Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, 'Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?' — the Pharisees press the logic: if the Baptist is none of the expected figures, what warrants his baptismal ministry? The question anticipates John's controversy themes: authority, authenticity, and the signs of messianic office. The Baptist's baptism requires justification precisely because it seems to exceed a forerunner's proper role.

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