One thing that makes Israel such a wonderful destination for the Christian is that things the believer knows to be true are affirmed there and illustrated in sharp relief. You expect that to happen when you walk where Jesus walked and when you view with your own eyes the places described in both the Old and New Testaments. But Israel is also a land of the unexpected. On a recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, my second within 15 months, the unexpected took place.
Our group visited Qasr el Yahud, the site that commemorates the baptism of Christ. Matthew 3 describes how Jesus convinced a reluctant John the Baptist to baptize Him.
The pastor leading our group was also asked to do a baptism: a man in his early forties who, along with his parents, was traveling with us. There was no reluctance on this pastor’s part, only a set of pointed questions to determine if this man was ready to follow Christ.
The air was slightly chilly and the water of the Jordan River was chillier. The river, narrow at that spot, separates two countries: Israel and Jordan by — like — ten yards. All eyes were on the baptism, but as our new brother in Christ rose out of the water we heard something and our eyes went to a group of nuns gathered on the Jordan side singing
Amazing Grace. We joined in as did other pilgrims.
These nuns were Sisters of the Rosary and hailed from counties like Egypt and Lebanon. Because of their nationalities and the politics of the region some could not have legally stood on our side of the river in Israel. And yet, as members of one body, we celebrated God’s work in the life of one whom He has called.
The pastor issued one simple instruction to the man he was baptizing: “Remember that you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.”
That night the pastor blogged about this, calling it an “international incident.” You can read about it here:
Baptism Creates International Incident
One of the Sisters saw the story and contacted the pastor. The nuns, she said, would be praying for this young believer as he begins his walk with Christ. The two marveled at God’s work that spans national and doctrinal divisions.
Anglicans baptize by sprinkling, but this man wanted to be immersed, to go ‘all in’ as it were. We still had a bus ride, so he encouraged the pastor not to get into the cold muddy river with him. The pastor would have none of it, saying, “No one is ever baptized alone.”
How true. Baptism is about much more than your particular and individual salvation. We are baptized into a worldwide body. Into a community of believers — some whom we know and will know, and some we will never know this side of heaven.
And at this, the nuns rejoice.
