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
After these things Jesus moved from Jerusalem to the country about the Jordan in Judea and remained there with His disciples. While He tarried there people flocked to hear Him, the number of His disciples increased daily, and many came for baptism. Jesus Himself baptized no one; the baptisms were performed by His disciples with His sanction. By thus sanctioning baptism by His disciples He set His seal upon the mission of John as His forerunner.
These baptisms raised the question whether baptism cleanses the sinner from the guilt of sin. In that discussion John's baptism was described as unto repentance and the baptism by Christ's disciples as unto a new life. As crowds gathered to Jesus the crowds around John lessened day by day, which led John's disciples to compare the growing popularity of Jesus with John's work and to look with jealousy and readiness to criticize. They disputed with the Jews and with Christ's disciples whether the baptism of Jesus differed essentially from that of John, what form of words was proper to use at baptism, and whether Christ's disciples had any right to baptize at all, then brought to John the grievance that the One to whom John bore witness beyond Jordan was baptizing and all men were coming to Him.
The verse belongs to a passage to be read carefully to bring thorough conviction and repentance in the soul and daily conversion to the mind and will of Christ, so as to stand in the soon investigative judgment. Applied to life, it calls for speaking kindly earnest words in season to erring ones rather than trifling, sporting reproof, remembering that Satan in deceptive style seeks to overcome every soul while angels of God are present in every place of business to protect against rudeness in word or action so Satan will have no chance to triumph.
After these things Jesus moved from Jerusalem to the country about the Jordan in Judea and remained there with His disciples. While He tarried there people flocked to hear Him, the number of His disciples increased daily, and many came for baptism. Jesus Himself baptized no one; the baptisms were performed by His disciples with His sanction. By thus sanctioning baptism by His disciples He set His seal upon the mission of John as His forerunner.
These baptisms raised the question whether baptism cleanses the sinner from the guilt of sin. In that discussion John's baptism was described as unto repentance and the baptism by Christ's disciples as unto a new life. As crowds gathered to Jesus the crowds around John lessened day by day, which led John's disciples to compare the growing popularity of Jesus with John's work and to look with jealousy and readiness to criticize. They disputed with the Jews and with Christ's disciples whether the baptism of Jesus differed essentially from that of John, what form of words was proper to use at baptism, and whether Christ's disciples had any right to baptize at all, then brought to John the grievance that the One to whom John bore witness beyond Jordan was baptizing and all men were coming to Him.
The verse belongs to a passage to be read carefully to bring thorough conviction and repentance in the soul and daily conversion to the mind and will of Christ, so as to stand in the soon investigative judgment. Applied to life, it calls for speaking kindly earnest words in season to erring ones rather than trifling, sporting reproof, remembering that Satan in deceptive style seeks to overcome every soul while angels of God are present in every place of business to protect against rudeness in word or action so Satan will have no chance to triumph.