Day 26 – Baptism
“John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water;” Luke 3:16a
“When all the people were baptized,” Luke 3:21a
Simply said, John was weird. Any man (even today) who preached like this, lived in the desert, wore funny clothes, and lived on grasshoppers and wild honey was just plain strange. But God chose him exactly for this – He didn’t need a polished, educated preacher with an expensive suit and haircut. He needed someone to strip the religious veneer to the bare truth of the Gospel. John started his ministry in the middle of nowhere, yet people came to him. They were attracted to him because he was a man of conviction who bluntly spoke the truth.
Like Noah, who built the ark in obedience to God’s Word that He would send “rain” (something new that no human ever experienced) to wash the world from sinfulness, God led John to baptise. Something new that humans never experienced before – to wash (or die to) their sins. This is different than our baptism into Christ (Romans 6:3-4) where our water immersion identifies with Jesus’ death and resurrection. This baptism of repentance John presented identified a person with their need to get right with God and be cleansed. It set the stage for what was to come, reminding the people that while water could signify a turning heart, it is only through accepting the complete salvific and redemptive work of Jesus that we truly rise cleansed, justified, and righteous in the eyes of God through the Blood of Christ.
Pray with me: Father, today I choose to baptise my heart in repentance and ask that You will forgive me. Wash me clean by the Blood of the Lamb and use me like You chose to use John. Thank You for the weird and strange people I meet in Scripture, teaching me that You can use anyone, regardless of who they are. Amen. ©
Love, Pastor Iriza
