Reclaiming Repentance

Read Matthew 3.1-12; Isaiah 11.1-10

Advent 2, December 4, 2022

John’s baptism was unique. However, not the same as Christian baptism, but similar. This is where the controversy swirled around John’s baptism. The only people baptized in the Old Testament would have been Gentiles who had decided to become followers of God. This Old Testament baptism symbolized an acknowledgement of being an outsider, a need to repent of sins and proclaim faith and total dependence on God.

And so here is the uniqueness. The people baptized by John were not outsiders, not Gentiles, but devout Jewish people!