David Grousnick
Down South they tell about one old Baptist minister who preached every Sunday on baptism by immersion. His folks agreed with his doctrine, but they were tired of hearing the same subject dealt with every week.
The deacons undertook to solve the problem through diplomatic means. They complimented him on his pulpit skills and suggested to him that he was such a natural preacher that they wanted to try an experiment. They wanted to hand him a piece of paper with a scripture lesson on it just before he stepped into the pulpit.
“We believe that you’re so good,” they said, “that you can preach a great sermon with no preparation at all” just that slip of paper.”
The preacher couldn’t resist an approach like that?
So, the deacons got busy searching the Scriptures for a text which was totally unrelated to baptism by immersion. They selected the opening verse of Genesis: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” There was absolutely nothing in that text that had anything to do with baptism.
When they handed the text to him, the old preacher read it aloud three times. Finally, he turned to the congregation and said, “If I remember geography right, the earth is one-fourth land and three-fourths water. Water brings me to my subject for the day: Baptism by immersion.”
Broad hints don’t work with some people, do they?
Have you ever been involved in planning a wedding? Have you ever noticed that there are so many details involved in planning a wedding that brides and grooms tend to get really stressed out in the weeks leading up to the big event?
Bride-to-be Cassandra Warren was so hurried to get things done that she accidentally sent a wedding invitation to an incorrect address. The wedding was to have a Star Wars theme, and she was excited about it, but this one invitation went astray.
A week later, the invitation came back in return mail. The mistaken invitee had included a $50 bill in the envelope and had scribbled this message on the outside: “I wish I knew you – this is going to be a blast. Congratulations – go have dinner on me. I’ve been married for 40 years – it gets better with age.”
Warren sent back a gracious thank-you note, saying, “I am thankful for people like you still being in the world.”
In Matthew 3:13-17, John the Baptist is giving an invitation to the people of Jerusalem and Judea to repent, confess their sins and be baptized because the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He directed his most demanding preaching toward the Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious elites.
He’s saying to them, “Don’t think you’re too good for this! You’d better get over here now and get baptized and begin living a life that shows you’ve repented and turned back to God!”
That’s not exactly what he said, but that was the gist of his message.
So, it’s strange that John suddenly puts the brakes on when Jesus comes to him to get baptized. Ever wonder why?
Some years ago, a Scottish minister told his congregation about dreaming he had died. When he came to the pearly gates, to his dismay, he would be denied entrance until he presented his credentials.
Proudly the Pastor articulated the number of sermons preached and the prominent pulpits occupied. But Saint Peter said no one had heard them in heaven.
The discouraged servant enumerated his community involvement. He was told they were not recorded. Sorrowfully, the pastor turned to leave, when Peter said, “Stay a moment, and tell me, are you the man who fed the sparrows?”
“Yes,” the Scotsman replied, “but what does that have to do with it?”
“Come in,” said Saint Peter, “the Master of the sparrows wants to thank you.”
Here is the pertinent, though often overlooked, point: great and prominent positions indicate skill and capacity, but small services suggest the depth of one’s consecration.
And so, it is with Jesus’ Baptism. He submits to John’s baptism of repentance even though he himself was perfect and had no need to repent. Jesus identified with our sins by being baptized. He joined in the popular movement of his day. It was a grass roots movement started by a desert monk named John the Baptist.
John was calling for the repentance of Israel. Jesus chose to be baptized because he wanted to participate with the people in their desires to be close to God.
We invite you to come and worship with us at Frist Christian Church. We will meet at 10:30 at 11th and Bullock and we are ready to warmly welcome you!
