Page 44 - Demo

Muhammad in the Bible David Benjamin KeldaniEdited & Annotated by: Prof. Dawud M. R. Alhanbali & Prof, Dr. Kaseb A. Albadran ( 44 )Jews were baptized by him in the water of the River Jordan. He reprimanded the educated but fanatical Pharisees and the Priests, and threatened the learned but rationalistic Saduqees (Sadducees) with the coming vengeance. He declared that he was baptizing them with water only as a sign of purification of the heart by penance. He promulgated that there was coming after him another Prophet who would baptized them with the Holy Spirit and fire; who would gathertogether his wheat into his granaries and burn the chaff with an inextinguishable fire. He further declared that he who was coming afterwards was to such an extent superior to himself in power and dignity that the Baptist confessed to be unfit or unworthy to bow down to untie and loose the laces of his shoes.It was on one of these great baptismal performances of Hazrat Yahyā (St. John the Baptist(pbuh) that Jesus(pbuh) of Nazareth also entered into the water of the Jordan and was baptized by the Prophet like everybody else. Mark (i. 9) and Luke (iii. 21), who report this baptism of Jesus(pbuh)by John, are unaware of the remarks of John on this point as mentioned in Matthew (iii), where it is stated that the Baptist said to Jesus (pbuh) : “I need to be baptized by thee, and didst thou come to me?” To which the latter is reported to have replied, “Let us fulfil the righteousness”; and then he baptized him. The Synoptic state that the spirit of prophecy came down to Jesus(pbuh) in the shape of a dove as he went out from the water, and a voice was heard saying: “Thisis my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”The Fourth Gospel knows nothing about Jesus(pbuh) being baptized by John; buttells usthat the Baptist, when he saw Jesus(pbuh), exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God,” etc. (John i). This Gospel pretendsthat Andrew was a disciple of the Baptist, and having abandoned his master brought his brother Simon to Jesus (John i).