Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.
The dispute about purifying arose in the region about the Jordan as crowds left John and flocked to Jesus amid the growing success of Jesus' ministry, stirring jealousy among John's disciples who stood ready to criticize His work. The verse places the question between some of John's disciples and the Jews, and it threatened and then became a confrontation and threatened division between John's disciples and Jesus' disciples. The question at issue was whether baptism itself avails to cleanse the soul from sin and purify the sinner from the guilt of sin.
In that debate John's disciples maintained that the baptism of Jesus differed essentially from that of John. The distinction they made was that John's baptism called people to repentance and baptized them unto repentance, while the baptism administered by Jesus' disciples was associated with and unto a new life. The dispute then became an argument with Christ's disciples over the proper form of words to use at baptism and finally over whether they had any right to baptize at all.
The verse records the question without giving its resolution, and it does not itself explain the dispute. The surrounding teaching in John 3 presents the need for a changed character, faith in Christ for salvation, and coming to the light. Jesus met the conflict by stopping baptizing and unselfishly retiring from the field and withdrawing to Galilee, to avoid fueling harmful disagreement and to protect the work.
That retirement displays His nobility, His manliness, His singleness of purpose, His virtues of character and His spirit of nobility, and He is the criterion of character with whom all who carry the burden of the Lord's work must make an alliance, purifying themselves even as He is pure and growing into closer and still closer familiarity with His way, His spirit, His purpose and His virtues. The episode teaches Christ's followers to take proper care to prevent disputes and to stand united in defense of the truth. The passage in John 3:22-36 is to be read carefully for thorough conviction and a work of repentance in the soul, and for speaking kindly and earnestly in season to erring ones rather than with sporting words of reproof, because the matter is too serious and important to be trifled with. Satan in deceptive style seeks to overcome every soul and flatters himself that his armies are great and the armies of Christ are few so that he will stand victor, while angels of God are present in every establishment where work in various business lines is carried on to protect every soul from becoming rude in word or action so Satan shall have no chance to triumph.
The dispute about purifying arose in the region about the Jordan as crowds left John and flocked to Jesus amid the growing success of Jesus' ministry, stirring jealousy among John's disciples who stood ready to criticize His work. The verse places the question between some of John's disciples and the Jews, and it threatened and then became a confrontation and threatened division between John's disciples and Jesus' disciples. The question at issue was whether baptism itself avails to cleanse the soul from sin and purify the sinner from the guilt of sin.
In that debate John's disciples maintained that the baptism of Jesus differed essentially from that of John. The distinction they made was that John's baptism called people to repentance and baptized them unto repentance, while the baptism administered by Jesus' disciples was associated with and unto a new life. The dispute then became an argument with Christ's disciples over the proper form of words to use at baptism and finally over whether they had any right to baptize at all.
The verse records the question without giving its resolution, and it does not itself explain the dispute. The surrounding teaching in John 3 presents the need for a changed character, faith in Christ for salvation, and coming to the light. Jesus met the conflict by stopping baptizing and unselfishly retiring from the field and withdrawing to Galilee, to avoid fueling harmful disagreement and to protect the work.
That retirement displays His nobility, His manliness, His singleness of purpose, His virtues of character and His spirit of nobility, and He is the criterion of character with whom all who carry the burden of the Lord's work must make an alliance, purifying themselves even as He is pure and growing into closer and still closer familiarity with His way, His spirit, His purpose and His virtues. The episode teaches Christ's followers to take proper care to prevent disputes and to stand united in defense of the truth. The passage in John 3:22-36 is to be read carefully for thorough conviction and a work of repentance in the soul, and for speaking kindly and earnestly in season to erring ones rather than with sporting words of reproof, because the matter is too serious and important to be trifled with. Satan in deceptive style seeks to overcome every soul and flatters himself that his armies are great and the armies of Christ are few so that he will stand victor, while angels of God are present in every establishment where work in various business lines is carried on to protect every soul from becoming rude in word or action so Satan shall have no chance to triumph.