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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 7, 2007 Go Baptize! |
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Frontline Devotion for Sunday, January 7, 2007 by Don Kress
Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus
had appointed for them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but
some doubted. Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority
has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
(The New King James)
Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshipped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally. Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (The Message)
I don’t usually include more than one translation of the day’s text, but there are things in each of the above translations that aren’t in the other that I think are important points of what most of us know as “The Great Commission.” The setting is sometime after Jesus’ resurrection and before His ascension.
Have you ever baptized someone? I have not. I’ve held someone while they were being baptized. I’ve stood close by several people as they were baptized. I stood among gathered worshippers and witnessed hundreds of baptisms over the years. But I’ve never actually baptized anyone. I’ve never thought that I had the authority to baptize. But reading and meditating on today’s text really has me thinking.
One of the first things I did was look up the dictionary meaning of the word “baptize.” The word comes from the Greek word meaning “immerse.” Certainly one of the meanings is the sacrament of spiritual cleansing that we commonly practice in our Christian worship; but there are other definitions: to initiate, to dedicate.
Next I looked up the definition of “commission.” The first definition is “an authoritative order.” But that’s when it’s used as a noun. As a verb it’s the “granting of authority for a particular action or function.” In “The Great Commission,” Jesus uses the verb tense; He’s not issuing an order, He’s granting authority! He’s saying, “You have my authority to act as my agent in this world.”
Now I need to add a disclaimer here. I am not a theologian, and I have not consulted any seminary professors or pastors in writing this devotion. So I’m not sure any of us should rush to fill a bottle with oil or water and run around actually baptizing people. I don’t know if that’s truly the authority that’s granted here or not. But it’s certainly food for thought. But there is one thing of which I am sure: Christ does give each of us the authority to act as His agents in initiating and teaching (make disciples of) unbelievers, sharing our faith in Christ with those who have not experienced new life in Him.
Why should we do this? Because Jesus Christ commanded us and gave us the authority to do so. Because someone once shared his/her faith with each of us; it could have been a faithful Sunday school teacher, a pastor, a parent, a colleague, or a neighbor. We should do for others what has been done for us. And finally, because it is God’s chosen method for spreading His word; He could have selected many other means, but it was us humans that received His “Great Commission.” Only redeemed sinners can tell lost sinners about Christ. Madison Avenue has it right in this regard: nothing is more convincing than the simple, unembellished word of a satisfied customer!
I’d like to return to the text to focus on one other aspect. It says that when the disciples saw Christ Jesus, they worshipped Him, but some doubted. That’s how it was then, and that’s how it is now. It doesn’t tell us how many doubted, or what their specific doubts were. I suspect the doubters had varied doubts: Is this really Jesus? – Was He ever really dead? – What the heck am I doing here? I suppose there are some of us who never have any doubts about Christ; but I suspect there are a lot of us who are troubled by some doubts of one kind or another about observing the things He commanded us. Notice that Christ was undeterred by the doubters. He didn’t tell them to get off the mountain. He didn’t say, “Now for you true believers I have a commission.” His commission was given to everyone who was there. Why? Because all power was given to Him in heaven and on earth. It is Christ’s power that will diminish our doubts and enable us to be His faithful agents. And He promises to be with us every step of the way!
The Risen Christ commissions us to bring lost sinners to Him. He’s not expecting any of us to save souls. That’s His job! He only expects us to do the initiation. One of my favorite messages seen on a church message board is appropriate here: “Be fishers of men. You catch ‘em and He’ll clean ‘em.”
Therefore, go baptize!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you came to earth in human form for me and for my salvation. May my salvation be real enough that I am willing to announce your Good News to others. I ask it in your Name. Amen.
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