A: The best "guess" that I
have been able to surmise from the Scriptures is that
John "probably" did baptize some Gentiles who had
converted to Judaism. There are no clear, definitive
Bible passages that state he did but there is much
Scriptural evidence to indicate that these Gentile
proselytes were around at that time which means that
more than likely a few would have submitted themselves
to John’s baptism.
The Bible shows that there
has always been some Gentiles that have joined
themselves with the nation of Israel in some capacity.
However, even though these individuals lived within the
confines of Israel’s borders many were not true
religious converts but were actually what the Bible
refers to as strangers or proselytes of the gate (Exodus
20:10). Even though they were not true proselytes as
such, these strangers were expected to honor the Jewish
laws and customs.
Leviticus 24:16 And he
that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall
surely be put to death, and all the congregation
shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as
he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the
name of the LORD, shall be put to death.
Exodus 20:10 But the
seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in
it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son,
nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy
maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that
is within thy gates:
Numbers 15:14-16 And if
a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among
you in your generations, and will offer an offering
made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye
do, so he shall do. One ordinance shall be both for
you of the congregation, and also for the stranger
that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in
your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger
be before the LORD. One law and one manner shall be
for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with
you.
In return, these Gentile
strangers, whether bond or free were to be accepted and
treated fairly by Israel.
Leviticus 19:33-34 And
if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye
shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth
with you shall be unto you as one born among you,
and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were
strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your
God.
There was however, provision
made for those Gentiles that wished to convert to
Judaism and become a recognized citizen of Israel. The
Lord makes such a distinction between the "stranger that
is a sojourner" and an actual religious proselyte who
will accept and obey all of the Mosiac covenant:
Exodus 12:48-49 And when
a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep
the passover to the LORD, let all his males be
circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it;
and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for
no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law
shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the
stranger that sojourneth among you.
Isaiah 56:6 Also the
sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the
LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the
LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the
sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my
covenant;
Isaiah 56:7 Even them
will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them
joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings
and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine
altar; for mine house shall be called an house of
prayer for all people.
We see examples of these
Gentile converts throughout the Scriptures such as Ruth
the Moabite:
Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said,
Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from
following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will
go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people
shall be my people, and thy God my God.
Ruth 2:11-12 And Boaz
answered and said unto her [Ruth], It hath fully
been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy
mother in law since the death of thine husband: and
how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and
the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people
which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD
recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee
of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou
art come to trust.
In the book of Esther it is
also recorded that there were even Gentile converts
during the Jewish captivity:
Esther 8:17 And in every
province, and in every city, whithersoever the
king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had
joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many
of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear
of the Jews fell upon them.
Other notable Gentiles who
rose to prominence in Israel include Doeg the Edomite,
Uriah the Hittite, Araunah the Jebusite, Zelek the
Ammonite, Ithmah and Ebedmelech the Ethiopians, Rahab
the harlot, Naaman the Syrian, etc.
We see these Gentile
proselytes are still around in the New Testament as well
for we see Jesus rebuking the religious leaders at one
point because of their hypocrisy in dealing with these
converts.
Matthew 23:15 -Woe unto
you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when
he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of
hell than yourselves.
They show up at the day of
Pentecost with the other Jews also:
Acts 2:8-10 And how hear
we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were
born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the
dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and
Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and
Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about
Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes.
Paul also dealt with them on
his missionary journey:
Acts 13:42-43 And when
the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the
Gentiles besought that these words might be preached
to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation
was broken up, many of the Jews and religious
proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking
to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of
God.
Acts 17:1-4 Now when
they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia,
they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of
the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto
them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out
of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ
must needs have suffered, and risen again from the
dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you,
is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted
with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a
great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
A few other notable Gentile
proselytes included are the Greeks who were attending
the Jewish feast in John 12:20 and the Ethiopian Eunuch
of Acts 8:26-40.
Finally, the most compelling
evidence is found in Luke’s account of John baptizing in
the Jordan River where we read:
Luke 3:12-14 - Then came
also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him,
Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them,
Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And
the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And
what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence
to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be
content with your wages.
Even though the individual
accounts of publicans given in the Bible are of Jewish
descent, history shows us that there were some Gentile
publicans as well at that time which has sparked some
debate as to whether all of the publicans mentioned in
the above verse were actually Hebrew or not. Which
brings us to the soldiers also alluded to. Even if all
of the publicans were in deed Jewish the soldiers John
addresses in verse 14 are more than likely Gentile
(again there has been some speculation as to whether
these men are Gentiles or Jewish proselytes who joined
affinity with the Roman nation). Though the verse
doesn’t say they were baptized explicitly their question
is framed exactly like the publicans who we are told
were baptized.
As stated previously, there
is no verses in the Bible that tell us whether John did
or did not baptize any Gentiles but the above Scripture
references clearly indicate that there have always been
some Gentile converts abiding with the nation of Israel
and therefore we can safely assume that some were
baptized of him.
Bro. Jeff Newman