Jesus and John Baptize

After meeting with Nicodemus, Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. And while the Scripture does not specify, they most likely made their way westward, past Jericho, to the banks of the Jordan River. There Jesus spent some time with His disciples, and the disciples baptized those who came.

Now, John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, roughly 20 miles to the north. John was baptizing there because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized. Also, John was able to baptize them because Herod Antipas had not yet thrown him into prison.

Soon, a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing. During the discussion, John's disciples must have learned about what Jesus and His disciples were doing to the south. So, John’s disciples came to John and said, “Look, Rabbi (Teacher), the One who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing too, and everyone is going to Him.”

John said to them, “We can receive only what is given us from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah (Christ), but am sent ahead of Him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for the bridegroom, and is overjoyed when the bridegroom comes and he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must increase; I must decrease.

The One who comes from above is above all others. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.  Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful. For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

(Editor's Notes:

1. John 4:2 tells us that Jesus did not baptize those who came, but rather His disciples baptized.

2. "Aenon near Salim": Αἰνών (Aínṓn) is Ancient Greek for "spring" or "natural fountain." In the present day, Salim is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, located six kilometers east of Nablus.)

(See John 3:22-36; John 4:2)

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