A Bible History of BaptismBaird, Samuel J. (Samuel John)
Religion
A Bible History of Baptism
Baird, Samuel J. (Samuel John)
Baptism -- Biblical teaching
The next occasion on which these rites come into notice, is recorded by
Luke. In the course of our Lord’s second tour through Galilee, after
having preached the gospel to a vast concourse, “a certain Pharisee
besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And
when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first _baptized_
(_ebaptisthē_), before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye
Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your
inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he
that made that which is without make that which is within also? But
rather give alms of such things as ye have; and behold all things are
clean unto you.”—Luke xi, 37-41.
The next incident is mentioned very briefly by Matthew (xv, 1-9), and
more fully in Mark. The apprehensions of the rulers at Jerusalem seem to
have been aroused by reports of Christ’s ministry, and the excitement
caused by it among the people of Galilee. And as they had formerly sent
messengers to challenge John, so, now, scribes and Pharisees from
Jerusalem were on the watch to find occasion against Jesus. And “when
they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say,
with unwashen hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the
Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition
of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they _baptize_
(_ean mē baptisōntai_), they eat not, and many other things there be
which they have received to hold, as the _baptisms_ (_baptismous_), of
cups and pots, brazen vessels and tables” (or “beds.” So the margin and
the Greek.)—Mark vii, 1-4.
These are the only places in which the ritual purifyings of the
Pharisees are so mentioned as to shed light upon the subject of our
inquiry. In them, we trace three distinct observances. These are
enumerated by Mark, who represents them as common to “the Pharisees and
all the Jews.” They are, (1) Washing the hands, before meals; (2)
Baptism, after coming from the markets; (3) The baptisms of utensils and
furniture.
SECTION XLVIII.—_Washing the Hands before Meals._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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