Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. None of the other gospels report that Jesus baptized and, in fact, even St. John walks the statement back. In fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples (John 4:2). Scholars speculate that the scene does not reflect so much the ministry of Jesus but later history of the Church. Followers of John the Baptist lingered well into the Christian period and this passage reflects that there was some tension or competition between the Jesus movement and the followers of the Baptist. Sadly the same is true today where different religions or denominations see each other as rivals instead of as fellow seekers of God.
