Gino (20 Oct 2024)
"John the Baptist and Jesus' disciples"


Someone asked me a question regarding John the Baptist and Jesus' disciples, so we bantered back and forth a bit, on the subject.
Does it sound legit, or do we both seem like heretics?
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I have a question. John 2:11 says the disciples believed on Jesus at the marriage in Cana. Nathaniel called Jesus the Son of God in John 1:49. 
So John baptized the disciples.Peter did state “from the baptism of John” in Acts 1:22. 
So does it mean that believed in His power at that point and not just his person?
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I think they believed that which the Spirit revealed to them and that which he gave the understanding. I could be wrong, but I think the Spirit may have progressively showed them and they believed, but it looks like it increased over time, up to the day of pentecost.
Does that seem right? Or is it off?
They only knew a little in the beginning 
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I was considering their baptisms. Not like what we do. Or doesn’t seem so. Were they baptized before they met Christ?
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I thought that some may had been listening to John before they met Jesus, maybe even following him some.
And if so they probably would have been baptized by John.
So when they said:
Acts 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
  22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
Did they mean, "Beginning from the baptism of John", when Jesus was baptized by John, or had they been listening to John before that?
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I believe they were. That is the predominant Baptist belief. 
Two were John’s disciples John 1:37 for sure. 
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The next day John revealed Jesus the Lamb of God John 1:35. 
Did they personally witness John 1:19-28?
Did John the apostle hear those very things?
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Yeah maybe so. 
Also revealed Him in 1:29.
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So, perhaps the disciples heard that, especially the apostle John.
So were they all present?  
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The two followed right away. No record of their baptism so I guess it’s speculative. 
Jesus’ disciples baptized.
But they seemed to recognize who Christ was right away, i e Nathaniel,Peter, Philip
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At a minimum it appears they were all, at least, at the baptism of Jesus, based on what was said in Acts 1.
It would make sense, at least to me, that they all heard, "Behold the Lamb of God", some days prior to Jesus' baptism.
So was:
Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 
    in general a prophecy to Israel, but specifically a prophecy to the men who would be the disciples of the coming Messiah?
That they had to see and hear John preparing the way for Jesus?
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For sure. The question of their baptism is still a little puzzling. But the whole life of Christ experience was different for the disciples than for believers now. Like Acts, very developmental. 
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yes
my guess is that they probably would have been baptized by John as soon as they heard him
So possibly John 2:11 simply means their faith was increased by the miracle. 
They ended up baptizing people after they began following Jesus
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Right
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Faith increased makes sense
They asked for that later
Also, as you previously pointed out that right after the resurrection, he upbraided them with their unbelief 
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