John's Baptism And Me

Without ado or introduction even, we take up where we left off. We are once again reminded of John’s baptism, when we hear these familiar words of Jesus to His disciples. On one occasion, after His resurrection, while Jesus was dining with His disciples, He gave them an order which they would have to follow and obey in His physical absence. He told them to remain there in Jerusalem and wait for His Father’s promised Gift. It was the promise of God which Jesus had already told them about, so that this was nothing new to them, this promise. What was this Gift about? Listen to these words of Jesus. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1: 5. What does this say to us? For one thing, Jesus speaks of His baptism as a Gift from the Father. Dare we also understand water baptism, John’s baptism, as also a gift from Father God?

For the first time, this question holds my focus and I have to be guided in its response. Perhaps you have thought about this before and are fully settled in response. Nevertheless, for those like me, this is new, therefore we listen as we are being informed. I immediately hear these words. Salvation is a gift from Father God. For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2: 8. Okay, I say to myself, I know that. Before I can go further, I am made to see that the free gift of salvation propels me into repentance. The visible way of showing my death to sin and rising to new life, is through water baptism. Without doubt, therefore baptism has to be a gift of God.  It means that John’s baptism is the physical way I show a spiritual truth. 

John’s baptism is so important and so necessary that every single Gospel writer has spoken about it. Over the course of these offerings, we have brought you verses from the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John. Although there is repetition in them all, my spirit just would not allow me not to bring to you what Mark has to offer on the subject of John’s baptism. Mark wastes no time in presenting John’s baptism to us. In fact, in the opening chapter of his Gospel, holding a prominent place in the first five verses, Mark speaks about John and his baptism. He begins with this sentence. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1: 1.Then he goes straight into prophecy, speaking about John. And so John came baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1: 4.

From all accounts, it seemed as though John was mostly confined to the desert area, the wilderness, as some accounts have it recorded, yet people left their places – cities, towns, villages, and more – to go to where John was, to listen to him and be baptized. In other words, people did not just hear of John and travel all that way just to be baptized. Indeed not! They heard his message of repentance. They were convicted of their sins and when they committed themselves to the Lord, to give up their sinful living, they were baptized. In other words, we are baptized because we believe and want to lead a new and better life in Christ.

Saul, the persecutor of Christians, has been pricked to the heart, while he is on one of his missions to persecute Christians. He knows instant, radical transformation, and has a period of confinement, where he is blind for a time.  In this setting, this converted man, whose name has been changed from Saul to Paul, is addressing a most hostile crowd. As part of his address, he recounts some of his conversion testimony to a hostile crowd. He tells them of a disciple of Jesus Christ, named Ananias, who was sent to help him. After giving Paul his sight back, and informing him of his new calling and mission, in Jesus, Ananias, speaks these words to him. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away.  Acts 22: 16. Here is a man who has given his life over to Jesus, a man who has denied self and has pledged to be a servant of the risen Lord. It is after Paul has demonstrated this change in his life that Ananias encourages and stirs him to get up and engage in the physical works, which show the spiritual works of God. In other words, the water baptism signifies one’s death to self and one’s rising in Christ.

By faith, we believe all that has been told us in Romans 6: 3 – 4. Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? We 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 will live a new life.