New Testament Mark-John the Baptist

Why is John important in addition to his relation to Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament writings?

Important figure in the history of first-century Judaism, as known to us through other sources

Why did Jesus get baptized by John if he had no sin?

Jesus actually answered the question for us, although his answer is a bit enigmatic. To quote Matthew 3:15, "Let it be so now, it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Of course the question is what did Jesus mean by this? Note, he did not say he did this in order to attain righteousness. Jesus already was righteous as a man without sin. He did this to fulfill righteousness. I see a parallel to the claim of Jesus that he would fulfill (complete, bring to an end, bring to its fullness) the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17). Exactly how Jesus fulfilled the requirements for righteousness, I am not sure, to be honest, although I will supply some suggestions below. One thing we can be sure of, which is implied in your question is that Jesus was not baptized on order to be forgiven of sin. Let me suggest a few reasons that Jesus submitted to baptism.

Jesus's identity in relation to John...

Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan river, thus not only implying that Jesus recognized John's role and importance, but also leading some scholars to suggest that Jesus himself was a disciple of John the Baptist, at least for a time, before embarking on his own ministry of preaching and healing.

John background and family

Jewish man son of Zechariah and Elizabeth

Why people today think Jesus is more significant than John

Although admitting that Jesus was younger than John and was baptized by John, Christians throughout the centuries have maintained that Jesus is nevertheless "greater" or more important than John, whose primary role is seen as the "forerunner" or precursor of Jesus.

Today's accepted relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist

John is seen as the last prophet of ancient Israel, while Jesus is the Messiah who ushers in the new age of the Kingdom of God. Each of the four canonical Gospels explains the relationship between John and Jesus in a slightly different way.

John's age in relation to Jesus

Not only was John slightly older than Jesus (acc. to Luke 1-2), but he was actively preaching and baptizing before Jesus began his own public ministry

Reason that Jesus submitted to baptism #3

The baptism of Jesus served as a gesture of humility and submission of Jesus to God and to the ministry of John the Baptist. This showed the humanity of Jesus and his submission to the will of God.

Reason that Jesus submitted to baptism #4

The baptism of Jesus serves as an example to others. Jesus asked all those who would follow him to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Math 28:19). Jesus did not ask us to do something he was not willing to do. He did not need to be forgiven but he did need to demonstrate his submission to God and he did need to set an example to all of us in being baptized.

John's different way of baptizing

The immersions performed by John had a slightly different and distinctive focus, expressing a definitive "repentance" of sinners, in contrast to the repeated "purifications" performed regularly by most Jews.

Reason that Jesus submitted to baptism #2

This event was the fulfillment of a prophecy in the form of a prefigure. The prefiguring event happened in 1 Samuel 16:13. When Samuel anointed David - as scene which is a clear prefigure of the baptism of Jesus occurred. Like David, the prefigure of the Messiah, on whom the Spirit came at his anointing, the Spirit came upon Jesus when he was anointed in his baptism.

Reason that Jesus submitted to baptism #1

This marked the "anointing" of Jesus. This is when the Holy Spirit came on Jesus in a special way. We do not know exactly what this means. In other words the Bible does not make it clear exactly how Jesus was changed when the Holy Spirit came upon him when he was baptized by John, but we have to assume that this was a very significant moment in the life and ministry of Jesus. As it says in Matthew 3:16, it was at that moment that the Spirit of God descended on Jesus like a dove. This marked the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. This idea is enhanced by John 1:32-34. John the Baptist told the people that God had told him the one on whom the Spirit comes is the Son of God. This anointing of Jesus was proof to John the Baptist, if not to others, of who Jesus was.

True or false? For many centuries, some people even considered John the Baptist to be more important than Jesus of Nazareth, according to several commonly recognized ancient criteria.

True