And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,[a] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son,[b] with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17 (ESV)
In re-reading Max Lucado’s book, 3:16 I came across a section I don’t remember delving into before. Each day for 40 days he takes his readers into a part of Jesus’ life.
The thoughts on Jesus’ baptism intrigued me.
Baptism wasn’t a new practice. It was a required rite for any Gentile to become a Jew. (1)
John thought he should be baptized by Jesus; not the other way around. However, Jesus did get baptized because He was fully human at that point.
Jesus underwent baptism for us, you and me. This was a prelude to his going to the cross. A friend at church puts it this way: “We owed a debt we can’t pay. He paid a debt He didn’t owe.”
Do we look at baptism in the right way or have we watered it down? Do we look at it as a sign of an inward life-changing experience or do we look at it as just joining another group? We who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord should communicate the seriousness of this step in the walk with Christ to those who wish to enter into the Christian life.
1. Max Lucado, 3:16, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, © 2007 page 150
Jesus' baptism was very significant, and it was that act that helped me to make the decision to be baptized as an adult, after being baptized as an infant. I wanted to follow Jesus in every way possible, and baptism was the beginning of that commitment. It took a lot of faith for me to do that, because I'd been brought up to believe I didn't need to do that since it had been done for me as an infant. But for me, it was significant, and I wanted to make this commitment and an outward sign of my inward faith. And my hubby was the pastor who baptized me...I was his first...and this was the beginning of our ministry together. So that was another part of the significance for me.
ReplyDeletePam: When I was in high school and as a young adult, the faith group I belonged to didn't believe in infant baptism for that reason. They dedicated infants and children but it was not baptism. God knows our hearts and He honors our efforts to be obedient to Him. Peace and Blessings to you and yours.
DeleteGreat post Cecelia, thank you. Jesus' baptism surely inspired me to be baptized when I became a believer, although I was baptized as a baby.
ReplyDeleteMarja: At various times of my life,I have been acquainted with people who chose to be baptized a second time. I, myself have chosen not to. A woman I know had been baptized as a young teen, as an adult she began attending another denomination and had to be baptized again because the second group did not recognize the first group's baptism.
DeleteAdd me to those who chose to be baptized as an adult even though I was baptized as a baby. My mother refused to be there because I had already been baptized. Also, thank you for the bit of history...I didn't know that Gentiles had to be baptized into the Jewish faith.
ReplyDeleteStacy: Thank you for sharing. God puts in on our hearts what He wants us to do. You were obedient to the Holy Spirit. I didn't know about the requirement of the Gentiles to be baptized in order to enter the Jewish faith until recently.
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