Peter’s Thoughts

I remember watching a video while studying in Jerusalem.  We visited a museum right next to the temple area.  The video showed a young man traveling up to the temple to sacrifice.  He had to go through a certain procedure before he was allowed to enter the temple.
It was a procedure of cleansing.  He had to totally submerge himself under water in order to enter the passage.
This, for me, represents the baptism in temple time.  Also, in order to identify themselves with God, the people of Israel had to circumsice themselves. 
Then one day, John the Baptist showed up, he was baptizing to repentance.  The Bible clearly mentions how John was batizing and how Jesus was baptizing as well, but it was not Jesus who did it but his disciples.

It is clear to me that baptism was an established practice and the people knew what it meant (the above is not meant to be proof of that). 
Then, as Jesus are leaving the people behind to ascend into the heavens, he tells his disciples to baptize, to teach, and to make disciples etc.
Teaching is nothing we have a problem with, except for the fact that we are teaching alot more than what Jesus ever taught.  Making disciples might be an area we are failing in.
Did Jesus every teach on the baptism?  Did he ever instruct in the practice?  I take it for granted that he did not teach because he did not need to teach much on the area. 

I wonder if it can be so that the baptism (as with communion/eucharist) is more supernatural than we dare to think. 

D. Longshore commented on a previous post and he mentioned the Spirit baptism as well as the enormous act of faith it is to get bapized etc.

IF the disciples practised something else or if they knew something else regarding the baptism, how has it then developed?
More about that next time….

Love You!