regarded John the Baptist all through his ministry. Our Lord says in another place, " They rejected the counsel of God, not being baptized by him." (Luke vii. 30.) The text before us would then mean, that they which ask-d all these questions, asked them with a thoroughly unfriendly spirit, and with no real desire to learn Grod's truth, because they were Pharisees.
25. — [Why haptizest thou.. ..if thou he not, Sc] This verse evidently imphes that John's c[uestioners expi 3ted the Messiah, or his fore- runner, to baptize whenever he apptared. It is not unlikely, as Lightfoot says, that the idea arose from the text in Ezekiel, de- scribing Messiah's time, " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean," &c. (Ezek. xxxvi. 24.)
Luther thinks, that this verse shows that the questioners who came to John, now changed their tone. Hitherto they had flattered. Now they began to threaten.
One thing is yerj clear from this verse. The Jews were not unacquainted with baptism as a religious ordinance. It was one of the ceremonies, according to Lightfoot, by which proselytes were admitted into the Jewish Church. Moreover it is worthy of notice, that when proselytes were so admitted, their children were baptized together with them. It was not therefore the fact of John baptizing, which the Pharisees here called in question, but his authority for administering baptism.
26. — [/ laptize with water; hut <fcc.] The answer of John the Baptist here reported is very eUiptical, and the full meaning of what he said must be suppUed fTom other places. He seems to say, " I do not baptize by my own authority, but by a com- mission fro n One far higher than either you or I. I only baptize with Avater ; and I do not do it to make disciples for my- self, but for my master. I form no party. I ask no man to follow me. I tell all whom I baptize to believe on that Mighty One who is coming after me. I am only the servant of One far gi-eater than myself, who is even now standing among you, if you had eyes to see him. He is one so much above me in nature and dignity, that I am not worthy to be his humblest servant. He can baptize hearts, and will fulfil the promises about Messiah, to which you are vaguely referring. In the mean time I only baptize with water all those who profess repentance and willing- ness to receive my master. — I baptize for another and not for myself."
[There standeth one among you.] I doubt whether these wor -s literally mean, "There is standing in the crowd of you m • hearers." I prefer the sense, " there is already living and abiding among you in this land of Judaui one greater than I." I think this the sense because of the words in the 29th verse, " John seeth Jesus coming to him," which seem to imply that he was