Why did Y‘shua have to get baptised in the river Jordan? Jordan has always been a point of change; i.e.,
Israel crossed from the wilderness into the Promised Land at the Jordan; and also the Elijah/Elisha factor as
discussed earlier, etc. Even today, if you come from the Kingdom of Jordan and you reach Mount Nebo, the
land changes from desert to green, lush land!
Why was Y‟shua baptised specifically by Yochanan?The church does not understand the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant and has missed
the point. Zacherias was supposed to be the high priest in the office of the Temple in Y‘shua's time according
to YHWH's law. He was ―of the course of abia‖, from the Aaronic bloodline. Yochanan had the blood lineage
of Aaron, the high priest bloodline from both parents in him; his father and mother are both descendents
from Aaron as we have seen. Caiaphas was not legally appointed by YHWH's law as the high priest,
although he was in the authority of the office. According to Josephus, Caiaphas was not in the blood lineage;
he was appointed by Rome, the government of that time.
The priesthood had to change from Aaronic to Melchisedec, which is why Yochanan from the Aaronic
priesthood had to baptise Y‘shua!!! Heb 7:12: ―For the priesthood being changed, there is made of
necessity a change also of the law‖.
It is also interesting to note that Y‘shua is Yochanan‘s cousin and they knew each other for almost thirty
years, and when Yochanan saw Y‘shua he said... John 1:29b: ―...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world‖. Why did he say this? Answer: Because he was raised in a priestly family and
knew the significance of a sacrifice. Yochanan saw Y‘shua on the riverbanks of Jordan; not as his cousin, but
as the perfect sacrifice.
Y‘shua was then baptised at the place of change: he went under the water as King of the Jews; but when he
got up, he was King of Righteousness. The priestly order changed from the order of Aaron (the Old
Covenant order) to the order of Melchisedec. Yochanan was never recognized; but if we look at his
genealogy, we can now appreciate what an important role he played in the introduction of the ―new
priesthood‖.
Do you now understand the importance of Yochanan and his father's history, and from where they came?
Now that we understand the importance of Yochanan, let's get back to the continuation of the ―tallit‖.
Matt 3:1-4: ―In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent
ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias (Isaiah),
saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat
was locusts and wild honey‖.
Please note that there is no Greek word for the Hebrew word ―tallit‖, and sometimes various words are used.
Also, for thousands of years, Christians had no background in Judaism and the rabbis were not forthcoming
with a lot of good information. The New Covenant is full of ―tallits‖ and we read over them without even
knowing it. As we continue with this study, it will be pointed out.
Camel‘s hair (wool) was likely the wool used to make the priests‘ garments. Camels were bound to have
been the most popular and the most plentiful animals used during the Exodus. It is interesting to note that
―Sha‘atnez‖ in Judaism is the prohibition of wearing clothing made of any combination of linen and wool. The
reason for this prohibition was that this kind of cloth was reserved to make the garments of the priests for
wearing in the Tabernacle and Temple. As said earlier, it is very possible that Yochanan wore white linen
and a woollen ―tallit‖, as he was in the lineage of a high priest.
Yochanan‘s food
―And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was
locusts and wild honey”. (Mat 3:4). ―And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin
about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey‖. (Mark 1:6)
The tribes of Israel wandered in nomadic fashion for forty years in the wilderness, never staying long at any
one place. Because of this, it was very difficult for them to grow the grains needed to make flour used in
baking, especially for such things as the Shewbread in the Tabernacle which the priests ate. According to the
Encyclopaedia Judaica, the most popular substance used in that day by the nomadic tribes was dried locusts
ground into a fine meal – locusts, some of which are kosher (Lev 11:21,22). Water was also a scarce