2025/11/10

221. He Who Baptises with the Holy Spirit

The Gospel of John introduced John the Baptist in the beginning as follows: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light" (Jn 1:6-8). This "light" refers to the "light" described earlier: "In him [the Word] was life, and the life was the light of men" (1:4). 

John the Baptist explained his reason for baptising by saying, "I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel" (Jn 1:31). He then said, "I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God" (1:33-34). "He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit" was Jesus. 

As John the Baptist testified, the Holy Spirit remained in Jesus to work with him so that the words of Jesus, who spoke as a man even though he was God, would become the living Word. Thus, life in the Word becomes the light that illuminates man from within. In this passage, John the Evangelist emphasises the words of John the Baptist by repeating them twice: "I myself did not know him." That was to draw the reader's attention to the scene in the Gospel of Luke where John the Baptist, when he was six months in the womb of his mother Elizabeth, leaped in her womb at the greeting of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who came to her with Jesus in her womb. That is because Mary's words of the Magnificat at that time explain well what it means to "baptise with the Holy Spirit." 

The Magnificat begins as follows. "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me" (Lk 1:46-49). Mary realised that the angel's words had come true: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God" (1:35), and she rejoiced in God the Savior by the power of the Holy Spirit. The realisation that "he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden" is the proof that one has been baptised with the Holy Spirit. 

The words of Mary that follow explain how one obtains that realisation. "Holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away" (Lk 1:49-53). 

"Holy is his name" refers to the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 12:31-32). The words of Jesus, which have become the Word of Life through the work of the Holy Spirit, work on those who fear the Lord and listen to his voice. The Word, which has become a light illuminating man in his innermost being, shows its strength with its arm, the two-edged sword, to scatter the memories of the man that make him conceited and to pull him down from the illusion that he is in authority until he realises that he is of low estate in the sight of God. That is to raise him to the position of a child of God. In this way, God fills those who are hungry for the Word with good things and sends away those who are filled with human knowledge in ignorance. 

In the Gospel of Luke, when Jesus finished teaching the people from Peter's boat and instructed Peter to let down the nets for a catch, Peter said, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets" (Lk 5:5). Peter, also surprised by the great catch, said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (5:8). In this way, Jesus gave a Magnificat experience to those who were in the presence of Jesus, fearing the Lord and listening to his voice. 

At the last supper Jesus said, "[The Father will give you] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you" (Jn 14:17), testifying that his disciples had already received the Holy Spirit at this time. They had been baptised by Jesus with the Holy Spirit. 

The author of the Gospel of John writes that on the last day of the feast, Jesus said, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water’" (Jn 7:37-38). He then explains: "Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (7:39). The "Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive" refers to Pentecost, and Jesus' reference to "as the scripture has said" refers to the future New Testament, in which the "priesthood of the New Covenant" would be revealed. 

Maria K.M.