The Pipe and Pencil Podcast
Welcome to the Pipe and Pencil Podcast where we help all church members learn more about theology and church history. It might be tough sometimes but the reward is worth it.
As C.S. Lewis said, "I believe that many who find that "nothing happens" when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand."
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The Pipe and Pencil Podcast
#10 - This is Baptism: Water, Blood, and Wood
Ever wondered how ancient water rituals connect to modern Christian baptism? This episode of the Pipe and Pencil Podcast promises to unravel the rich tapestry of baptism, tracing its origins from Genesis to the New Testament. We'll explore how foundational stories like Noah's flood and Moses parting the Red Sea set the stage for this profound practice. By examining ancient Israelite purity laws and the significance of mikvah immersion, we'll uncover the deep spiritual meanings embedded in these rituals and their implications for believers today.
Join us as we delve into the transformational journey of baptism through the lens of Old Testament symbolism and New Testament fulfillment. We'll highlight intriguing narratives such as Naaman's healing and Jonah's stormy encounter, illustrating the necessity of divine intervention and obedience. With insights from Rivka Slovin’s writings, we’ll discuss how ancient practices like the mikvah immersion convey themes of death, resurrection, and purification, offering a glimpse into the religious life of the Israelites.
Finally, we’ll bridge the gap between the Old and New Testaments, focusing on the pivotal moment of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. Learn how this event marked a significant shift from the Levitical priesthood to the priesthood of Melchizedek, and how it symbolized the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies. Through key scriptures from John, Ephesians, and Acts, we’ll emphasize that the essence of baptism lies in an inward change and a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. Celebrate the new life in Christ as we walk through the transformative power of faith, calling listeners to reflect on their spiritual journey and commitment.
If you want to repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ, please check out this website:
https://thisisthegospel.com/
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This is an amazing article about the escalating nature of baptism pictures throughout the Bible:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/behold-escalating-bible/
This is an article about Jesus' baptism and John the Baptist:
https://hethathasanear.com/mikveh.html
If you would like to learn more about the Mikvah's use today, click this link:
https://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1541/jewish/The-Mikvah.htm
Here is a short article about the Mikvah and John's baptism:
https://www.bibleref.com/Mark/1/Mark-1-4.html
For more info on the many chambers in the Temple:
https://templeinstitute.org/illustrated-tour-the-chambers-of-the-court/
Note: Using the links below will help support the show.
Much of the history information I use on my show is from Bruce Gore's history book. This is a great book for study, teaching, or as part of a homeschool program.
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My favorite book of helpful charts is from Rose Publishing:
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Welcome to the Pipe and Pencil Podcast. I'm Stephen and this is Episode 10. This episode is going to be a break from our regular series. We have been doing series on church history, but today we're going to take a break from that and do the first in another series that we're going to be working on intermittently and that is a series on the Baptist distinctive, starting obviously with baptism. There's a lot to talk about in regards to baptism and our goal, as always, is to take practical theology and make it theology that is practical. We are going to start at the beginning of the Bible and kind of work our way forward.
Stephen:So what does Genesis, chapter 1, verse 1, say? In the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep. There are some different views on this passage. Obviously, the most popular way of looking at this is that we have here the earth and it is without form and void, and that just means basically that nothing had been done yet. God had kind of stretched out a canvas. It was maybe one way some people look at it and it is over this earth covered by water that God's Spirit would hover over and bring forth life. Now, that is true, but I do want to show you something interesting about the wording of this particular passage. When it says without form and void, there is something that I think is being represented here. So turn to Jeremiah, chapter 4, verse 23,. If you can, if not, that's fine, I'm going to go ahead and read it to you.
Stephen:Jeremiah, chapter 4, verse 23. It says I looked on the earth and behold. I looked on the earth and behold, it was without form and void into the heavens. They had no light. Now, what am I trying to point out here? This is the only other place in English that you're going to see these words without form and void in your Bible. In the Hebrew there's another place where they turn up, but you'll notice in the context here. Without form and void has to do with judgment. I think the writer is trying to picture something here.
Stephen:There are some who believe that Lucifer fell, who believe that Lucifer fell in this passage in Genesis, between Genesis 1-1 and 1-2. Some people don't believe that. But let's think about what we're seeing right here at the beginning. There is no life here. But notice what happens. You see God's Spirit moving over the face of the waters which, by the way, the earth is completely immersed in, and because of God's Spirit, we would see creation begin. We would see man created. All of this is because of God's Spirit hovering over these waters of destruction. So, really, we could say that this is the first flood that we see in the Bible and that's going to lead us to another flood, noah's flood. If nothing else, these floods have something in common in that the earth is completely covered with water, completely immersed, with water completely immersed, and in this flood there are eight people spared. There are many that are lost in the judgment, but there are eight that are spared. We see a wooden ark that they are in that is lifted up with the water. We see a door that is shut by God and these people are protected in this ark. And I want you to think about the fact that after Noah gets off the ark, he makes a sacrifice and blood is shed. Sacrifice and blood is shed. If you go back to Adam, blood had to be shed to cover Adam. An animal was killed in his place. He was supposed to die. So we see blood being shed. We see some people being saved because of a flood, even though many are destroyed, there are some that are saved.
Stephen:Now we move to Moses. There's a couple of things about baptism that we might see here, as we're talking about Moses. In a sense, moses is saved by water two times, and the first time is actually by an ark. We were just talking about the waters of the Nile. You can read about that horrible story in Exodus. But there is one baby boy who is saved because of an ark. Because of an ark, this little ark made of wooden branches and sealed within and without. He is placed inside, sent down the.
Stephen:But then we see something really interesting Moses leads the people of Israel to the Red Sea. Now, before we get to this point, we have to remember that there has been blood shed. Remember the Passover, remember how we have an animal again that is being killed to save the life of the firstborns, the life of the firstborns of the children of Israel. They would kill the animal and then they would dip some hyssop in blood and they would put it on the doorpost on the left, on the right, on the top, and because of that blood their lives were saved, and because of that blood their lives were saved. We see these firstborns being spared, very, very similar to how another firstborn was spared. His name was Isaac. He was saved and spared by a lamb.
Stephen:But now we're seeing this on a much, much bigger scale. Now they approach the Red Sea and Moses lifts a staff of wood and the water divines. The Israelites go down underneath, underneath the tops of the water. They go in one way. They come out on the other side, they are spared, but again there are many that are killed. All of Pharaoh's army is lost. But the Israelites are saved. Not only saved, they're completely separated from Egypt. Now they can't go back the way they came. And it's all because these people had faith. They believed God, they believed that that blood would cause judgment to pass them by, and then, when there was no way for them to move forward, the waters opened when Moses raised his staff.
Stephen:Do we have any other examples of some of this in the Old Testament? Well, we do see Joshua take the children of Israel to the Jordan, and when they get to the Jordan, the priests are told to carry the ark and go into the Jordan. Now let's put this in perspective here. The Jordan River at this point is at flood stage. It is a raging, roaring river. It has overflowed its banks, going into the water. This was not something you could just dip your toe in. This was not something you could just dip your toe in. These men had to go down into this raging river that had overflowed its banks. They had to make the plunge, if you will, the ultimate leap of faith. These priests were willing to place themselves in danger and in the book of Joshua we see the waters held back and God's people were able to cross from the wilderness into the land of Canaan, the promised land. Their salvation was not just from Egypt, not just from death, but it was also salvation to something they were being saved into fellowship with God, into a place of victorious Christian living. It didn't mean there weren't any more battles for them to face, but they were trusting in God that he was going to give them what he promised them. This is another picture of baptism through Joshua, or how we might say in Hebrew. The children of Israel knew how important this picture was of water.
Stephen:When God gave them the law, he gave them rules on when they needed to bathe and immerse themselves for ritual purity. If you look at Leviticus 12, it talks about certain times that women were to bathe or immerse themselves for renewal. This would be on a monthly cycle. We see also in Leviticus 14, lepers are mentioned. Also in Leviticus 14, lepers are mentioned. There's a whole section in Leviticus 13 about how to diagnose different conditions. But in Leviticus 14, we see rules on what to do if a leper is cleansed. We also see rules for the priest as well in Exodus 29 on times that they would need to immerse themselves for ritual purity. But what's really interesting is the rules for lepers. You see, the thing is the priest could diagnose leprosy and they were taught the rules for what to do if a leper was cleansed. But you know, really, it never happened. One has to wonder why God would put those rules in the Bible for cleansing of a leper when lepers were never cleansed. But the priest figured it out. Eventually.
Stephen:They realized that really there was no way for a leper to be healed unless he was healed by the Messiah himself. After all, you couldn't touch someone with leprosy without becoming corrupted yourself. That's why lepers had to keep their distance and stay in leper colonies outside the city. To the people of Israel they represented the walking dead. To the Israelites it was a picture of sin and how it corrupts and destroys. You really are a dead man walking. And they realized that there was no need to worry about really knowing a lot about how to take care of a leper who's been cleansed, because it's not going to happen until the Messiah comes. Only the Messiah can heal from sin. Only the Messiah could touch a leper and not be corrupted. So they didn't worry too much about the cleansing ritual for the leper. But it is interesting and we'll have to come back to that.
Stephen:You say well, what about Naaman? He was healed from leprosy. Yes, he was, but number one, he was a Gentile. We have to keep that in mind. He didn't have to follow the laws of the Jews. Secondly, elisha never talked to him. I never saw him face to face. He sent a servant, told him what to do, and Naaman went and did it by faith. Naaman went to the river Jordan River and dipped himself in the water seven times and he was healed. You say, well, that's interesting. Does that mean that baptism is what saves you? No, I don't think so, and we'll get to that in a little bit. I think what we note from this story is that Naaman at first didn't want to do what Elisha had told him to do, but he had just enough faith to consent and submit to what Elisha had told him to do. It reminds me of a song, old hymn, called Trust and Obey. We see that Naaman believes what the man of God said, and we can tell because he obeyed. But we'll talk more about that in a little bit. But we'll talk more about that in a little bit.
Stephen:Let's look at another illustration of baptism, and this one is important. What about Jonah? This one I actually want to read because there are so many little things that we can pick up out of this passage. So look at Jonah. So look at Jonah. We know that Jonah was told to go to Nineveh, a Gentile city, but he went the other way. He ran from the Lord and he started making his way to Tarshish. So he is headed one way. But then God causes a great storm to come up on the sea and the ship was about to break up. Look at Jonah, chapter 1, verse 5.
Stephen:Then the mariners were afraid and each cried out to his God and they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him what do you mean, you sleeper, arise, call out to your God, perhaps the God will give a thought to us that we may not perish. And they said to one another Come, let us cast lots that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation, where do you come from, what is your country and of what people are you? And he said to them I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.
Stephen:Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him what is this that you have done? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him what shall we do to you that the sea may quiet down for us? For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them pick me up and hurl me into the sea, then the sea will quiet down for you. For I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you. Okay, so check this out. Here's what's going on. This storm is threatening to take the lives of everyone in the boat. So he's saying throw me in so your lives can be spared.
Stephen:Look at verse 13. Nevertheless, the men rode hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. So now they are trying to use their own power to solve the situation, but it isn't working. Situation. But it isn't working. They can't solve this problem with their own power. Look at verse 14. Therefore, they called out to the Lord O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life and lay not on us innocent blood For you, o Lord, have done as it pleased you. So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. So here they're saying we're going to throw this man out. He's going to die, so we can be saved. We don't want to perish. So they are casting him out into the water and as soon as they do, the sea stops raging, the storm stops, because this man was thrown to the waters. They're not going to end up in the ocean. Do you see this pattern here?
Stephen:Jesus had said there would be no sign, except that that was given by Jonah, who was in the belly of the whale. Three days and three nights he would be underwater, completely immersed. In fact, he even talks about death. If you look at chapter 2, he says I called out to the Lord out of my distress and he answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol, I cried and you heard my voice, for you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me. Look at verse six. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever, yet you brought up my life from the pit, for all these men knew he was dead under the waters so that they could live. And not only that, because of what Jonah did. Okay, he went into the water going one way. He came out of the water going the other way. He was going a different direction. After his baptism, he was able to see the city of Nineveh, a great city of Gentiles, saved. This is not just a sign for the Jews. This is pointing to something that is going to happen for all Gentiles and, believe it or not, this picture lines up with some of the other ones we've seen. This picture lines up with some of the other ones we've seen.
Stephen:After Noah's flood, a sacrifice was made, blood was shed In Egypt, blood was shed and then they crossed through the Red Sea. Interesting that it's the Red Sea and then here we see blood also. Did you see it in verse 16? Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. So here again we have blood being shed. These men gave. That Hebrew word for sacrifice is the same word we see in Exodus 12, verses 26 and 27, where it says and when your children say to you, what do you mean by this service? You shall say it is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel and Egypt when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses, and the people bowed their heads and worshiped. In Jonah 1, verse 16, that word for sacrifice is the same word. Jonah then comes back, as if coming back from the dead, and gives Nineveh 40 days and their city is spared.
Stephen:In all of these examples we're giving, whether it is the Red Sea or here, with Jonah being immersed for three days and three nights immersed for three days and three nights, or a world that is immersed in water. Every time we see this, we see immersion, and we would even see this ritual develop of immersion within the Old Testament times. We need to keep it clear in our mind that baptism was something that was practiced by the Israelites during the time of Jesus, during the time of the second temple, when the people came back from Babylon, there were many new traditions and new teachings. The people had been without the temple for 70 years. There were also many traditions that were being added by the teachers of the law. As we said previously, there were many times where immersion was needed for the children of Israel. But by the time we get to the second temple, there is actually a place that is established for these ceremonies and it's called the mikvah. These mikvahs, these pools where the people would go to immerse themselves. These are now being found everywhere throughout Israel. Even private homes begin to have these pools called mikvahs.
Stephen:There were a lot of details that had to be taken care of for a mikvah. It had to contain living water, so that water could be from a living spring, a body of water, or it could even be from rainwater. It could be water from above, but you could not just use, you know, tap, tap water. This had to be living water, or the pool had to be attached to a source of living water so the waters could touch. They also were in the ground. They were always in the ground, usually hewn out of some kind of rock. They would dig into the ground and then they would plaster around the sides to keep the water in, and it was in these mikvahs that the people would immerse themselves. Now I'm going to leave a link in the description to this article, but I want to read a little bit here, by Rivka Slovin. Listen to this Quote immersion in the mikvah has offered a gateway to purity ever since the creation of man.
Stephen:The Midrash relates that, after being banished from Eden, adam sat in a river that flowed from the garden. This was an integral part of his teshuva repentance process, of his attempt at return to his original perfection. Return to his original perfection. Before the revelation at Sinai, all Jews were commanded to immerse themselves in preparation for coming face to face with God In the desert. The famed well of Miriam served as a mikvah, and Aaron and his son's induction into the priesthood was marked by immersion in the mikvah.
Stephen:In temple times, the priest, as well as each Jew who wished entry into the house of God, had first to immerse in a mikvah. On Yom Kippur, the holiest of all days, the high priest was allowed entrance into the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the temple, into which no other mortal could enter. This was the zenith of a day that involved an ascending order of services, each of which was preceded by immersion in the mikvah. End of quote. So here we see, according to Jewish tradition, all the way back to Adam, this idea that it was important to immerse in the water, not just for the three things that we talked about earlier leprosy, the priest, the ritual immersion for women. By this time it was becoming more and more common and people were immersing in the mikveh much, much more.
Stephen:If you go to the temple today, there are some 200 mikvahs around the temple site and there's other ones that are much, much bigger to handle all of the people that needed to immerse before they could go to the temple. You will know a mikvah when you see it. They're dug out down into the ground and a really interesting feature is that there is stairs. There are stairs going down into the mikvah but there's a divider going between right down the middle of the stairs. The people would go in one way, then they would turn around and come up the other side of the stairway. So they would go down on the one side of the divider and then come up the other way. They would go in one way and come out another way. Keep that in mind At these times, depending on what was being done, you needed two or three witnesses.
Stephen:Depending on what was being done, you needed two or three witnesses. Most of what I've read it says that for the mikvah you need to have two witnesses minimum. They had to be sure that they went all the way under the water, things like that. So that's why they needed to be there.
Stephen:Now, to the Jews, this represented a few things. These mikvahs represented death and resurrection in a sense. If you stayed underwater long enough, you'll die. Going underwater was a representation of death. Coming out represented resurrection. You can only really represent that with immersion. When you get buried, you don't simply sprinkle dirt on somebody, they are buried. They also saw the mikvah as picturing the womb and birth. Coming out of the water represents coming out of the water at birth. It also represented being forbidden to do something and then crossing over now to being permitted. You were unclean, you weren't able to go into the temple, but now you are pure, ritually pure, and you are permitted to go to the temple. Let me read you something else by Rivka Slovin, quote. Let me read you something else by Rivka Slovin, quote.
Stephen:Both a synagogue and a Torah scroll, judaism's most venerated treasure, may be sold to raise funds for the building of a mikvah. In fact, in the eyes of Jewish law, a group of Jewish families living together do not attain the status of a community. In fact, in the eyes of Jewish law, a group of Jewish families living together do not attain the status of a community if they do not have a communal mikvah. End of quote. So in a Jewish community, the mikvah comes first. That's how important this was during the time, how important this was during the time of Jesus, and even though the Jewish communities had one, it was most certainly important at the temple.
Stephen:In fact, as we move into the New Testament, there's somebody that Jesus talks to who should know what Jesus is talking about when he talks about water. We go to John, chapter 3. Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and he has some interesting things to say. He says you need to be born of spirit and water. The water that he's talking about is not physical water, not even of birth. That's not what he's talking about. He's not talking about the water of birth. We know that his words are spirit and they are life, but we notice in John, chapter 4, he goes on to say I am the water of life. You have to be born of the Spirit and water. It's interesting at the beginning we see the earth come into existence because of the Spirit and water and the Word of God.
Stephen:Let's talk about Jesus. Let's talk about his first baptism. According to Jesus, his baptism was to fulfill all righteousness, and so we see him going to John the Baptist. Why the Jordan? Why do this at all? Jesus, he is God sinless. Why the baptism? All of this is going to point back to the Old Testament. This baptism of Jesus is a priestly baptism and he is being baptized at the Jordan as part of a new and greater exodus. We have to remember, as we've talked about previously, john the Baptist was born from a priestly line. His father was a priest, not just a Levite. He was a priest and John's birth was miraculous Jesus. Like many priests in the Old Testament, he's being baptized to begin his work as a priest and also to begin this new exodus.
Stephen:We've said many times that Moses said there was another one coming like him, greater than him. This is Jesus and like Joshua, he would be baptized on the other side of Jordan. He would be with John. We know that John was on the other side of Jordan, just like Joshua, when he led the children into Canaan. This was not just about saving people from something. It was about restoring fellowship, bringing them into a relationship with God. This is all part of the fulfillment of Malachi 4.6, where Malachi says that Elijah would come.
Stephen:You can go back to our episode where we talk about Elijah and Elisha. We go over those pictures a little bit in that episode, but I really want you to catch this. What is going on with John here? You might be thinking well, how can Jesus be a priest if he was not of the tribe of Levi? He's of the tribe of Judah. That is true. Let me read part of an article to you by Harold Smith Quote a Hebrew person being immersed would wade into the water and then crouch down just below the surface.
Stephen:That way, no contact from the immerser prevented the water from reaching their whole body. The birth of John is recorded in Luke 1, where we note that his father was a priest ministering in the temple. We note that his father was a priest ministering in the temple, so John was of the priestly line, as well as being a child of special promise of Yahweh. It is believed that John should have been a high priest at the time when he commenced his ministry in the Jordan wilderness, but the priesthood had become corrupt and had been bought by men with wealth and influence. Yeshua submitted to immersion by John, in spite of John's reservations, to fulfill all righteousness. Matthew 3 15.
Stephen:John was, as the legitimate high priest, initiating Yeshua, who he had identified as the Lamb of Yahweh, into the priesthood. He was not immersing him for repentance for sin, but as a transference of kingdom from the Levitical priesthood to that of the priesthood of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6.20, and end of quote. So there you have it. Jesus, who Hebrews said, is ordained as a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Stephen:The priestly system in Israel is corrupt. The Jews didn't keep the Mosaic covenant, but now a Jew, the God-man Jesus Christ, a priest of the order of Melchizedek, is going to be baptized and assume his priestly duties, just as at the temple. At that very day there was a chamber inside the temple where the priest would go up the stairs and there was a room where he would be immersed. He would come out and in place of his priestly robes he would wear a white robe, and in place of his priestly robes he would wear a white robe. All of this is fulfilling what Malachi had said about Elijah. We see that confirmed in Luke 1.
Stephen:And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared. Jesus mentions it again in Matthew 17. And as they were coming down the mountain, jesus commanded them tell no one the vision until the Son of man is raised from the dead. And the disciples asked him Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come? He answered Elijah does come and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come. And they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased, so also the Son of man will certainly suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. And just as Elijah and Elisha would go into the water and the mantle would be passed, elisha would walk through with Elijah one way and then come back the other way with his mantle. So the priesthood is being passed over to Jesus, who is of the order of Melchizedek.
Stephen:This was not for salvation, but a sign that marked him for his ministry. But this is not the only baptism. This baptism in the Jordan River, this is not the only baptism that we see with Jesus. Just as Moses had a type of baptism that prepared him for ministry, he had another one where he would save a whole nation. It's the same for Jesus. There's another baptism for Jesus. Look at Mark 10, 39. And they said to him we're able. And Jesus said to them the cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. Baptism, a second baptism, yes. Remember the sign of Jonah three days and three nights. Jesus said he would be in the heart of the earth. Three days, three nights, heart of the earth. Three days, three nights. That is the second baptism. It is the baptism of death and resurrection and, yes, this is going to be much greater than the Red Sea. In this baptism baptism, jesus is willingly laying down his life. He's doing this on his own and, just like with the other pictures of baptism, his blood will be shed and he will be able to save his people from their sin.
Stephen:The Pharisees, the scribes, the Sadducees knew that he was the Messiah, that he was the one who could cleanse from sin. How did they know that? Remember, we were talking about the lepers. We said that leprosy was a picture of sin. Remember, we also said that no one could heal a leper except for the Messiah. Did Jesus heal a leper? Yes, he did. What is the significance of that? Well, first of all, it points out that these people had to have known that he was indeed the Messiah. But I have to wonder what they thought when they saw Jesus on the cross. He had cleansed the leper and these lepers had gone to the priest and said, hey, I've been cleansed. And the priest would say, oh okay, I've got to brush up on this a little bit, give me some time here. And he would go back to Leviticus 14 and look to see what needed to be done for this leper. Why don't we look at that for this leper? Why don't we look at that? Leviticus, chapter 14.
Stephen:The Lord spoke to Moses saying this shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing he shall be brought to the priest and the priest shall go out of the camp and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person, the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed, two live clean birds and cedar wood and scarlet yarn and hyssop, and the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. He shall take the live bird with the cedar wood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water and he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field and he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water and he shall be clean After this. The leper would also bring a sacrifice.
Stephen:But can we think about this for a minute? What is happening here? We have two birds, birds. One of the birds, we believe, would have been tied to the cedar wood by a scarlet thread and then it would be killed, its blood dripping into living water, fresh water, the same quality of water you would get in a mikvah, and then that bird would be Dipped into the water and the blood, because the bird that was killed was killed over the water and the blood dripped into it. And then he would take hyssop in it, sprinkle it seven times. How interesting. One bird died but the other got to live.
Stephen:Do you see a picture here? What did the priests think when they saw our Savior On wood, a piece of wood, the sins of the world as scarlet, placed on him Before he died. The soldiers took a sponge, put some vinegar on it and then they placed it on a rod, a staff that they got from hyssop. They touched him. Remember that verse in Psalms Purge me with hyssop, I shall be whiter than snow. Remember where God says Come, let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Stephen:The leper that Jesus healed went through this whole process, but it wasn't the birds or the sprinkling or the immersing that cleansed his leprosy, it was his faith in Jesus. And as Jesus was there, suppose maybe the priest that had done that ceremony saw what was going on. What did he think about the bird that died so that one could go free? The picture's there Go to the book of John. Let's look at the book of John, chapter 19. When the bird was held over the water, his blood was shed and it mixed with the water. Look at John, chapter 19, and look at verse 31.
Stephen:Since it was the day of preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath for that Sabbath was a high day the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. This is talking about the crucifixion. Look at verse 32. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and at once there came out blood and water. Jesus willingly laid down his life so that you could be free, just as the bird that was released into the open field to fly and know freedom.
Stephen:After his death, we see Jesus being buried in a tomb that is hewn out of rock. It's in the earth, in the ground, just as the mikvahs of that day were in the ground, and you would go under the water in a picture of burial. Here we see the real thing. He was there three days, three nights, just as he said, the sign of Jonah, and everything that we see him do here and everything that we see him do here is something that we definitely cannot do for ourselves.
Stephen:Look at Ephesians, chapter 5. In Ephesians 5, 26, it says that he might sanctify her. Let me back up to verse 25. Husbands love your wife, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. That he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Paul also says for by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. This is something that only Jesus can do.
Stephen:And just as the sacrifices in the Old Testament had to be repeated over and over and over again, it was not the sacrifices being done over and over that would bring them salvation. It was their faith in what these pictures represented. It was their faith in what these pictures represented. In the same way we can look back and by faith in the one who baptism represents, we are saved today. And all of these pictures are laid out throughout the Old Testament and, by the way, they get clearer and clearer as you go along. If you look at the article I have in the description by David Schrock, you'll see what he calls the escalating Bible of how all of these pictures dovetail together. All of these pictures dovetail together and they increase in magnitude and in severity to show what Jesus was going to face. These were all pictures of something that he would do, and they always came along with blood and wood.
Stephen:Let me read to you what he says here, quote like Noah's ark, jesus's cross will become a refuge for all who seek rest in him. Like Moses' staff, jesus will be lifted up so as to deliver his people from impending death. Like the priest in Jordan, jesus will insert himself into the stream of God's wrath. Like Jonah, jesus will volunteer himself to be swallowed in the earth so that he might rise to save the nations. End of quote. It's all there in the Old Testament. It all points to Jesus.
Stephen:So how did it continue from there? Where did baptism go after that? How did it become what we have today? And do we really know that baptism does not save? Can we be sure about that?
Stephen:Well, let's look at a story involving Peter and let's see how he handles this. Let's look at Acts, chapter 10. In this passage, peter is talking and a group of Gentiles who want to seek the Lord. Cornelius has given to the poor, he has prayed, and now Peter has come and answered to his prayer so that he can know how to be saved. Saved, he believes what Peter says. Look at what happens. This is Acts 10, verse 44.
Stephen:While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word, and the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles, for they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ than they asked him to remain for some days. These people were saved because they believed. They believed in Jesus Christ, whom Peter preached. The fact that they wanted to be baptized was evidence of their belief, not the source of their belief. These people were baptized because they believed and we know that that is evident because the Holy Spirit came on them and then they were baptized.
Stephen:All of these pictures mean something and they all come after salvation, come after salvation. It has nothing to do with our works. It's not an outward washing. It's something that happens on the inside. Look at Titus, chapter 3, verses 4 through 7. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God, our Savior, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, so that, being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. It's the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, so important. I'll leave a link to. I'll leave a link to BibleRefcom. Listen to what they say here, quote John's baptism, then, is a purification rite for those who agreed with his call to repent for the forgiveness of their sins.
Stephen:Rather than asking people to offer a sacrifice in the temple in Jerusalem, john offers a radical alternative for his era. Rather than asking people to offer a sacrifice in the temple in Jerusalem, john offers a radical alternative for his era simply repenting and being baptized. The message of repentance would be continued and furthered by Jesus. End of quote. Do you see, instead of the sacrifices year after year after year, jesus' sacrifice is made once and for all. So baptism, along with salvation, is once for all. Once you are saved, you are saved. You have accepted the finished work of Christ. You have been washed, you are clean. Jesus said, told his disciples you are clean through the word I've spoken unto you. We don't have to come back to be baptized over and over. We don't have to continually make sacrifices. It's all been done once for all through our priest, our Melchizedek who, by the way, when he came to meet Abraham, melchizedek, brought bread and wine. How's that for a picture? The Bible says in Hebrews 5, 8 through 10,. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 8 through 10, although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. Being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Stephen:I hope that, as we've gone through all this today, that you've learned something about baptism. But there's something even more important here. How does this apply to you? What does this mean to you? I mean, if you know where baptism comes from, that's great, but can we go deeper than that? Does baptism mean anything to you? Do you know Jesus Christ personally? I'm not asking if you've been baptized or gone through a ritual. Have you accepted his gift? Have you done what all of these people are doing when they go into the mikvah and come back out a different way? These people who are submitting to this picture of death, laying their life down in this picture, to die and be raised up, to walk in newness of life, to go a different way die and be raised up, to walk in newness of life, to go a different way. See that happens in the heart first. Has that ever happened to you? If you don't see that that's the point of this picture, then you've missed it. That's what John was picturing.
Stephen:Let me read you another passage here by Harold Smith one more time. Listen to what he says here about where John was baptizing. Quote the word Bethabara means house of the Ford. This was the village situated near the junction of the Jordan River and the Wadi al-Qarar, just five miles north of the place where the Jordan emptied into the Salt Sea. The Dead Sea is a misnomer. This location at the ford of the Jordan was the exact place where the Israelites, some 15 centuries earlier, had entered the promised land.
Stephen:When the newly repentant Hebrews were led by John into the Jordan River, they were walking back into the river at the same place where their ancestors had come into the land. In this physical demonstration, it was as though they were momentarily abandoning their status as Yahweh's chosen people. Then, when they turned around, immersed in the waters of the river and returned to the land, it was as though they had been reborn into the covenant of Yahweh, the Hebrew word for repentance. Teshuvah for repentance. Teshuva is more accurately understood as shuv to turn around. The Israelites' physical act demonstrated graphically the repentance they were experiencing within.
Stephen:Clearly, john's immersing in the Jordan and his ministry in the wilderness evoke the Exodus conquest tradition of Israel's beginnings as a nation. It was a demonstration that was pregnant with meaning to all of the Hebrews who came to be immersed. Who came to be immersed. What John had done was to take the mikvah experience out of the ceremonial immersion pools and returned it to the Jordan River. For the purpose of making a graphic illustration, yahweh wanted repentance of his people, the turning of the hearts of his people back to the Father. Malachi 4.6. Only those who manifested real change in their life demonstrated the true fruit of repentance and were deemed worthy of immersion as an outward sign of that inward, determined change of direction. End of quote. Just as Jesus told Nicodemus, you must be born again, you must be born from on high. We see this pictured here with John. He said bring forth fruit's meat for repentance.
Stephen:Repentance, turning from something to something else. I remember a pastor describing it as siding with God against yourself. They didn't go to the temple, they didn't bring a sacrifice. There was nothing they could do. But something changed in their heart. They were going to repent and seek the Lord and follow the true Messiah. If you've never come to that place in your life, then it doesn't matter if you've been baptized. Being baptized doesn't mean that you know the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior. Baptized doesn't mean that you know the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior. If you don't know that, you don't understand that.
Stephen:I'm going to ask you to look in the description of this podcast. You'll see a link to a site called this Is the Gospel and there you can learn the story of the gospel and what true repentance is. What you're going to find out is that you and I were created for a relationship with God. Our sin separated us from that relationship. There's nothing we can do to reconcile this relationship on our own. There's nothing we can do to reconcile this relationship on our own. There's nothing we can do. But Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead that we might have life, and Jesus offers eternal life or a reconciled relationship to those who will repent of their sin by placing faith in him. Turn from your sin, turn to him. He'll change you. Will you still have to do life in this body of flesh and face temptation and struggle? Yes, but as the Israelites were saved from their pursuers at the Red Sea, so you will be saved from death and destruction and the taskmaster of sin. I hope you know that today. If you have any questions about that, you can send me a message. And if you do turn to follow Jesus, I hope you'll send us a message to let us know. But what about the rest of us as Christians? How does knowing all this help us? I hope it reminds you what has happened to you when you got saved. All these pictures we've talked about today give us a little bit of insight into what happened to us when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Stephen:Think about the mikvah, where you go in one way, come up another way. You go in, you're buried, old, you is dead and in its place someone new comes up In medieval times. That's where we got the tradition of the Christian name. A sinner would come, repent, he would be baptized and he would be given a different name. A sinner would come, repent, he would be baptized and he would be given a different name. Why? Because the old person was dead. If you saw that person on the street a week later, you could say hey, I know you. I saw you a few weeks ago. Oh well, you did, but that person's dead now. My name is this. Now I have a new name. My name used to be George, now it's Peter. Is that an exaggeration? No, that old person is gone. And all of that is pictured in baptism. Rivka Slovin said.
Stephen:Quote the mikveh personifies both the womb and the grave, the portals to life and afterlife. In both the person is stripped of all power and prowess. In both there is a mode of total reliance, complete abdication of control. End of quote. It's all pictured in the mikveh and it's been there from the beginning. And it's been there from the beginning.
Stephen:Did I mention that in Genesis 1.10, where it says and the gathering together of waters, he called seas that gathering together of waters? Right there, that word is mikvah and God's spirit hovered over the waters and life began. Life came from nothing. We were dead, we had no power of our own, we were hopeless, helpless. Yet Jesus intervened. We're a new person and that should encourage us to leave the old ways. Don't turn back to them. You're dead to those things. You've been given life to follow Christ. We have a new master now. His yoke is easy, his burden is light. That's what we can take away from this, in his light. That's what we can take away from this, and I hope that as you think about these things, you will rejoice for what God has done in your life.
Stephen:Let's look at one more passage Romans, chapter 6.
Stephen:Romans 6, verse 1.
Stephen:What shall we say then?
Stephen:Are we to continue in sin? That grace may abound? By no means. How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of no longer be enslaved to sin, for one who has died has been set free from sin.
Stephen:Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him, for the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under the law but under grace. Thank you.
