1-4. the Lord knew—not by report, but in the sense of Joh 2:25, for which reason He is here styled "the Lord."

     2. Jesus baptized not—John being a servant baptized with his own hand; Christ as the Master, "baptizing with the Holy Ghost," administered the outward symbol only through His disciples.

     3. left Judea—to avoid persecution, which at that early stage would have marred His work.