As a church community, we perform our baptisms down in the river. We wade down the boat ramp to a suitable depth, and then dunk our new brothers or sisters in Christ under the water, raising them up to life in Christ. Because the river at that part of the island is tidal, anything that swims in the ocean may well be found in the river as well. For that reason, it wasn’t really surprising to hear someone say (while I was standing in waist-high water) “Why, yes. That is a small shark.”
That really isn’t the most comforting thing for someone to hear before they are immersed in those same waters. After all, our river doesn’t discriminate on the basis of size, and therefore larger sharks can just as easily swim there as the smaller sharks. Also, smaller sharks have teeth too, and when the visibility is low, they tend to nibble on things to see if they are worth really eating. Again, for someone who is not normally thinking of swimming with sharks, this is less than ideal.
However, metaphorically speaking, being baptized with sharks nearby is a rather profound statement of faith. The act of water baptism holds no salvific value, but it does (or should) come after a conversion experience whereby the new believer has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The water baptism itself is a public proclamation by the new believer that their soul now resides eternally with God, and that they are now willing to live in this material world as a disciple of Jesus the Christ, serving however He wills. And sometimes, what that means is that the new believer will have to learn how to swim with the sharks.
To follow Jesus today really isn’t any different than it was 2,000 years ago – if we are following as a true disciple. As Jesus said back then, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24). His disciples back then faced persecution, even to the point of death, as they followed Him and sought to keep His commands, and we still see that in our world today as people seek to keep his commands no matter the cost. If following Jesus costs you nothing, then you probably aren’t actually following Him.
Perhaps people would have a clearer idea of the commitment that they profess to be making if all baptisms were done alongside sharks. Certainly, those who thought that it would be fun or cool to be baptized would think longer and harder about what they are really saying that they believe. For if you can walk into that water and see the danger lurking, yet know that you are eternally safe in Christ, then you can enter into whatever situation that God may call you into with the peace that passes all understanding and the perfect love that casts out fear. That is exactly the sort of proclamation that should accompany a baptism – whether or not there are sharks in the water with you!
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron