John—The Only True High Priest in His Day

The role of the High Priest was the greatest servant role in all of Israel. He was the one who stood between God and the people of Israel. The High Priest’s servant role determined the weight of the sins of Israel and whether God forgave them. Everything hung on his ability to perform his duties properly before God on the Day of Atonement. The weight of Israel’s sin rested on his shoulders. He was, in every sense, the greatest servant in Israel.

Now consider John—the true High Priest of Israel in his day. John declared that Jesus was spotless, and that He was kosher. This decree by John was an official High Priest statement that Jesus was the only one who could not only take away all the sins of Israel, but all the sins of the entire world. This Servant, the Messiah, could do far more than John. He is the greatest servant of the entire world!

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” — John 1:29

Now to understand why John had to baptize Jesus, we must look at who John truly was. This Spirit-filled, Elijah-role, High Priest of Israel and prophet openly declared that he was not even worthy to loosen the sandals of Jesus. Think about that. You cannot get to any higher position than John’s, yet the High Priest of Israel said that not even he was worthy enough to be Jesus’ servant and remove His sandals.

John got it. He saw himself rightly: a servant. He reasoned, “I am not worthy to be His servant.”  John recognized that Jesus is a greater Servant than himself.

“It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” — John 1:27

“This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” — John 1:30

So John openly declares that Jesus is above him and greater than him—yet Jesus comes to John to be baptized in order to begin His ministry. Why? If Jesus is the greater One, why does He come to the lesser? Why does the Messiah submit to the servant? Why does the One who outranks John in every way insist on being baptized by him?

The clue is in their words.

John declared that he was not worthy to even loosen His sandals. Out of all the things John could have said, out of all the statements God could have chosen to record this event, why did he say, “Not even worthy to take off His shoes?”

It’s because as a priest—even the High Priest—you were required to remove your shoes and wash your feet before serving in the House of God. Every priest had to take off his sandals, wash his feet, and baptize himself before stepping into his role as Israel’s greatest servant before God the Most High. This was the posture of a servant: cleansed, barefoot, and ready to minister before God.

John understood this. When Jesus came to him for baptism, John recognized that Jesus was stepping into a role higher than the High Priest of Israel. John knew exactly what Jesus was doing—He was preparing to serve as the greatest Servant of all. Washing the feet, removing the sandals, and undergoing baptism were the ceremonial acts that marked someone as ready to serve before God. And John saw that Jesus was entering that calling in its fullest, highest form.

Let me say this again. Before a priest could begin his servant priestly ministry, he had to remove his shoes, wash his feet, and be baptized. Only then was he considered ready to serve God. So when John, the High Priest, declared, “I am not even worthy to take off His shoes,” he wasn’t making a humble statement. He was referring to the very act required to begin priestly service. Why mention His shoes? Because Jesus was stepping into the greatest servant role ever known. Jesus comes to John to be baptized by the High Priest so that He may be publicly declared Kosher (clean) and baptized into the greatest servant role in the heavens and on earth. In that moment, John the High Priest acknowledges that Jesus’ role is even greater than his!

So what role is Jesus stepping into? What office could possibly be greater than the High Priest? What order is this that John—the rightful High Priest—must baptize Jesus into it before His ministry can begin? Jesus Himself gives the answer.

When John hesitated, Jesus said: “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting (the proper/official way) for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).

Out of everything Jesus could have said to John to explain what office He had to perform, Jesus confirmed His very role, His very order with one phrase: “All righteousness!”

The word “righteousness” is what convinced and confirmed to John the exact office Jesus was stepping into—and why he, as the High Priest, had to be the one to baptize Him. This was the very moment that John understood that Jesus wasn’t simply entering another priestly function. He was stepping into an order higher than the High Priesthood itself.

The role of “All Righteousness.”

Or to put it plainly: Jesus was stepping into the role of the “King of Righteousness.” This is the greatest servant role of them all—the office greater than even the High Priest of Israel.

John, the High Priest, baptized Jesus into the office of Messiah. And the office of Messiah is not rooted in the line of Aaron, but in the ancient and superior order of Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek literally means “King of Righteousness.”

To be continued…

Coming next: King of Righteousness

The Servant - Part 1

The Servant - Part 2 John—The Only True High Priest in His Day

The Servant - Part 3 King of Righteousness

Part 4 Messiah is Melchizedek

Part 5 Jesus Prepares the Disciples for Melchizedek Service