Matthew 3:13-17
January 8, 2017
Long
trips are perfect for audio books. They make the time go faster. They keep me
alert and awake while I’m driving. One of the best books I’ve listened to in a
while has been Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman. This was her “lost
novel,” published in 2015. Like her classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird,
Watchman also tells the story of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and her
relationships with her father and family in Macomb ,
Alabama New York ,
coming home to Macomb for her
annual visit.
Although
the story is set in Jean Louise’ present, she has flashbacks, memories, of her
childhood with her brother, Jem, and their best friend, Dill. One of these
memories centered on the annual revival that was an annual summer event in Macomb .
It was a joint effort of the Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists. Scout, Jem
and Dill had been attending the revival, along with everyone else in the town,
for three nights. On the fourth day, a hot, hot, hot summer day, the three
children were trying to come up with a new game to play. Dill suggested they
have a revival.
Jem
was the preacher. Dill and Scout were the choir and the congregation. Jem
preached a longer sermon than any Scout had ever heard from any adult. Dill
jumped up to be the usher and took the two nickels Scout had in her pocket. She
warned him that he better give them back to her when they were done. They sang
“Amazing Grace,” and “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.” Then it came time for
anyone who wished to unite with Christ to come forward. Scout went
forward.
Jem
asked her if she repented. She replied, “Yes sir.”
Jem
asked, “Have you been baptized?” “No sir,” she said.
Jem
dipped his hand into the fishpool they were gathered next to and started to
sprinkle Scout on the head, because Jem and Scout were Methodists. But Dill
jumped in and said that this was a Baptist revival, so it had to be a Baptist
baptism.
“You’ve
got to duck her.” Dill decided since he was the only Baptist, he would also be
baptized. But Scout threatened him. Dill had gotten to do everything else. She
was going to be baptized.
She
took off her overalls, the only item of clothing she was wearing. But before
Jem could baptize her in the dark, slimy water of the fishpool, Dill ran into
his aunt’s house. He returned covered in a sheet that he had cut two eye holes
in. When Jem asked him what he was doing, Dill replied, “I’m the Holy Ghost.”
Scout
stood in the pool and Jem stood on the edge. The Holy Ghost stood next to Jem
and “flapped its arms wildly.” Jem dunked Scout and had just begun to baptize
her in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, when Dill’s aunt came after
him with a switch. He had taken her good sheets off the bed and cut holes in
them. They were taking the Lord’s name in vain. She switched him and got him
out of the water, then marched him back to her house.
Jem
and Scout turned to go home, and saw their father standing there watching them.
Two people were with him, the minister who had been preaching every night at
the revival and his wife. [1]
The
memory goes on from there, but I’ll let you read it for yourselves.
When
I heard that scene, I laughed so hard I almost had to pull over to the side of
the road. But along with being hilarious, this moment in the book is a
wonderful illustration about some deep seated beliefs concerning baptism.
Matthew’s
telling of Jesus’ baptism is powerful. We meet John at the beginning of chapter
3. He came from the wilderness in Judea , and called
people to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” People were coming
to him to be baptized in the river Jordan .
They were confessing their sins. As I understand it, baptisms or ritual
cleansings were fairly common. Jesus did not institute a whole new practice
when he was baptized. But when Pharisees and Sadducees came to John, he
confronted them, calling them a “brood of vipers.” John went onto preach that
while he baptized with water for repentance, one was coming after him who would
baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Sometime
after John preached this fiery proclamation, Jesus came to him from Galilee .
Jesus came to be baptized. John not only questioned Jesus doing this, Matthew
writes that John would have stopped him from being baptized.
“I
need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
Jesus
responded, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill
all righteousness.”
I
have to be honest, I am not sure I fully understand what Jesus meant by these
words. Commentators point out that Jesus coming to John was as a response to
John’s message about repentance. That seems confusing, because why would Jesus
need to repent of sins? There is a sense that Jesus was deliberately illustrating
that his ministry chronologically followed John’s.
Perhaps
most importantly, Jesus’s words to John about letting it be, or as one
commentator said, “permit it,” is not about legalism but about discipleship.
Jesus
being baptized was the beginning of his ministry. Jesus’ baptism was a
declaration and a confirmation of his identity as the Son of God and as the one
who issued in the kingdom of God
At
the YMCA Bible study last Thursday, I asked the people around the table to tell
the stories of their baptisms. Although a couple of people spoke about being
baptized as infants, most of the folks talked about being baptized as
believers. It was part of the ongoing debate over which is better – believer’s
baptism or infant baptism. They also spoke about being baptized and being
saved. They accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and they were baptized and
saved.
I
don’t argue with their understanding of baptism and salvation, but it isn’t the
language that we generally use as Presbyterians. Certainly we talk about
accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We take salvation seriously. But
we do not necessarily consider salvation and being born again in the same way.
We baptize infants, and the reason I am comfortable and confident in doing so –
my children were baptized as infants – is because we believe that God’s grace
works in our lives whether we recognize it, understand it, get it or not. To be
honest, I think that’s how grace works in my life all the time – not just when
I was younger. I rarely recognize grace in the moment.
Yet,
looking at this story of Jesus being baptized and seeing it as a moment of
identity formation, of commissioning, of giving public notice about Jesus’
ministry, is causing me to consider our baptisms in a new light. When we are
baptized, whether or not we are believers or babies, our identity is being
marked. As a believer, we claim that identity ourselves. As babies, the people
around us promise to help us know and grow into that identity. Identity
formation is a lifelong process. It is not complete at our baptisms, no matter
how old we may be. But baptism marks a beginning. It is public notice that we
are at the beginning of a life of discipleship, of growing into Christ, of
being molded and shaped by the Spirit, of being in relationship with God and
with others.
Our
baptisms are public notice, that we are a new person, that we are disciples,
that we are beginning a life that is marked by the grace of God and the power
of the Holy Spirit. In Go Set a Watchman, Dill dressed as the Holy Ghost
stood by the fishpool and waved his arms. In our baptisms, the Holy Spirit
descends on us, perhaps not as apparent as Dill or as the dove that descended
on Jesus. But the Holy Spirit is there, marking us, making us, molding us. As
we prepare to reaffirm our baptisms, let us once again see this moment as
public notice of our discipleship and of our commissioning to be bearers of
God’s love and light and hope. The world needs all three. The world needs to
hear from us. This is our public notice.
Let
all of God’s children say, “Alleluia!” Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment