S1 EP33 | Water Baptism – A Jewish Commandment?

Say what? Wait, didn’t baptism start with John the Baptist? Isn’t it a Christian thing? Hang onto your hats, folks – you’re about to discover another surprising element of Christianity that sprang from Jewish roots.  

In this episode of A Jew and A Gentile Discuss, Carly and Ezra talk about the Jewish practice of water immersion and how it relates to the New Testament’s concept of baptism. Carly asks Ezra questions to piece together the Old and New Covenant practices, explore what it’s like today and what it means for Messianic Jewish Believers and Christians. Some of the topics they cover include: 

• Where the concept of water baptism or immersion started 
• What the baptism of John was about 
• If baptism is a sign of converting to Christianity 
• Why Jesus got baptized 
• The difference between the Jewish idea of immersion and Christian baptism 
• How a Jewish person today would view Christian baptism 
• How Jewish Believers in Jesus, or Messianic Jews, see baptism 

You’ll also find out if Ezra, a Jewish believer in Jesus, was baptized and some encouragement if you’ve been wondering about being baptized yourself. 

Along the way 

You’ll learn: 

• Four reasons for the Old Testament practice of cleansing by immersion 
• What Old Testament immersion symbolized  
• What the baptism that the early disciples practiced represented 
• Why baptism is a public thing 
• Jewish immersion, or mikveh, today 

Words you might learn in this episode 

Torah, mikveh, mayin chaim, Nazarite vow, kohanim, kohan, Johannon, mikveh pools, Yeshua 

Scriptures referenced in this episode 

Acts 11:26, Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:3, John 1:19–28, Ephesians 1:18–21, Acts 10:9–22, Matthew 15:11, Hebrews 9:14, Romans 6:11, Ephesians 2:5,  Romans 3:22, Romans 4:3, Matthew 3:13–16, Leviticus 8:5–6, Romans 11:25, Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 15:20, 2 Timothy 3:16, Ephesians 2:8–9 

◦◦◦ 

Win!  

Want a free bag of amazing Ethiopian coffee? Enter our monthly drawing at www.ajewandagentilediscuss.org, and you could win a free bag of Lost Tribes Coffee Co. coffee. 

Support 

The only way we’re able to continue providing these engaging conversations is through listener support. If you like tuning in to A Jew and A Gentile Discuss, would you consider supporting the podcast with a financial gift? Any amount – small or large – helps. 

Subscribe and Review 

You can subscribe to A Jew and A Gentile Discuss wherever you get your podcasts. Leaving a review will help others know to tune in too.  

Share 

Share the podcast with people you know to spread the word. 

Follow and Engage  

Follow and engage with us on social media under the handle A Jew and A Gentile Discuss. 

Feedback 

We’d love to hear from you! Leave us some feedback or send in your questions for us to consider for future episodes. 

This podcast is a production of Jewish Voice Ministries International.