commodity in the desert, so wild honey was used in its place, especially in making the shewbread. To tie this
all together, we need to take another look at Yochanan the Immerser.
His clothes were made of camels‘ hair (not skins), and his food was locusts and wild honey. Yochanan was
of the priestly lineage. It is said that the priest represented YHWH to the people and the people to YHWH. He
fit this role perfectly in his introduction of the Messiah.
He may have had extremely long hair because of his Nazarite vow, as this was a sign of his consecration to
YHWH. In preparing himself for his assigned task, his clothing was made of the cloth reserved for the priest
(as he was of the lineage of Aaron), and his food was two of the principle ingredients of the shewbread which
was the food of the priests. Yochanan was not the wild, hairy mountain man that so many have tried to
picture him as.
3:5 They went out to him
―Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan‖.
This verse points out the tremendous response Yochanan begins to receive from all around the country of
Judea and there in Jerusalem. Keep in mind that there were no telephones, radios or televisions to spread
the news. News traveled by word of mouth. Remembering that will put this more in perspective. Yochanan
had a message that really got the people‘s attention.
3:6 They were baptised by him
―And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins‖.
Dr. David Flusser of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem said that Yochanan‘s method of baptism was almost
identical to that written in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Confessing their sins
―Confessing sins" is saying the same thing about sin that YHWH says. Sin is defined as a violation of
YHWH's Torah, which is typically translated as "transgressing the Law" (1 John 3:4). Unfortunately, "Law" is
an incorrect translation of "Torah‖—yet is used in all Christian Bibles. A correct translation of Torah is
"revelation" or "instruction" from YHWH. Y‘shua Himself said that none of the Torah is done away with (Matt
5:17-21) as does Paul (Rom 3:31). This will be covered in detail in Matt 5:17-21. Scripture also tells us that
Y‘shua and the Father's will are both one; that YHWH does not change; and that Y‘shua is the same
yesterday, today and tomorrow.
If our trust is in YHWH's provision for sin (Y‘shua), then our sins are forgiven and the "curse of the Torah" is
removed - it is "nailed to the cross" with Him. (This is what Paul talks about in several of his epistles -
Romans cover this in detail.) The Torah's condemnation of us and its role as a "tutor" (or "guardian") comes
to an end once we come to faith. However, the Torah (all of it) remains as our guideline to determine what
sin is and if we are "living right" with YHWH. We shall discuss this as we go along in this study.
The Hebraic Roots of Baptism
There is no question that the church is indebted to Judaism for its main structure—including such items as
Messiah, Scripture, canon, liturgy, altar, pulpit, church offices, songs, offerings, the Lord's Supper—as well
as baptism itself. Dr. Merrill Tenney, the editor of the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible said, "Baptism as
a rite of immersion was not begun by Christians but was taken by them from Jewish and pagan forms..."
Since early Christianity was a part of the Judaism of Y‘shua‘s day, it is without question that baptism in
today's church was originally Jewish. Further evidence comes from Scholars like William Lasor and David
Daube who tell us of the early church's practice of baptism by self-immersion after the custom of the Jews.
History of the Jewish Mikveh:
The term mikveh in Hebrew literally means ―any gathering of waters‖, but is specifically used in Jewish law
for the waters or bath for the ritual immersion. The building of the mikveh was so important in ancient times it
was said to take precedence over the construction of a synagogue. Immersion was so important that it
occurred before the High Priest conducted the service on the Day of Atonement, before the regular priests
participated in the Temple service, before each person entered the Temple complex, before a scribe wrote
the name of YHWH—as well as several other occasions.