Advent Baptism Series: The Water and the Office

The Water and the Office: Jesus the Baptizer

Advent 3 T Matthew 28:16-20

(Adapted From Dr. Masaki’s Baptism Series in CPR Vol. 28, Part 3 Series B)

INI

One knows nothing of baptism without answering these questions correctly:

Who is doing the baptizing?

And how does He work?

 

As noted previously, Jesus baptizes.

He’s the actor of the verbs, and we are the subject of the verbs.

He commits Himself to us in baptism, not the other way around.

 

We contribute no eternal thing to baptism.

Through His Word and promise,

He accomplishes everything through those holy waters

He’s the one who instituted baptism in our reading.

He’s the one who promises commitment and presence with the baptized,

For He said “I am with you always.”

 

In 1 Corinthians 1, some folks in the Corinthian church got this part wrong.

They claimed that “Paul, or Apollos, or Peter baptized me”.

And depending who baptized them indicated some sort of special holiness their baptism bestowed based on the one who poured the water.

 

But Paul quickly corrects their thinking – “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

Of course, the answer is no.

They were baptized in the name of Christ.

They follow Christ,

For Christ was crucified for them.

Scripture is clear – God is the one acting in baptism.

 

But have you ever wondered how does Jesus, the baptizer, work?

Because for God to work His eternal gifts, He needs a messenger.

A mortal man to speak words and pour water.

 

Have you ever wondered why its pastors who baptize people?

Or for that matter, why only pastors consecrate and distribute the Lord’s Supper?

Yes, there’s emergency situations where fathers can baptize their children if a newborn’s life is in jeopardy.

But for its normative purposes, why only pastors?

 

Matthew 28 gives that answer – Christ’s mandating and instituting words to baptize and teach were given by Christ to His disciples to exercise on behalf of the church.

Christ sends those who are called for certain purposes in His kingdom.

Jesus sends pastors to administer the eternal gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation in the means of grace.

 

Augsburg Confession Article 14 says,

“Our churches teach that no one should publicly teach in the Church,

Or administer the Sacraments without a rightly ordered call.”

This call comes from the church who then calls pastors,

Yet, Christ mediates calls to pastors through congregations.

 

For example, when you called me to be pastor at Zion,

yes, it was you all who filled the paperwork to district for me to be placed here.

But it was God Himself who called me, sent me, and gave authority to exercise the means of grace on your behalf at Zion.

But we must not forget, it isn’t me actually doing the verbs.

It’s Jesus.

He’s the one who acts through His messengers – just read the book of Acts!

For He is with you always, even to the end of the age.

 

Now, you may be thinking, “How does talking about the Office that pastors are sent by God to fill have anything to do with our question from the catechism tonight?”

The reason is because the question – “How can water do such great things?”

is a question regarding the certainty of what’s happening in the water.

 

Luther is careful in how He answers this question.

How can water save someone?

Fair question. In Scripture, we’ve talked about the ways water has power.

We look at the flood, at Pharoah in the Red Sea.

Water both kills and destroys, yet saves and makes alive.

It’s a two-edged sword.

 

Reason itself detects this.

Some of the most devastating natural disasters we’ve seen deal with water.

Think Hurricane Katrina in 2005, or Hurricane Ian from this year.

Water has power.

 

But Luther’s certainty in baptism doesn’t rest on sheer power water has,

Or on how the Almighty God wields such a mighty thing.

Luther’s certainty about the effects of baptism rest on the one who does the baptizing: which is Jesus.

Jesus is the one who baptizes.

For this reason alone, we can have confidence in the gifts of Holy Baptism –

That babies really are saved and are really forgiven in baptism.

Because it’s actually Jesus Himself who works on them.

 

This water is not powerful in itself,

but it’s the Words of God Himself attached to this water that make it a “life giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.”

So, Luther directs our attention to Jesus and how HE uses the water.

And to readdress the question, “why is the pastor given to baptize?”

It’s because that is the way Jesus instituted Baptism.

And where the Lord gives His mandate, our attention is directed not to the pastor,

But to Jesus, who sent the pastor to baptize in His stead and by His command.

 

Most religions have water that indicates some sort of washing.

But those religions focus on the water itself, or the priests who do the washing.

But we must focus our eyes in the act of baptism,

Not solely on the activity of the water, or the pastor who baptizes,

But we focus on Jesus who uses these instruments for His service.

 

Knowing that Jesus is the one who is delivering these gifts through the means of water,

Our faith is not left doubting, but with full assurance that it is in fact the Lord God who delivers forgiveness through the waters of Holy Baptism.

 

Luther puts it well in his sermon on Titus 3:5 –

“As we are born of Adam and Eve for this life, so the same old man, born before in sin and unto death, must be born again and anew to righteousness and eternal life by the power of the Holy Spirit. And yet outwardly, nothing more is there and nothing more is perceived than water and the Word, which is all that is seen with the eyes and heard with the ears. Nevertheless, it has such power that the man who was so conceived and born in sin is now born anew in the sight of God and he who before was condemned to death is verily a child of God. Who can grasp this glory and power of holy baptism with human senses and understanding? Therefore, in baptism do not look to the minister’s hand, which takes simple water, and his mouth, which speaks a few words over it, which is a trivial act that only fills the eyes and ears and otherwise accomplishes nothing, as blind reason permits itself to think. But rather look to the Word and act of God, by whose mandate baptism was instituted, indeed, who is himself the baptizer…. If I am to be certain of my baptism, I must look to the Founder and listen to what His Word and command say. True, the minister must be there, he must lend his hand and mouth; but I must not allow my attention to be fixed upon the visible baptizer, but rather upon the unseen Baptizer, who instituted and ordained the baptism; to him I must look, no matter who the minister may be.”

 

So, how can water do such great things?

How can a pastor redeem a sinner from death, the devil, and sins?

Simple water administered by simple pastors can do great things because they have the mandate of Jesus, the unseen baptizer.

 

Baptized Christians, your baptism is certain.

You bear His name.

God is committed to you, and it remains unshakeable.

Heaven is open to you!

Because Pastors Ringhardt, Lasko, Schoaff, or I didn’t baptize you.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus did.

For this reason, one should be comforted and assured in their salvation,

Through this baptismal grace.

INI