For August 31, 2026
Baptized From Above by Greg Holmes, D.MIN – Director of Missions serving 17 churches
RIGHT AFTER THE CONVERSATION with Nicodemus regarding being born again, Jesus and his disciples leave Jerusalem, to “the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.” (John 3:22) Clearly Nicodemus , “Israel’s teacher,” (John 3:8)—immediately preceding this passage, had trouble grasping the concept of the new birth. John’s gospel moves from that scene to Jesus in the desert, and speaks of him baptizing; this is the only place in the gospels that indicate Jesus baptized, and it seems in contrast to John’s statements just a little later: “Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.” (John 4:1-2)