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Testing the Water
 How many of you have been to Jerusalem and snuck in a second baptism in the River Jordan, just so you can be sure you have walked in that Holy Water that was always there and still is - the very air that Jesus breathed when he was on this planet. But times change, now and then.
I've seen two tourist places where the true Jesus baptism took place. Same river, different banks. One I visited in the mid 90ties when I was just ordained deacon - It was sort of real and natural and not yet so touristic that the spectator could still really get the simplicity of it all. But as years passed, when I went again as a priest in 2016- both sides had become giant area marked for long lines for dumping one’s soul and body into the river - at least on the Jerusalem side, (Israel), it’s quite ornate with glass borders and pathways marked out to hold the long lines of tourists and Christians anxious to be dipped in that holy water — and right across on the Jordanian side, you’d hardly know it was such a celebrated site. Walk down some steps to a wooden platform and dip one’s hand into the river. Simple as that. It made me think of Moses who would not get over to the promised land before he died - Maybe he had strolled down there on that side for he was on the Jordanian side (where the River is not very wide) but, on the other side was the pathway to the promised land - and God had told him, it was not a place He would get to step on before His end. Somewhere in all that soil and water, John the Baptist baptized Jesus the Son of God and therefore whatever the environment, it was and always will be a holy place.
We all know that the first public act that was recorded is the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. John verbalized that to all that each need to repent, and the way to do that would be baptism. John is the announcer, the front man, the PR guy of that time. Up to now Matthew, in his sort of stogy, conservative way, was dedicated to the proper genealogy to prove Jesus was who He was with His connections. And He put big time praise on Joseph, who, it seemed, without him, this event may never have happened in Mathew’s mind.
When Jesus appeared to tell John to baptize Him, John sort of said, “Whoa, hold on - I’ve been spreading the word with hope that you would not only baptize all who comes near, but you’d baptize me too with the true holy water from the Jordan River. John already knew that baptism in the hands of Jesus was not a simple repentance of sin but would entail a real baptism with the Holy Fire and Spirit. I wonder if the followers in those days understood what that meant.
Jesus asked to be baptized, I gather, so He wouldn’t seem to be “better than thou”, or superior overall, but more equal in this minute on earth. Baptism would fulfill all righteousness, He declared. And this was a very important point for the author Matthew. I guess baptism was a law - but this carries it to a higher righteousness than that required by the law. Jesus was present one earth, be it simple or intense, to fulfill the law of the prophets.
The scene in Matthew’s gospel is full of eschatological images. Jesus comes up out of the water and the heavens are opened to Him for the Spirit of God to descend on him like or as a dove. Mark’s version is more dramatic because Jesus saw the heavens torn apart!! This holy and extreme moment began a new relationship between God and humanity through Jesus who was surely God’s Son. And we are blessed that we are inheritors of that moment. We were not necessarily on-lookers (at least not those of us living 2,000 later), but every time I read the gospel passage “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased” I am often moved to tears, because not only is that a precious awaking for my son who had been embraced by the congregation, I feel like I’m reading that to him as well. This is my son in whom I am well pleased. That must be exactly what God was thinking about His own Son.
We are comfortable that Jesus is not just a chosen servant but is all God’s nature - He comes from God, and it is to God that He will return, like you and me. Yes, we too are all sons and daughters of God, are especially confirmed by baptism - whether in a church or in a puddle of water - but one way or the other, we share in the freedom of the glory of all children of God. Matthew makes it clear that God commanded that This was God’s son, and therefore authenticate Jesus’ as he begins his ministry.
Do I believe that those not baptized will not enter heaven? Not at all. I recall back in the days when I was chaplain at the British hospital and the Aids Hospital, this is how I met Melba and her son. She was a nurse at the British hospital in Uruguay was a Baptist and her teenage son had a horrid cancer. He had all the skills to be a superstar soccer player. I accompanied her, Melba, as much as possible with my poor English, and when he was isolated having a treatment, I kept saying, don’t you think we should baptize him? I can do it through the window. Melba was nurse and mother in the special isolation room with him. Only she could enter. It was all isolation. But nervous me, I kept saying don’t you think we should baptism him now? He was 16 but a Baptist. The mother kept saying, no not yet. She didn’t believe he would die. she had not received a message from God, holy as she and her husband were, because they loved him so much.
I was a bit obnoxious every day saying, can we baptize him today? Then when I leaned in the tiny window to ask how he was - one morning - I was told he had did died and I was devastated. My fault. He hadn’t been baptized. And immediately I dashed in tears to our cathedral to the office of Bishop William Godfrey. I wept: “Oh Bishop, this is such a faithful family, and they lost their son today and we never got him baptized. Is that the end for him? (I was rather a novice in 1996) and my bishop calmly said, “Do you think God loved this young man?” “Of course I do,” I shouted. “He was a great Christian as is his family who are ministers.” The bishop said peacefully, “Well, then, you have nothing to worry about. “
And that was the beginning of my own ministry of love. It doesn’t matter who you are or what part of it all you have or have not done. It’s all about love. God loves each one of us no matter who we are or what we do. Even those who have no faith and have given up. Or those who aren’t necessarily baptized or are rigid church goers. God loves us. One by one. Now and for always. You must trust that. It’s why we are here.
But I still believe or know there are situations where a child misses out because of parents, family, tragedy, or lack of faith. I don’t put them on a lost list. God has His way of blessing them when the time is ripe. And I know He loves each of us everyone all the time in every circumstance. I really believe that. That is why we must never give up or turn away to some other style of life. Just count on God to do to you, to share with you what He needs you and me to know, to learn. He does this magic invitation into the spirit of God just so we don’t ever forget who we are, and who loves us the most, and who will lift us up to the Holy Gates of Heaven when He knows you are ready, and God bless us each one by one. Thank you, Jesus.
~ Rev
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audrey@audreytaylorgonzalez.com
www.audreytaylorgonzalez.com
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