Lessons on the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ and His Apostles
Lesson No. Five
The Ministry of John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus Christ
Latter-day prophets have greatly increased our knowledge of John the Baptist – This includes:
John “’was baptized while he was yet in his childhood [meaning, when he was eight years of age], and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto the power [note it well, not to the Aaronic Priesthood, but] to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power’ (D&C 84:24). We do not know when he received the Aaronic Priesthood, but obviously it came to him after his baptism, at whatever age was proper, and before he was sent…to preach and baptize with water” (Mortal Messiah, p. 384-85).
“We know John was in the desert, for a period of trial and testing and training – perhaps not much different from Jesus’ forty days of fasting and testing in the wilderness, as he began his ministry… The idea that our Lord’s forerunner was a Nazarite for life, had never cut his hair or married, and that he lived always in the deserts is speculation that cannot be true....We suppose that the mode of dress was simple to alert the people to his prophetic status, for the period of his ministry was to be short, and he needed to attract as much attention as possible. That he was married, had children, and lived as normal a life as his ministerial assignments permitted, we cannot doubt” (Ibid, p. 385).
John was a master teacher and theologian – He taught the doctrine of repentance with power and authority, and his teaching attracted the attention of the Jewish nation and its leaders.
JST Luke 3:4-11 reveals that John knew and taught a detailed description of the mission and ministry of the Lord, including His Second Coming. Furthermore, as discussed in Lesson 3 of this book some of the most complete doctrine of the Lord’s pre-earth life and ministry was first taught by John the Baptist as recorded in D&C 93:6-18. We can look forward to receiving more of John’s teachings because if we are faithful we “will receive a fullness of the record of John” (D&C 93:18).
All three members of the Godhead were present at Jesus’ baptism – In this transcendent event, recorded in all four Gospels, the Father’s voice was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him” (JST Matthew 3:17). The Son was there as the Person being baptized. The Holy Ghost was seen descending from heaven in the form of a spirit Man that He is.
This is one of only two scriptural accounts that tells of the Holy Ghost appearing as a spirit Man. In the other account Nephi, after seeing in vision the tree of life, was asked by the Spirit “What desireth thou? And I said unto him to know the interpretation thereof – for I spake unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld the he was in the form of a man; yet nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another” (1 Nephi 11:10-11).
The sign of the dove was given at the baptism of Jesus – It is important to understand how the Holy Ghost appeared when Jesus was baptized. If we say, without further explanation, that “the Holy Ghost (represented by a dove) descended on the Savior as He was being baptized” some may erroneously conclude that the Holy Ghost appeared at the baptism of Jesus in the form of a dove.
Joseph Smith explained what really happened: “John led the Son of God into the water of baptism, and had the privilege of beholding the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove, or rather in the sign of the dove, in witness of that administration.” The Prophet continued his explanation: “The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 275-276)
“It thus appears that John witnessed the sign of the dove, that he saw the Holy Ghost descend in the “bodily shape” of the personage that he is, and that the descent was “like a dove” (DNTC, p. 123-124).
Why was Jesus baptized and how did His baptism “fulfil all righteousness? – Jesus, unlike the rest of mankind, was sinless and therefore was not baptized for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explains the reasons Jesus was baptized: (See 2 Nephi 31:4-9)
He humbled Himself before the Father
He covenanted to be obedient and keep the Father’s commandments
He had to be baptized to gain admission to the celestial kingdom
He set the example for all men to follow
“To fulfill all righteousness is to perform every ordinance, keep every commandment, and do every act necessary to the attainment of eternal life” (DNTC p. 123).
What blessings do we receive if we repent and are baptized? (See 2 Nephi 31:11-21)
We will receive the baptism of fire which is the gift of the Holy Ghost (Vs 12-14)
After receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, if we “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love off God and of all men…feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (Vs 20)