The Jewish Mikvah and Baptism into Christ

The New Testament has a lot to say about baptism, in general, and baptism into Christ, in particular.  And yet, in the minds of some, the issues surrounding this topic seem elusive, confused and unclear.  Why is the Bible not clearer in its pronouncements?  What is the difference between the water baptism of Judaism, of John the Baptist and the water baptism of Jesus (their being—seemingly) the same action, done in the same substance and done (seemingly) for similar reasons? What's the real difference between them?

Nothing seems new, different, or even unique.

Why all the fuss?

Well, these are all very good observations, and they are also all very good questions today I would like to suggest that there are many actions and protocols in this life that happen as identical processes, but have completely different reasons, intents, and purposes. I would like to suggest that baptism is a sterling case in point and will show examples of why this can be said.

Many many years ago incidents arose in Medieval Europe where Jews were compelled or forcibly baptized and, for all intents and purposes, made "Christians" against their will or desire. All along the seventeen or so centuries since Christianity has been a legal religion this phenomenon has happened. It happened in Roman as well as Byzantine Christianity and it happened in Dark Age and Crusader Europe and it has even happened recently to school children in the United States.  And Jews have not only strongly objected to it, but have also denounced it as an act infringing on their cultural identity as Jews.

But why?

Why have Jews denounced water baptisms?  Why have they steadfastly and vociferously resented these instances?  Why have they spoken out against them and tried, to the best of their ability, to never let them happen?  And why, in the case of Nazi Germany, did the Jews write to the Pope, in desperation, and request up to 200,000 fake baptism certificates for endangered European Jews?

What is going on here, really?

 The Mikvah and Baptism into Christ Mean

Two Entirely Different Things

In order for us to understand what is going on, and in order for us to grasp Jewish abhorrence to Christian baptism, it must be understood that the same action done for completely different reasons leads to completely different implications, commitments and relationships. A mikvah bath—however similar it may be to Christian baptism by substance and mode—does not imply acceptance of Jesus of Nazareth as Israel's Messiah already come, dead, buried or raised; neither does it signify a commitment to the Christian church and its doctrines and ethos; nor any expectation to foster or build Christian relationships, or a destiny in heaven or certain attitudes about the significance, value or discontinuity of the Law or the illegitimacy of the synagogue. The mikvah, on the other hand, prescribes meanings and a means to become associated with Rabbinic thoughts and philosophic norms that are quite foreign and even anti-thetical to Christ, the New Testament and Christianity (e.g., see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikveh). In short, the Apostle Paul explains that baptism into Christ is an entrance into a unique conceptual framework (Romans 6:1-7)—a door—and all doorways DO NOT lead into the same house; all streets DO NOT lead to the same destination, and all dippings in water DO NOT mean the same thing. Jews recognize this; Christians do too—in different areas of life, everybody does.

And so, it is no different in the Bible. We read in Acts 19:1-5,

"And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

In the case of John the Baptist and the Essenes who practiced such ritual washings before him, the SIGNIFICANCE of what they were doing should not be allowed to blind one to the fact that the Bible is very clear that those baptized by John STILL stood in want of baptism into Christ, STILL STOOD IN WANT OF GOING DOWN INTO WATER AGAIN—not because they had not been baptized in water, nor that they were baptized wrongly, but because it simply was a different ceremony for different reasons.  

These reasons led to different phenomenological results IN THE EYES OF GOD and for the administrators AND the participants. This is very important and should be grasped and understood clearly by all.

The Bible—mainly the New Testament—actually has a lot to say about baptism:

(1) Before a person is baptized into Christ they musts understand and agree with the Good News the New Testament advocates about Jesus of Nazareth.  This includes everything it says about his miraculous virgin birth, his amazing life; the miracles he did and his sacrificial death on the cross, which pays for the sins of mankind in the eyes of God.  One also must believe that Jesus overcame the grave a rose again and alive in God.  No such beliefs surround the Jewish mikvah.

(2) Before a person is baptized into Christ they must confess that they believe Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 8:37).  Now, this idea that Jesus is the Son of God is one of the main reasons Jesus' countrymen opposed him and considered him a blasphemer.  We read,

"The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.  And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.  The Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel" (John 5:15-20)

Other episodes of violent opposition to Jesus are recorded in John 8:51-59 and John 10:32-39.

(3) When a person is baptized into Christ they are acknowleging the implicit threeness of God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).  Jesus said,

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.  Amen" (Matthew 28:19-20).

In the Bible days, Israel used to believe in the threeness of the God of Israel, but since the advent of Christianity, this is no longer true, for the Rabbis no longer struggle with the Two Powers that is revealed in the Jewish Scriptures (Psalms 110:1 and Daniel 7:9-27).1

(4) Baptism into Christ leads into a realm that transcends halakic, Talmudic and legal strictures.  See Romans 8:1-7; 12:1-21; Galatians 5:16-26 and 2 Peter 1:3-11.  Contrary to Judaism, the New Testament deregulates circumcision and disregards it as meaning anything anymore, the only thing that now matters is a new creation (Galatians 6:11-16 and 2 Corinthians 5:17).

(5) Baptism into Christ means the Law and its requirements have been superseded by a new and living way--a way that does not end in the old Hadean shadow world, but to the new Jerusalem where the patriarchs and saints and martyrs now dwell.  It is a city (Hebrews 11:11) and a country (Hebrews 11:16) and a building (Revelation 21:10-14).

(6) Baptism acknowledges that the sacrifice of Jesus is efficacious and the Second Temple being destroyed the religion of Moses has been defunct and powerless to effect atonement since A.D.70 Tishah B'Av.  All Talmudic and traditional sources confirm this and Kapparot, therefore, is a human invention to sidestep or bridge what is plainly a complete termination of the Aaronic priesthood's functionality in any real sense, however, confusion comes in when we try to consider the method but not the intent.  In any case, conflicting claims and reasons prevent each side from desiring the outcome of such actions.

But, as we have seen, not only the Jews (today and in times past) if they disagreed with the claims for Jesus in the New Testament, could hardly allow and would certainly try to prevent any of theirs to be baptized—or else why would they despise it? A baptism into Christ is not a mikvah, and a mikvah is not a baptism into Christ.  However, Jews know the difference (and resent having it happen to them under force or duress).  They do not resent the action, but the meaning. purpose and implications; they do not reject the water but the Christian reasons behind it.

Similarly, in the Book of Acts, it is clear that even the Apostle Paul fully rejected the water baptism of John as insufficient to carry the intents, the reasons, and the purposes of baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus—which God imbued with a very different purpose and was to be carried out for very different reasons (Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:8:35-39; 22:11-16; 10:44-48; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:20-21; 1 John 5:8-12).