Matthew 3 - Baptism: More Than Just Getting Wet

By Tom Ponchak



The third chapter of Matthew’s Gospel focuses on John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus. There is a clear connection between baptism and mission. We come to the waters of baptism and are transformed, born again as new creations. The old sinful self is replaced by the abiding presence of God. There is a fundamental and indelible change in our very nature and existence, something that marks us for all eternity as belonging to God.

With this new identity comes a new purpose and meaning for our lives, for we are baptized not just to save us, but that we may go forth and bring the Good News of salvation to others. It is no coincidence that Jesus’ public ministry begins after his baptism. He sets the example and standard for us to follow. As the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism, we received that same Spirit at our baptism.

Baptism grafts us into the life and ministry of Jesus, into his death and resurrection, and empowers us to continue his mission on earth. Christianity is not a spectator sport. Each and every person, by virtue of their baptism, is called to get in the game and play. Certainly there are different roles and responsibilities, but none of us a called to just sit on the sidelines and watch others do the stuff. It takes discernment and practice to find our place in the mission field, but rest assured there is a place waiting for each of us. For some it may be a vocation to priesthood or religious life, for others street evangelism, still others works of mercy among the poor and needy, and still others a life of prayer and sacrifice.

John the Baptist was very critical of the Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew 3. He was angered by the entitled attitude of self-righteousness displayed by many of them. Some wanted to rest on their heritage and position. Some were adept at keeping others from engaging and participating in the work of the Kingdom. The message of the Baptist, and of baptism, is to turn away from those ways of thinking and living, and to understand that all of us are called to find our place and live out a missional lifestyle that infectiously invites others to believe the Good News that God’s Kingdom has come.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Being and Doing

By Tom Ponchak
Image
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." (Luke 10:42, from the Gospel for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time) I was listening to a podcast with Fr. John Riccardo and he said something to the effect of “we often think that the calling to be a disciple is to work for Jesus, but the calling of a disciple is to be with Jesus.” The Gospel account of Martha and Mary this week is so important for us to hear and learn from.  Over the last six years, I have worked in two suburban parishes doing adult formation. Both parishes are located in very affluent areas and have a large number of upper middle class, white collar professionals. We have CEOs, attorneys, physicians, salespeople, pharmaceutical professionals, corporate executives, and even professional athletes. I’ve joked at times that our home could probably fit in the garages of some of the parishioners I kn...
Read more

Cultural Insanity and The Christian

By Tom Ponchak
Image
On multiple occasions over the past year I’ve had a reoccurring dream. I find myself in an insane asylum where the inmates have taken over and have the appearance of zombies. I was going from room to room looking for other trapped people, some asleep and others unaware of what was happening, and leading them to escape. At the same time, I encounter a few of the insane zombies and I am able to cure them so they become “normal” and leave with us. I believe this is a prophetic dream speaking to the nature of our culture and our mission as Christians. In the early telling of the story of Narcissus in Greek mythology the young man become enamored with his own image and committed suicide after despairing that no one could love him as much as he loved himself. It’s from this story that modern psychology takes the name Narcissistic Personality Disorder to describe an individual with an inflated sense of their own purpose and a lack of empathy for others. The Mayo Clinic lists the followin...
Read more

Loaves and Fishes

By Tom Ponchak
Image
  “Give them some food yourselves.” Jesus’ words to his disciples were surprising, challenging, and seemingly impossible. They responded as most of us would have, taking a quick inventory of their resources and realizing their limitations. In making such an outrageous suggestion Jesus was trying to get his students to live by faith not by sight. As St. Paul would often refer to in his letters, Jesus was trying to get the disciple to be transformed by a renewal of their minds (Rom. 12:2), to no longer behave like unspiritual men, but as spiritually minded disciples (1 Cor. 2:14-16). It is important to keep in mind when the feeding of the multitude took place. Sunday’s reading was taken from Luke 9:10-17. Leading up to this event, the disciples had witness Jesus calming the storm (Luke 8:22-25), a woman healed just by touching is garment (Luke 8:43-48) and Jesus raising a girl from the dead (Luke 8:49-56). Furthermore, the disciples had just returned to Jesus after he had sent them...
Read more