Baptism--Making Disciples

Week 5 Lenten Devotions

Lent Day 27: Friday March 19

Theme for the Week: Holy Baptism--Baptized We Live

Passage for the Day: Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶ Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Reflection:

In this passage, Jesus connects the devotion and learning of discipleship with the concrete action of baptism. Jesus’ remaining eleven disciples are to make new disciples, new followers/learners through the act of baptizing them. They are to be brought into the fold of disciples by an action which is both symbolic and transforming. And this is to be not just any baptism, but a baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Even 2000 years later, Jesus’ command is still being followed. Babies, children and adults still become disciples of Christ and members of the Christian Church through baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In my baptism as infant, my parents and godparents promised to raise me in a way that I would know Christ and to teach me how to be a disciple of Christ, which includes following Christ’s commands to serve and to love, and participating in the strength-giving fellowship of the Christian community. If you are baptized as an adult, you make those promises for yourself. With baptism, I enter into the Christian community, and the Christian community promises to help me grow as a disciple. I promise to act as Christ’s hands in the world. I am also sealed by the Holy Spirit as a Christian, and marked with the cross of Christ forever. And in this baptism, Christ claims me as his own—promising to be with me forever. My baptism will last forever!!

Prayer Themes:

Thank God for the gift of baptism that lasts forever. Pray that I might be strengthened as a disciple of Christ, and that I might be able to help other Christians grow in discipleship. Pray for all those considering baptism, preparing for baptism and those who are newly baptized.

What was it like to hang around Jesus?

It is easy, somehow, to think that the first disciples were special or in some way prepared for the encounters they had with Jesus. Yet if you read the stories of how Jesus called the disciples to follow him, it becomes clear that they were just ordinary folks, doing ordinary jobs. I especially like the stories of Jesus and Peter (or Simon Peter as he is sometimes known), particularly those from the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Peter seems like the kind of guy that you could hang out with. In fact, Peter's first recorded interaction with Jesus is at Peter's own home. In seems like Peter had invited the guys back to his house for dinner after worship at the Synagogue. When they got home, Peter's mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever. Jesus healed her so quickly that she was able to help with dinner preparations. The speed of that healing must have made Peter sit up and take notice, realizing that Jesus had some kind of special power.

The next encounter we hear about between Jesus and Peter is when Jesus asks to use Peter's boat as a pulpit. Peter was hanging around on the beach washing out his fishing nets when a whole bunch of people followed Jesus down to the water to hear him preach the Word of God. So that he wouldn't feel so crowded, Jesus asked Peter to let him preach from the boat, pushed out a bit from shore. I wonder what Peter heard in the words that Jesus preached. I wonder what Peter thought about all the crowds following Jesus. And then when Jesus finished preaching he gave Peter a very unusual command. He told Peter to go out and do so more fishing.

I really wonder about how Peter felt about that command from Jesus to "go fish". Peter, like any businessman, was probably proud of his fishing business and his own skills in fishing. He knew the ropes. He knew that in the Sea of Galilee you fished with nets at night. He knew the fishing had been terrible the night before. I would guess that he was ready to go home and catch a nap. I wonder what he thought about this carpenter/cum itinerant preacher telling him how and when to fish. Peter's response to Jesus reflects his dismay at Jesus' order. "We were out all night and didn't even catch a minnow. Now you want me to go back out in the daytime. If YOU command me to do it, I will." I wonder if Peter was questioning Jesus' sanity, or resenting the lost of sleep it would cost him, or thinking about having to get his clean nets all messed up again.

When Peter followed Jesus' command, he caught fish beyond belief--so many fish that his nets tore and his boat partially sank. He had all these fish to deal with, torn nets to repair and a water-logged boat to salvage. Yet when he came ashore, he followed Jesus immediately. Jesus' power must have really impressed this "down to earth" fisherman for Peter to leave his livelihood and wander off with Jesus. I wonder if he came back occasionally and kept his fishing business up. I wonder if his father and perhaps his brothers kept the business going. What was it like to be wandering around with Jesus as he preached, healed and engaged in confrontation with people in authority? Did Peter sense he was into something "big"? I don't think Peter had any idea of what he was getting into, when he decided to go hang around with Jesus. Yet he followed!!!

What would it be like if anyone of us, got so excited that we followed a call to do something that Jesus asked us to do? What would it feel like? How would our lives change? Would we feel content, challenged, or "in over our heads'?