Three Baptism Stories
Matthew 28:18-20
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
We are in a continuing series from what Bible students call ¡§the great commission¡¨¡XJesus¡¦ final words to his followers. Working our way through this passage requires that we talk about baptism.
As most of you know, many churches and denominations have differing views on baptism. One writer called it ¡§the water that divides.¡¨ Partly to avoid conflict, some churches ignore baptism. Some play it down or leave it as an option. I am sometimes asked why we say baptism is more important than that. Instead of arguing, which seldom accomplishes much, I want to tell you the stories of three baptisms. All three are true. Each provides some clues about why Jesus thought baptism was important enough to include in his last words to his disciples.
The first took place three years before the events of our passage. Jesus walked nearly seventy-five miles on foot to the place where John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing in the Jordan River. Matthew¡¦s Gospel, the same book from which our text comes, records it this way. ¡§Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ¡§I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?¡¨ Jesus replied, ¡§Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.¡¨ Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water¡¨ (3:13-16).
Jesus had been dedicated as a child when he was eight days old according to the custom of his people. As an adult he affirmed his commitment to the will of heaven by being baptized himself. No one can accuse Jesus of asking us to do something he wasn¡¦t willing to do himself. He walked his talk. It is no surprise that when he instructed his disciples to recruit others to follow him that he included the act with which he began his own public ministry.
Peter, the first disciple to publicly invite others to follow Jesus, also included baptism as part of the process of beginning the Christian life. In Acts 2, he announced, ¡§Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit¡¨ (38). He later explained, ¡§baptism [that] now saves you also¡Xnot the removal of dirt from the body but the pledgeƒnof a good conscience toward God.¡¨ (1 Pt 3:21). That word ¡§pledge¡¨ or ¡§answer¡¨ (KJV) was the ancient term used to describe the oath of allegiance a soldier took when joining the army. It was the pledge of commitment made when taking on a new responsibility.
Jesus did it at the beginning of his ministry. He asks his new followers to do the same. Jesus¡¦ baptism demonstrates that baptism is about beginning.
That¡¦s the first story. The other two aren¡¦t from the Bible, but illustrate something important about baptism as well. Several years ago, well-known radio commentator Paul Harvey was asked to write a personal testimony for Guidepost Magazine. I know a lot of you read Guideposts. You may remember Harvey¡¦s story. He chose to tell about his own baptism. In the article, Harvey told how he received almost every possible award for broadcasting yet still felt empty inside. You do realize don¡¦t you, that money, fame, and power can never satisfy that deep down thirst of the soul.
One summer while on vacation, Harvey and his wife decided to go to church. That wasn¡¦t something they always did. They ended up in the Sunday morning service of a tiny church in Cave Creek, Arizona. Only about a dozen people were present.
Harvey said there was a good spirit about that place. For some reason he began thinking about John 3:16, ¡§For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." He said, he liked the ¡¥everlasting life¡¦ part. He thought he believed in Jesus, but he had never publicly acknowledged it or been baptized. He said, ¡§I remembered one night praying in my hotel room and asking Jesus to come into my heart, but I felt that there was still something that was missing."
When the preacher got up, he announced that his sermon was going to be about baptism. Paul Harvey said, "I yawned. But as he started talking about it I found myself interested. He talked about the symbolism behind it. He said it symbolized surrender to Jesus Christ. He insisted that there was nothing magic in the water. But he said a cleansing took place inside when you yielded yourself to Jesus."
Paul Harvey said, he surprised even himself when he stood up and walked to the front when the preacher offered an invitation to be baptized. He describes what happened, "The preacher had said there was nothing magic in the water. Yet as I descended into the depths and rose again I knew something life changing had happened.¡¨ Harvey went on, "The change this simple act made in my life is so immense as to be indescribable. Since totally yielding to Him in baptism, my heart can¡¦t stop singing. Also, perhaps because baptism is such a public act and because one¡¦s dignity gets as drenched as one¡¦s body, I discovered a new unself-consciousness in talking about my beliefs." (Via Melvin Newland at SermonCentral.com).
Paul Harvey discovered what baptism is all about. It is about surrendering.
This is what the New Testament is talking about when it says, ¡§Don¡¦t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin¡X7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin¡¨ (Rom 6:3-7).
Baptism is about yielding to God¡¦s will. It is about becoming a servant of Jesus Christ. It is about drenching one¡¦s dignity and pride. It is a humbling act. Jesus meant it to be.
The third story is the one I know best¡Xmy own. It took place a lot of years ago, but I can still remember it. I can remember where it took place. I can close my eyes and still see that old church building in the small town in Central Illinois (Saybrook) near where I grew up. I can see the old pipe organ to the left. The pew was down there where I stood when the preacher asked me if I believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The baptistery was beneath the platform.
I can also remember what led up to my baptism. That¡¦s important. That¡¦s what makes baptism different than going swimming or taking a bath. I can still remember the preacher sitting in the chair in the corner of the living room of our old farm house. He asked my mom and dad if they ever thought about becoming Christians. He opened his Bible on the footstool and began to explain what that meant.
He emphasized that it was not the same as going to church. Though going to church and Sunday School was a good thing. He said that a Christian was somebody who had made up his mind about Jesus. A lot of church going folk haven¡¦t made up their minds yet, he said. They are still thinking about someday making up their minds.
He told us that a Christian was a person who knew he needed forgiveness and believed that Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave so that could happen. He explained that a Christian didn¡¦t do everything right. Christians still made mistakes. But a Christian wants to follow Jesus and do what pleases him. When a Christian falls, he doesn¡¦t make excuses. He gets up, asks for forgiveness, and for help to do better next time. He explained that a Christian has the help of the Lord and other Christians to grow in faith. He said that a Christian has the promise of God¡¦s love and blessing now and for all eternity.
The preacher asked my parents if they were ready to take that step, to move beyond just thinking about becoming a Christian and actually become one. He then turned to me. ¡§What about you, young man? Are you ready to become a follower of Jesus?¡¨ All three of us said yes. That wasn¡¦t the first time we heard some of those things. That wasn¡¦t the first time we had thought about spiritual questions like that. But that was the day we decided to follow Jesus. The preacher talked with us some more for a while. He explained the process that would come next. He prayed with us and left. The following Sunday (April 12, 1955) my parents and I were baptized. That was the day I did something about that decision to follow Jesus. I can still remember it.
Through the memories of the actual event and the memory of what led up to it, my baptism still speaks to me. Baptism is, in part, about remembering.
My baptism reminds us what we would be without Christ. ¡§At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life¡¨ (Titus 3:3-5).
My baptism reminds me who I am in Christ. ¡§You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus¡¨ (Gal 3:26-28).
I can remember my baptism. I hope you can remember yours. You should. You deserve that. Jesus intended that all of his followers be able to remember how it began. That¡¦s why he included in his last words.
Jesus included baptism in his last words to his disciples because he knew, as we should, that baptism gives a disciple something to remember. It also means surrender. Baptism means beginning.
I have read that in the orient, a man or woman from a Buddhist family can attend a Christian church every week of the year, take part in church services, and evee pray in the name of Jesus Christ. No one in his family objects. But once that person is baptized ¡V their families will ostracize them. They will have nothing to do with them.
Why? Because they realize their family member has made a decision to identify fully with Jesus. Up to that point, the family member who goes to church is still a Buddhist who is experimenting with Jesus.
Here¡¦s the obvious question. If you haven¡¦t been baptized, why not? If you can¡¦t remember it, why not? You can do something about that. You can take the first step today.
If you can remember you baptism, I want to give you an assignment this week. Tell somebody about it. Just share your story. It will do you good. It might be good for the other person as well.
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College of the Bible, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
