Jesus referred to is death as a baptism.

Thursday, 10/22/15

Jesus, speaking of the death that awaited him, said, “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized.”

At first, it seems odd, pairing baptism and death; but they are rightly so associated.

It happened with the Israelites in the exodus story. The Bible said they were “baptized in the Red Sea.”

Those Israelites were mot swimmers. So, when Moses told them that out of obedience to God, they had to throw themselves into the waves they chose a likely death out of obedience to God.

There was a similar association of Baptism and death when Christianity was in its infancy. Back then, people were only baptized on Holy Saturday.

Those first Christians each year repeated the life story of Jesus. They thought of him being born again on Christmas, of dying on Good Friday, of rising on Easter. On Holy Saturday they pictured him as being in his tomb.

They took their baptism pool to represent that tomb. Each one who was to be baptized said something like this to himself, “As I step into your grave with you, Jesus, I am signifying my willingness to die to sin with you.”