Week of April 20

In the age of Ancestry.com, we are invited to discover our family roots! Perhaps some of you have taken advantage of various opportunities to delve into your family history. The Bible is filled with accounts of God’s work through families. Indeed, the family of God is based upon the redemptive history of God’s work in the world. God’s Son, Himself, became flesh and was born into a family (John 1:14). There were family ties between Jesus’ family (Joseph and Mary) and John the Baptist’s household (see Luke 1:5-24). These birth narratives show how God was working to bring salvation to the world (John 3:16). There is much for us to consider today.

Who better than “one who baptized people” to be God’s herald? After all, this was a strikingly effective symbol. I wish you could see the twinkle in my eye because John was much like you and me, in one respect, because he was commissioned to “speak as a herald” (3:1, “preach”; cf. Matthew 28:18-20). John knew the importance of speaking God’s saving message to the people. He was preparing the way for them to hear the “good news” about God’s love—the message that Jesus would proclaim.

John the Baptist’s message, for example, reminds us that true dignity is found ultimately in a becoming a part of God’s family. His ministry prepared people for the coming Savior. This specific ministry was a fulfillment of the prophecies that Elijah would come to prepare the way for the Messiah (see 11:7-19; esp. v. 14; HCBC; NAC). John became known as the “Baptist” because he called the Jews to repent of their sins and to demonstrate that they had rededicated their lives to God by immersion in water. John was showing that one’s faith is a matter of personal commitment to the Lord and not some reliance upon one’s ancestral pedigree.

Jesus leads the way to joining God’s family. Jesus and John met one another on the banks of the Jordan river. Jesus insists upon being baptized even though He certainly had no sin to confess, nor did he need to repent. His baptism was the occasion that the Heavenly Father used to testify regarding Jesus’ true identity. Jesus was/is God’s Son, the one whom Isaiah called Immanuel (cf. 1:23). John prepared the way, but Jesus is the Way! Jesus’ followers, however, were baptized not only by water, but by the Spirit, meaning their lives were totally transformed (3:11). What do we get when we baptize an unbeliever? A wet person. What do we get when the Spirit baptizes a person’s life? A worshiping life (Romans 12:1-2)! Let me explain further.

Joining God’s family is based upon a transformed life. John’s baptism symbolized the results of what he preached—repentance. This word means to “change one’s mind” or “attitude,” but when used in the Scriptures the word took on the additional meaning of a “change in action” (NAC). Baptism symbolizes a death to a former way of “being” and then a bursting forth into an entirely new way of life. The theology is simple: baptized ones “change their way of life as a result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness” (NAC). There can be no Matthew 5-7 discipleship without a Matthew 3 total life transformation.

Every time I watch a television show where an actor appears to be playing the piano, but it looks a bit phony, I’ll turn to Shawna and ask, “Is she really doing that?” or “Is she playing the right keys?” In many cases the person is merely striking keys, but the music is not in her! However, whenever a true pianist sits at a keyboard, she and the piano become as one. What she plays on the keyboard pours out of her soul. Others play the music of a composer, but the Music plays through authentic pianists.

Here is a spiritual application. Calvin Miller, in his classic book, The Singer, sums up best what Matthew teaches us about Jesus in chapter 3. Jesus’ song (salvation) must spring from within your heart to become a member of God’s family.

1. The Lord instructs our hearts today on two levels. John’s listeners were Jews who had memorized great portions of the Old Testament. They knew the Torah, but they did not know the Teacher. They were all about pedigree—born as Israelites—John called them to repent and become the new Israel through a relationship with God’s Person, Jesus Christ. He called his listeners to repentance, which he likened to Spirit baptism.

By this, he means that your life becomes transformed by Christ’s Spirit and that He indwells your being and directs your daily walk (Galatians 2:20). Take the essential first step of becoming one with Christ.

2. Next, be truthful with yourself. How much do you really know about God’s message of redemption and hope that is contained in His word, the Bible? Dedicate yourself to take your learning to the next level beyond our daily discipleship devotionals.

3. For Families: We at the Center have a dear family of volunteers. The son of this family was baptized a couple of weeks ago. He had trusted Jesus as his Savior several months before, but he wanted to learn more about what baptism meant, make sure he was committing his whole self to Jesus, and making the day one to remember always. It was a great spiritual moment for all of us to witness!

Sometimes our youngest children do not understand deeply symbolic spiritual observances yet. Here are a couple of sources that may help to answer age-appropriate questions they may have about baptism.

The first is the Superbook version of Jesus’s baptism. The next is a helpful explanation of baptism for younger children from Lifeway Women: Explaining Baptism to your children.

We are praying with you about these sacred and eternal moments of your family’s life, and for you parents as you train your children to follow Christ Jesus.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock