A Study of John's Gospel

John 3:22-24: Jesus the Baptist

Jesus the Baptist

A study of John 3:22-24

"After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison)."

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Jesus: "Iēsous", "Ἰησοῦς"; proper masculine noun - Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind.

-Disciples: "mathētēs", "μαθητής"; masculine noun - a learner, a pupil; in John 3:22 especially of the 12 apostles.

-Judea: "Ioudaia", "Ἰουδαία"; proper locative noun - Judaea = 'he shall be praised'; a region of Palestine, named after the tribe of Judah, which inhabited it.

-Countryside: "gē", "γῆ"; feminine noun - a country, land enclosed within fixed boundaries, a tract of land, territory, region.

-He Remained There (Was Spending Time There): "diatribō", "διατρίβω"; verb - simply to stay, tarry.

-Baptizing: "baptizō", "βαπτίζω"; verb - to administer the rite of ablution, to baptize.

-John (the Baptist): "Iōannēs", "Ἰωάννης"; proper masculine noun - John = 'Jehovah is a gracious giver'; John the Baptist was the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, the forerunner of Christ. By order of Herod Antipas he was cast into prison and afterwards beheaded.

-Aenon: "Ainōn","Αἰνών"; proper locative noun - Aenon meaning "springs"; the name of the place "near Salim" where John the Baptist baptized.

-Salim: "Saleim", "Σαλείμ"; proper locative noun - Salim = 'peace'; a well known town 8 miles (11 km.) south of Scythopolis.

-Water: "ydōr", "ὕδωρ"; neuter noun - water, of the water in rivers, many springs or fountains.

-People Were Coming: "paraginomai", "παραγίνομαι"; verb - to become near, to place oneself by the side of; to come near, approach.

-Put (Thrown): "ballō", "βάλλω"; verb - to put into, insert; to cast one into prison.

-Prison: "phylakē", "φυλακή"; feminine noun - of the place where captives are kept, a prison.

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

After the events that took place in Jerusalem during the Passover, which included the cleansing of the temple, miraculous healings, teachings and a secretive, night time conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus and His disciples went out into the surrounding countryside of Judea. Jesus stayed in this area with His disciples for a time while they baptized and taught the people who came to see and hear Him. John the Baptist was also still active and baptizing people at Aenon near the town of Salim because there was plenty of water there.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

"After this," meaning, after His conversation with Nicodemus and having stayed in Jerusalem for the Passover, Jesus and His disciples went into the surrounding Judean countryside. The other gospels mainly focus on the ministry of Jesus in the region of Galilee, but John focuses primarily on the ministry of Jesus in Judea. Jesus stayed there for a little while with them and "was baptizing." At this time Jesus led His disciples in administering the same sort of baptism as John the Baptist. This was still not the baptism Christians are commanded to undergo after receiving salvation. This was a baptism of repentance. In this way, Jesus humbly recognized the work of John the Baptist who was sent by God the Father to prepare the way for Jesus by declaring to the people their need for repentance, cleansing of sin, and that the "Lamb of God" who takes away the sin of the world had come.

Jesus began His ministry with the same message of repentance declared by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2 and 4:17). From John 4:2, we know Jesus Himself did not baptize, but rather, His disciples baptized on His behalf and under His direction. By doing this Jesus affirms John the Baptist's connection to Him as the forerunner that came to prepare the way for Him. By carrying on the message and symbols of repentance, Jesus is affirming the need of all people to repent and be cleansed of sin, and He will soon begin to declare that the cleansing of sin can only come through belief in Him.

In verse 23 we read John the Baptist was also baptizing people at Aenon near Salim. We are not given a specific location for where Jesus and His disciples were baptizing because it was likely they were at multiple locations in the region of Judea. But we are given a specific location for where John the Baptist was baptizing and preaching repentance. The exact location of Aenon is not certain, but from the text we learn it was near Salim in the Judean countryside.

From this passage we learn John the Baptist and his disciples had continued the work of calling the people to repent of their sin, and baptizing them as an outward symbol of their acknowledgment of their need to be cleansed of sin. And also, that people continued to come and respond to this teaching and call to repent.

Application (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

From these 3 verses we learn that John the Baptist, after seeing the Spirit of God descend on Jesus like a dove, and hearing the voice of God, from heaven confirming Jesus as His Son, continued to do the less "grand," everyday work of teaching and baptizing to which God had called him. As Jesus went to Jerusalem and other areas with His other disciples, performing miracles, John the Baptist remained at his appointed place of duty. He did not need to be a part of the grand spectacle Jesus was doing by cleansing the temple or healing the disabled. He remained content and active in the place God had sent Him into.

Seen or felt experiences of God's power are wonderful, but we must not be dependent on them to be faithful. We must be faithful to fulfill the everyday responsibilities God has given us, in reliance on Him, and as acts of worship to Him. Whether that is sharing the good news with a friend, washing the dishes, taking care of the kids, doing homework, stocking shelves, etc. Whatever work God has called us to, while there may be interspersed, felt experiences of His majesty and glory, we must not grow weary of worshiping Him by being faithful to the day to day tasks He has placed in our hands to do. We must not grow weary of being faithful because we think we deserve more recognition or a larger audience. Our call is to be faithful to the Lord in the time and place He has sent us into to glorify Him with our faithful obedience.

Self Reflection:

What can I learn from John the Baptist's faithfulness to continue the work he was called to as Jesus and the other disciples went out performing great signs and wonders for large crowds?

Am I struggling with any ungratefulness or lack of contentment with the circumstances God has placed me in or the work He has called me to do?

Do I understand I am not stuck where I am, but rather, I have been sent by the God of the universe to serve Him in the time and place I have been born into?

#Jesus #Baptize #Disciple #Palestine #Judea