I want to conclude this series within a series by trying to put the baptism of Jesus into its proper place. I’m a strong believer in observing what emphasis Scripture itself puts on certain stories and certain ideas (a lesson I learned from Dr. Tom Olbricht) It can be very telling to study what biblical writers emphasized and what they didn’t.
Jesus’ baptism is recorded in three of the gospels and alluded to indirectly in the fourth. That shows that it was a significant moment in Jesus’ ministry. But it’s interesting that we never find the early church saying, “Jesus was baptized, so we should be as well.” (I’m limiting myself to the New Testament canon; if someone wants to bring in evidence from early church writers from later centuries, I’d be interested to hear it)
The baptism of Jesus is important as a watershed moment in Jesus’ ministry. It reminds us of the importance of baptism in the Christian movement (as does John’s ministry in general). But I don’t know that it’s a WWJD moment that should lead people to the water. In and of itself, I don’t think it provides sufficient reason for someone to be baptized in a Christian way.
Are there any specific actions that the NT writers say, “Jesus did it, so we should do it?”
I mean, there’s the whole “walk as Jesus walked” in 1 John and “imitate me as I imitate Christ” from Paul, but no one seems to say, “You should pray because Jesus prayed” or “you should fast because Jesus fasted,” etc.
I’m more than happy to be proven wrong, but I’m not recalling *any* specific WWJD examples off the top of my head.
That’s a good point, Nick. I guess I see calls to walk as Jesus walked as addressing attitudes rather than specific actions. I can’t think of any of the things that Jesus did that we feel specifically called to do. The closest might be washing feet, though most feel that’s not to be literally imitated.