John 3:22-25 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.  Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.  Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification."



Aenon near Salim

(22)  After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.  Jerusalem, where Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, was the last location we were given by John before Jesus came into the land of Judea.  However, since Jerusalem resides within Judea we can presume that Jesus had returned to the area of Galilee before traveling south again along the west bank of the Jordan into Judea.  John clarifies in Chapter Four that Jesus' disciples actually performed the baptisms, stating; "though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples."  We recall that Andrew and John were at first disciples of John the Baptist; and because Jesus had not yet been glorified and the Holy Spirit had not yet been sent, it is reasonable to conclude that the disciples were continuing to administer a baptism unto repentance.

Part of the Madaba Map showing Ænon

(23) Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized.  Aenon near Salim is identified by the ancient Byzantine mosaic map on the west side of the Jordan - across the river from Bethabara.  The valley descending from Mt. Ebal toward the Jordan Valley contains a number of springs so that new rains would supply the west bank of the Jordan.  Whereas the same rains would need to replenish the lake before spilling out into the Jordan; therefore resulting in times when Aenon would contain more adequate water than the Jordan River itself.







(24)  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.  In the early days of Jesus' ministry, John the Baptist was still baptizing.  But by the time that Jesus' miracles had come to the attention of Herod, John had already been imprisoned and put to death. (Mark 6:14-16)

(25)  Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification.  Baptism was a traditional ritual of purification long before the time John the Baptist's ministry of repentance.  A thorough discussion of water baptism's origins and significance can be found at the Jewish Encyclopedia website.  Presented below is an excerpt pertinent to our Bible text, including a the link to the webpage.  The page covers all aspects of the historic applications of water baptism and should be read in its entirety.

 

Excerpt: [According to rabbinical teachings, which dominated even during the existence of the Temple (Pes. viii. 8), Baptism, next to circumcision and sacrifice, was an absolutely necessary condition to be fulfilled by a proselyte to Judaism (Yeb. 46b, 47b; Ker. 9a; 'Ab. Zarah 57a; Shab. 135a; Yer. Kid. iii. 14, 64d). Circumcision, however, was much more important, and, like baptism, was called a "seal" (Schlatter, "Die Kirche Jerusalems," 1898, p. 70). But as circumcision was discarded by Christianity, and the sacrifices had ceased, Baptism remained the sole condition for initiation into religious life. The next ceremony, adopted shortly after the others, was the imposition of hands, which, it is known, was the usage of the Jews at the ordination of a rabbi. Anointing with oil, which at first also accompanied the act of Baptism, and was analogous to the anointment of priests among the Jews, was not a necessary condition.] - ref:
 http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2456-baptism

 

Because John's baptism was neither an initiation into Judaism nor into Christianity, it would have represented a type of purification.  By claiming to be Isaiah's "one crying in the wilderness" who would prepare the way for the Lord, the Baptist was effectively preparing the hearts of the people by the purification which comes through the repentance of sins.  The Jews who were discussing purification with John's disciples were likely trying to ascertain what was causing the people to go out to John rather than drawing closer to God at the temple, or through the disciplines of the Pharisees.  They wanted to understand the work that God was doing through John without participating themselves.  They were spectators and critics of John's baptism, but refused to repent and experience their own purification.  These disputers resemble those critics of Christianity who tinker from time to time with the identity and mission of Jesus, but who are not yet moved to repent and believe unto salvation.  As Paul wrote to Timothy, they are "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." - 2 Timothy 3:7

 

Jordan River near Aenon

Naaman the leper was told by Elisha's servant, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean."  Naaman objected, "Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?  Could I not wash in them and be clean?" - 2nd Kings 5

 

Archaeologists have uncovered many of the Jewish purification pools (Mikvahs) from the time of Christ.  These were strategically located so that rain water could run into them naturally, without being carried.  Like the uncut stones that God prescribed to be used in building the Jewish altars, the purification waters were to come straight from God without being tainted by the efforts of human hands.  But like the waters of the Jordan, the mikvah waters would not be considered to be clean water.  Because it was necessary to place the mikvahs in low places so that the waters could flow into them naturally, this also meant that the earth from the ground would end up trapped in these pools.

 

 

The purification performed by John the Baptist in the Jordan and the traditional purification of the Jews in their mikvahs did not accomplish their cleansing by the translucence of the water, but by the fact that the water was sanctified by God.  This observation provides a wonderful illustration of the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus.  The power of Christ's blood to wash away the stain of sin is not based on the opacity of the blood, but on its perfect holiness.

 

We read from the Book of Hebrews Chapter Fourteen; "according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission."  And comparing the Old Testament purification by blood to the new covenant in Christ's blood, the writer of Hebrews declares; "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"