After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. Came - into the land of Judea - Jerusalem itself, where Christ held the preceding discourse with Nicodemus, was in Judea; but the evangelist means that our Lord quitted the city and its suburbs, and went into the country parts. The same distinction between Jerusalem and Judea is made, Acts 1:8; Acts 10:39; and in 1 Maccabees 3:34; and in 2 Maccabees 1:1, 10. See Bp. Pearce.
And baptized - It is not clear that Christ did baptize any with water, but his disciples did - John 4:2; and what they did, by his authority and command, is attributed to himself. It is a common custom, in all countries and in all languages, to attribute the operations of those who are under the government and direction of another to him by whom they are directed and governed. Some however suppose that Christ at first did baptize; but, when he got disciples, he left this work to them: and thus these two places are to be understood: -
1. this place, of Christ's baptizing before he called the twelve disciples; and
2Joh 4:2, of the baptism administered by the disciples, after they had been called to the work by Christ.