The Matbil

Saturday, May 25, 2024

When, as a Jewish person, I first started reading the New Testament, I had a hard time with John the Baptist. It was like reading about Richard the Presbyterian, or Norman the Methodist. It didn't sound Jewish to me. I pictured him clean-shaven, short hair, with a robe. The truth is very different. He was hairy, bearded, wild looking, and spoke Hebrew. He was called 'Yochanan Ha Matbil'; Yochanan the immerser. He was a Nazarite; dedicated to God according to the scriptures, a priest, a son of Aaron, and he was Jewish. John the Baptist stands as a symbol of the Gospel and salvation. To the Jew, it seems totally un-Jewish. To most Christians, it seems totally un-Jewish. In reality, it's the most Jewish thing in the world. When you really get to know Messiah, you realize how Jewish it is. If you have the Jewish Messiah in your heart, you're Jewish in spirit. Get to know who He really is. Rejoice in your Jewish roots, bless the Jewish people, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem, because true Christianity is as Jewish as John the Baptist.

From Message #224 -Yochanan The Immerser