“…the crowds who came out to be baptized by him.” (Luke 3:7)

At this point in the narrative there are no baptismal actions, but there is an emphasis on the interpretation of the ritual action itself. As Joel Green [173] notes: “ baptism is seen as an initiatory rite of passage as people (1) come away from their normal lives to participate in John’s ministry through baptism, (2) undergo a repentance-baptism signifying their (re)new(ed) allegiance to God’s purpose, and (3) return to their normal lives having accepted the challenge to reflect in their lives ways of living appropriate to true children of Abraham. John’s proclamation ensures that his baptism is understood as an assault on the status quo, that to participate in his baptism is to embrace behaviors rooted in a radical realignment with God’s purpose.”

The behaviors to be embraced are integral with repentance and thus intrinsic to being a member of the People of God. The people “came out” but equally they were being called out of their social norms and everyday lives so as to align themselves with God’s Kingdom.  As Green notes [165-6], “Through submitting to repentance-baptism, in which their roles were passive, they signified their surrender to God’s aim, distanced themselves from past ways of life oriented away from God’s purpose, and professed their (re)new(ed) allegiance to his will. By coming out into the wilderness to meet John they symbolized their separation from ordinary life, through baptism they embraced a conversion of loyalties and were themselves embraced into the community of God’s people, and in returning to their everyday lives they accepted the vocation to reflect behaviors apropos true children of Abraham

To be clear, what John offers is not Christian baptism as he makes clear pointing ahead to Jesus: “John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.” (v.16) The two baptisms are “connected” in the one anticipates and prepares for the other, echoing the promise from the prophet Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.  I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts.” (Ezekiel 36:25–26)

Image credit: John the Baptist Preaching | Pietre Lastman | 1219 | Chicago Museum of Art | PD-US