come identified with it. Then the glory of God, which
destroys sin, must destroy them. Jacob, after his night of wrestling
with the Angel, exclaimed, “I have seen God face to face, and my life
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is preserved.” Genesis 32:30. Jacob had been guilty of a great sin in his [108]
conduct toward Esau; but he had repented. His transgression had been
forgiven, and his sin purged; therefore he could endure the revelation
of God’s presence. But wherever men came before God while willfully
cherishing evil, they were destroyed. At the second advent of Christ
the wicked shall be consumed “with the Spirit of His mouth,” and
destroyed “with the brightness of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
78 The Desire of Ages
The light of the glory of God, which imparts life to the righteous, will
slay the wicked.
In the time of John the Baptist, Christ was about to appear as
the revealer of the character of God. His very presence would make
manifest to men their sin. Only as they were willing to be purged from
sin could they enter into fellowship with Him. Only the pure in heart
could abide in His presence.
Thus the Baptist declared God’s message to Israel. Many gave
heed to his instruction. Many sacrificed all in order to obey. Multitudes
followed this new teacher from place to place, and not a few cherished
the hope that he might be the Messiah. But as John saw the people
turning to him, he sought every opportunity of directing their faith to
[109] Him who was to come.
Chapter 11—The Baptism
This chapter is based on Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21,
22.
Tidings of the wilderness prophet and his wonderful announcement,
spread throughout Galilee. The message reached the peasants
in the remotest hill towns, and the fisher folk by the sea, and in these
simple, earnest hearts found its truest response. In Nazareth it was told
in the carpenter shop that had been Joseph’s, and One recognized the
call. His time had come. Turning from His daily toil, He bade farewell
to His mother, and followed in the steps of His countrymen who were
flocking to the Jordan.
Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins, and closely related by the
circumstances of their birth; yet they had had no direct acquaintance
with each other. The life of Jesus had been spent at Nazareth in Galilee;
that of John, in the wilderness of Judea. Amid widely different surroundings
they had lived in seclusion, and had had no communication
with each other. Providence had ordered this. No occasion was to be
given for the charge that they had conspired together to support each
other’s claims.
John was acquainted with the events that had marked the birth of
Jesus. He had heard of the visit to Jerusalem in His boyhood, and of
what had passed in the school of the rabbis. He knew of His sinless
life, and believed Him to be the Messiah; but of this he had no positive
assurance. The fact that Jesus had for so many years remained in
obscurity, giving no special evidence of His mission, gave occasion
for doubt as to whether He could be the Promised One. The Baptist, [110]
however, waited in faith, believing that in God’s own time all would be
made plain. It had been revealed to him that the Messiah would seek
baptism at his hands, and that a sign of His divine character should
then be given. Thus he would be enabled to present Him to the people.
When Jesus came to be baptized, John recognized in Him a purity
of character that he had never before perceived in any man. The very
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80 The Desire of Ages
atmosphere of His presence was holy and awe-inspiring. Among the
multitudes that had gathered about him at the Jordan, John had heard
dark tales of crime, and had met souls bowed down with the burden
of myriad sins; but never had he come in contact with a human being
from whom there breathed an influence so divine. All this was in
harmony with what had been revealed to John regarding the Messiah.
Yet he shrank from granting the request of Jesus. How could he, a
sinner, baptize the Sinless One? And why should He who needed no
repentance submit to a rite that was a confession of guilt to be washed
[111] away?
As Jesus asked for baptism, John drew back, exclaiming, “I have
need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?” With firm yet
gentle authority, Jesus answered, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” And John, yielding, led
the Saviour down into the Jordan, and buried Him beneath the water.
“And straightway coming up out of the water,” Jesus “saw the heavens
opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him.”
Jesus did not receive baptism as a confession of guilt on His own
account. He identified Himself with sinners, taking the steps that we
are to take, and doing the work that we must do. His life of suffering
and patient endurance after His baptism was also an example to us.
Upon coming up out of the water, Jesus bowed in prayer on the
river bank. A new and important era was opening before Him. He was
now, upon a wider stage, entering
