Have you wished there was a sign that indicated the right person? Have you ever flown into an airport and had someone pick you up? Did you have search for the person giving you a ride? Did you mistakenly think the wrong vehicle was theirs? Did you become frustrated?
Having flown more times for business than I would like to count, getting rides to and from rental car lots and parking lots can be frustrating. I have waited for fifteen to twenty minutes for the correct bus. When it is cold and snowy outside, it can become frustrating.
Now, imagine the Jews waiting for the Messiah. Prophecies from Isaiah had been spoken eight-hundred years ahead of his coming. God had not spoken to them for four-hundred years. They hung on to the promises of God but had continued to experience difficulties. When John the Baptist comes on the scene to prepare the way, the Romans occupied Israel. John had been told the sign to look for was when the Holy Spirit descended and remained on one he baptized, He would be the Messiah.
How many people did John baptize? How many days had he been proclaiming the coming Messiah? He may have experienced days of frustration, impatience, or even depression. He might have asked God, “When? How long must I wait?” Yet, when Jesus came and was baptized by John, the Spirit descended visibly and John was a witness. John’s heart might have leapt for joy and his pulse increased rapidly.
There is something about a baptism that touches my heart. When I witness a baptism, I become emotional, and tears well up in my eyes. When I have performed baptisms, I have focus and hold back those emotions so that I can get through it without my voice breaking. The joy of it is nearly overwhelming. I can only imagine the joy John must have felt when he baptized Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit descend on Him.
I pray we all are touched by the Spirit as we witness baptisms. I pray we remember our baptism. I pray each one of us take time to imagine what John felt when he baptized Jesus and realized He was the Messiah. Experience the Holy Spirit. Remember your baptism. Visualize John’s reaction to baptizing Jesus.
John 1:33-34 “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.”
Marty Pressey 