You
see, it was the waters that that parted and allowed God’s holy people to cross into
the Promised Land. It was the waters of
the Jordan in which Naaman the Syrian bathed which healed the all consuming sores
on his skin. And, it was the waters of
the Jordan that reverberated the voice of John the Baptist, "Prepare the
way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
Lives
of straight paths are what the crowds hoped for as they made their way into the
refreshing waters. Their deep desire was
that everything that creates roadblocks to God’s mercy and goodness in their lives
might be washed away. They wanted the
Lord’s path to them to be straight. They
wanted the Lord’s path to be clear of roadblocks. They wanted the Lord’s path to be free of sin
and illness and everything else that gets in the way of the wonders of the Lord.
So,
they were baptized in the waters of the Jordan.
It was not a Christian baptism which would make them a part of God’s
people (they already were family with God through Abraham presumably), but
rather, it was a baptism that washed away sin and made them feel clean and good
and ready for the coming of the Lord.
And,
we still make those sort of pilgrimages today.
People pay good money at spas to have the troubles of their lives washed
away in mineral rich waters and toxins removed through therapeutic hands. Others seek the cleansing smoke of Native
American rituals, bathing in an ever rising river of natural fragrance. Still others wash their sin and pain away in
a bath of beer and whiskey.
I
prefer wash away my troubles with a cleansing bath of Reese’s Peanut Butter
Cups. There’s nothing that a glorious
mouth wash of sweet and salty goodness cannot fix…at least for a couple of
minutes.
And,
that is the problem, is it not? A nice,
relaxing dinner always comes to an end, and the problems of the world
return. The massage that rejuvenated the
soul is shaken off in a matter of minutes as you leave the spa and walk to the car
that will return you to real life.
Even
John the Baptist admits that his watery baptism of repentance that washes away sin
and leaves you ready for the Lord is merely temporary. The cleansing waters may bring forgiveness,
but the cause of sin and pain still remains.
“I baptize you with water for repentance,” John the Baptist declares, “but
one who is more powerful than I is coming after me.”
You
see, there is only so much that we can do to heal our souls. We can ease each other’s pains
temporarily. We can listen to each
other’s problems and guide each other in paths forward. We can even forgive sins committed against
us, setting free our friends and family from guilt.
One
fact of which each of us is keenly aware is that none of these things get to the
root of the problem. None of these things
fixes the soul. Each of these things may
repair the harm that the soul creates, but the soul is still wounded and will
create harm again. So, the amazing thing
that John the Baptist promises is that the one coming after him will baptize us
not only with water, but also “with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
You
see, the purpose of a baptism of fire is not to wash the outside clean, but to purify
the very soul itself. When you take some
metal and melt it down into a molten soup, all of the impurities raise to the
top. It is at this point that the sword
smith or skillet maker can scrape off all the impurities that do you belong in
the metal. That way, the pure metal can be
poured into a new mold and a new creation can be made.
In
the same way, Jesus comes not to just wash our sin and pain off of the outside,
but to transform us into something new and pure. In other words, John is saying, “a baptism of
water is fine, but give me Jesus.”
“Give
me Jesus.” That reminds me, before my
wife and I went to seminary we worked regular jobs and lived a regular life in
a regular neighborhood. And, in that
regular neighborhood was a wonderful old woman, the neighbor across the street,
who looked out for us and made sure this young couple was taken care of.
Dorothy
would take us out to have Chinese food periodically…or rather, she would enlist
our help in taking her out for Chinese food. At the Four Seasons Chinese Buffet, she would
encourage us to partake in her favorite dessert: those warm, fried sugared
rolls. Her face would transform from
revealing a life of age related aches and pains to one of pure ecstasy.
However,
being a good Christian woman, she would remark each and every time, “These are
absolutely delicious, but I still wouldn’t trade them for Jesus. Give me Jesus.” That was her life. It was one of enjoying life, but never
confusing that enjoyment with the life that Jesus provides. She would give it all up in order to have
Jesus.
Only
Jesus can melt down our souls, scrape out the impurities that lead us in the
wrong direction and scrape away the pain that holds us hostage, and then pour
us out into a mold to create something new for the world to see. I have seen it happen over and over again as
addicts are transformed into therapists, and those with disabilities are
transformed into motivational speakers.
I have seen it happen as enemy soldiers who are filled with hate are
transformed into people bearing mercy, and long estranged brothers are brought
back together.
Having
a beer or two to relieve the pressures of life is all well and good for the
short term, but in the end, give me Jesus.
You can have all this world and all its riches and all its fixes, but as
for me, give me Jesus.
Give
Me Jesus
(
I heard my mother say
I heard my mother say
I heard my mother say
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have
all this world
But give me
Jesus
Dark midnight was my cry
Dark midnight was my cry
Dark midnight was my cry
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have
all this world
But give me
Jesus
In the morning when I rise
In the morning when I rise
In the morning when I rise
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have
all this world
But give me
Jesus
And when I've come to die
When I've come to die
Oh, when I've come to die
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have
all this world
But give me
Jesus
You can have
all this world
But give me
Jesus
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