They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
These questioners aren't just asking why John is baptizing; they're deeply unsettled because he's treating Jews like Gentile converts needing cleansing. They believed purification rites were for outsiders, and John, by baptizing fellow Jews, was implying they were spiritually impure and in need of a Messiah-sent renewal, a change in religious practice that only someone with immense authority—like the Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet—could possibly enact.
They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
A delegation, sent by religious authorities, presses John the Baptist for his identity and authority. Having already denied being the Christ or Elijah, John's practice of baptizing Jews, a custom usually reserved for Gentile converts, deeply puzzles them. They challenge him, demanding to know the legitimacy of his actions if he doesn't fit the expected roles of the Messiah, Elijah, or a prophesied figure who would usher in a new era of purification.
You see a guy out in the wilderness, dunking people in water. It's not a public pool, and he's not a lifeguard. So, naturally, people start asking questions.
The religious leaders who questioned John weren't just curious; they were looking for the authority behind his actions.
The questioners think they're cornering John, demanding to know who he thinks he is. But John has a different target in mind.
John's response is a masterclass in redirecting attention. He doesn't claim personal authority; he points to the Authority.
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Understand the original words
baptizō · Greek Verb
The act of ritual immersion in water, symbolizing repentance, cleansing, and identification with a new movement or commitment to God. In the New Testament, it signifies an outward sign of an inward transition or spiritual rebirth.
Christos · Greek Noun
The Greek equivalent of the Hebrew 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One.' It refers to the one chosen and consecrated by God to be the King, Priest, and Prophet who brings salvation and fulfills the promises made to Israel.
The questioners are baffled because John is baptizing Jews—a practice typically for Gentiles becoming Jewish proselytes. They expected a grand ritual of purification for the Messianic age, but John, while denying he's the Messiah or Elijah, is performing this rite, implying an authority they reserve only for the highest figures.
c. 400 BC - 1st Century BC
Malachi's Prophecy of Elijah
The prophet Malachi foretells that Elijah will return to prepare the way for the Lord. This prophecy shapes Jewish expectations about the end times.
c. 500 BC - 1st Century BC
Prophecies of a Messianic Renewal
Scriptures like Ezekiel 36 and Zechariah 13 suggest a future cleansing and spiritual renewal associated with the Messiah's coming.
Before AD 30
Jewish Baptismal Customs
Jews practiced baptism for Gentile converts (proselytes) joining the Jewish faith, often requiring Sanhedrin approval or presence of magistrates.
c. AD 28-30
John the Baptist's Ministry Begins
John starts preaching a baptism of repentance for Jews in the wilderness, a practice previously reserved for non-Jews.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Interrogation by Jewish Authorities
Officials sent by the Jewish religious leaders question John about his identity and authority to baptize, especially since he claims not to be the Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet.
This passage prophesies a messenger who will prepare the way before the Lord, directly aligning with the role John the Baptist was fulfilling and the authority the questioners were seeking.
Isaiah 40:3This prophecy describes a 'voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD,' which John is fulfilling, giving him a divine mandate for his baptismal ministry.
Ezekiel 36:25This verse speaks of God sprinkling clean water on His people for purification, a concept that the Jews associated with the Messianic age and the work of a divinely appointed figure, explaining why they linked baptism to the Christ or a great prophet.
Matthew 3:11John explicitly contrasts his water baptism with the baptism in the Holy Spirit that the coming One will perform, further defining his own role as preparatory and subordinate to the Messiah.
Deuteronomy 18:15Moses foretold a prophet like himself whom God would raise up, and this figure was a significant expectation among the Jews, which explains why the questioners would ask if John was 'the Prophet'.
ellicottJohn 1:25: "And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?"
(25) Why baptizest thou then? —Baptism, which was certainly one of the initiatory rites of proselytes in the second or third century A.D., was probably so before the work of the Baptist. It is not baptism, therefore, which is strange to the questioners, but the fact that he places Jews and even Pharisees ( Matthew 3:7 ) in an analogous position to that of pro…
calvinJohn 1:24-28: "And they which were sent were of the Pharisees."
- Now those who were sent were of the Pharisees. 25. Therefore they asked him, and said to him, Why then dost thou baptize, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor a Prophet? 26. John answered them, saying, I baptize with water; but one standeth in the midst of you, whom you know not. 27. It is he who, coming after me, is preferred to me; whose shoe-latchet I am not worthy to loose. 28. These things were done in Bethabara bey…
These questioners aren't just asking why John is baptizing; they're deeply unsettled because he's treating Jews like Gentile converts needing cleansing. They believed purification rites were for outsiders, and John, by baptizing fellow Jews, was implying they were spiritually impure and in need of a Messiah-sent renewal, a change in religious practice that only someone with immense authority—like the Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet—could possibly enact.
A delegation, sent by religious authorities, presses John the Baptist for his identity and authority. Having already denied being the Christ or Elijah, John's practice of baptizing Jews, a custom usually reserved for Gentile converts, deeply puzzles them. They challenge him, demanding to know the legitimacy of his actions if he doesn't fit the expected roles of the Messiah, Elijah, or a prophesied figure who would usher in a new era of purification.
A delegation, sent by religious authorities, presses John the Baptist for his identity and authority. Having already denied being the Christ or Elijah, John's practice of baptizing Jews, a custom usually reserved for Gentile converts, deeply puzzles them. They challenge him, demanding to know the legitimacy of his actions if he doesn't fit the expected roles of the Messiah, Elijah, or a prophesied figure who would usher in a new era of purification.
"They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”" — These questioners aren't just asking why John is baptizing; they're deeply unsettled because he's treating Jews like Gentile converts needing cleansing. They believed purification rites were fo…
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Last reviewed October 2026