One did not join the Jewish people. One was born a Jew. [Gentile conversion is another matter for the sake of this response] Levitical uncleanness is one thing and water baptism was used in that circumstance as a ceremonial cleansing of defilement. But John's speech, joining repentance (a turning around -- which is something other than the problematic defilement) to immersion was unique. This was, for the first time. a baptism of repentance for the people of God indicating that they, themselves, were as much excluded as the Gentiles without this baptism of repentance.
John
In a message dated 8/4/2004 6:38:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
John,
Would you kindly explain your statement in blue?
I have to strongly disagree with it. The act of immersion symbolizing ritual cleanliness is rooted within the Torah. According to Rabbi Dosick, "Tevilah (Hebrew, meaning the act of immersion) was required in order to put or keep a person in a state of ritual purity for the purpose of performing a mitzvot (commandment)."
The water is not used for physical cleanliness, instead it serves as a symbolic rebirth, an emergence from the cleansing waters of new beginnings. While the Torah commands that this be in living,flowing water, a stream, river, or lake for example, this cannot always be accomplished because of weather conditions. The Mikveh was created to serve the purpose in these instances. It had to be large enough for complete immersion and filled with "Living water" (Mayim Hayim, the water of life), simmilar to todays baptismals.
When Yochanan the Immerser appeared on the scene he was not trying to convert Gentiles, he was calling on Jews to purify themselves by the ritual of rebirth we know today as baptism. Birthright was not even an issue.
Jeff
I have believed for some time, now, that John the Baptist's "baptism for the remission of sins" and the same phrase used by Peter in Acts 2:38 were for the benefit of the Jewish assembly. Immersion was used, even back then, in Gentile conversion. A Jew was never to receive this rite because he was born a child of God. I just think that as a Jew stood and listened to the Baptist give that command, he was probably blown away by its implications. It meant that birthright no longer mattered !!! Baptism "for the remission of sins" is an illustration for the Jewish community especially.
John
