Two Puzzles about Baptism from 3 Nephi 11
The Nephites baptized before Christ. At the time of 3 Nephi 11, they would have been practicing baptism in a tradition and with authority that traced back at least to Alma.
Yet Christ gave Nephi and the other disciples authority to baptize.
And the Lord said unto him: I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven.
And again the Lord called others, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize.
Christ gives them the sacrament which is usually something that would only be done for the already baptized. Why did Christ renew the grant of authority and require rebaptism?
Second, from the same verse–“I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven.” He leaves before they rebaptize and doesn’t come back again until they have done the rebaptism. Curious. As far as I can tell, we have no record in any scripture from any dispensation of Jesus baptizing anyone himself, or even being present at anyone else’s baptism other than his own.
sute
September 17, 2020
John said:
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.
In one way, it seems the dichotomy of a servant of the Lord engaging in a physical act and the Lord himself following up in the spirit could be a component we miss, since we also rely on an authorized servant to invoke the spirit of the Lord.
But Joseph Smith felt different in the way he put it:
1 When therefore the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
2 They sought more diligently some means that they might put him to death; for many received John as a prophet, but they believed not on Jesus.
3 Now the Lord knew this, though he himself baptized not so many as his disciples;
4 For he suffered them for an example, preferring one another.
So, apparently that’s the key lesson to be had from Jesus not being present in the baptisms. Verse 4 does reconcile with the concept of priesthood authority. Jesus wants to give us space to act in his name and become examples to each other as well.
JimD
September 17, 2020
Interestingly, per D&C 22, the reason early Latter-day Saints were initially told to submit to baptism had less to do with the (lack of) authority of their previous baptisms, and more to do with the fact that they now needed to be baptized under a new covenant.
Eric
September 18, 2020
Christ had ushered in a new dispensation and fulfilled the law of Moses, so re-baptizing doesn’t seem so out of order for those who were alive during that transition between dispensations.
The wording of the baptismal prayer also changed, when comparing what Alma said to what Jesus told them to say.