A Note from DT
The Jordan river plays a major role in several different stories of the Bible. Most importantly, Jesus was baptized there by John who would become known as the greatest prophet ever born. Hundreds of years earlier Israel crossed over the Jordan during its flood stage while God miraculously caused its waters to stand up in a heap. In each story the Jordan symbolizes the empowerment of the Christian life which comes from the baptism of the Holy Spirit. One Jordan story which I covered in last week’s message is about a Syrian military leader, Namaan, who had leprosy and was so desperate that he sought out the prophet Elisha in hopes of a supernatural cure. (2 Kings 5) When he arrived at Elisha’s location in Israel the prophet sent a messenger telling Namaan to dip himself 7 times in the Jordan in order to be healed from his fatal disease…and it worked. A humorous aspect of the story is that Namaan became so offended at the simplicity of the prophets instructions and at the fact that the Elisha didn’t address him personally that he almost didn’t follow through on the simple instructions that cured him and saved his life. Yes, offense can separate you from life. Namaan was being given a wonderful opportunity but it was going to require that he would have to let go of his grandiose expectations and die to his own ego. He even had to continually dunk himself in the water even though it did not seem to be working. Imagine if he would have only went in 5 times and left only to die a leper. Follow through is of utmost importance in this walk. Luckily, Namaan moved past his offense and chose to follow through in his ‘baptism’ of seven dips and was completely healed. The number seven in the scriptures speaks of completion and maturity. It is also the number of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2, Zechariah 3:9,Revelation 3:1). There are many valuable lessons from this story, one of them is that in this life it is impossible to walk in the Spirit unless we are free from offense.
In Luke 4, Jesus quoted this story to a group of people who had also become offended at His presence feeling let down that He did not meet their expectations of what the Messiah should be. I find it so very interesting that Jesus draws the comparison of lepers and offended people. Like a Leper, someone who is offended often suffers separation or splits from the body and ends up outside of it. They exchange living in healthy community for colonies where their only relationships are with others of their same condition. Yeesh. Luckily just as Jesus healed people who were leprous He also leads us in the way of wholeness, healing, and restoration. His way is similar to the instructions Elisha gave Namaan, there needs to be a baptism…
The Jordan river baptism is a symbolic representation for all who choose to follow the Lord. It is a place where we lose our old orphan identity in exchange for one of sonship and inclusion. It is where we die to the ego of the old self and become one in Spirit and nature with Him. Dead people don’t get offended. If we have truly been crucified with Christ we no longer live according to the ways of the flesh. It doesn’t mean that we don’t sometimes get hurt by people but there is a big difference in getting hurt and staying hurt. It’s all a part of growing. Forgiveness is so crucial in the walk of the Spirit. There are also some who need to realize that what they consider as a relational wound was simply someone who didn’t pet their ego. Yikes! Offendedness is a spiritual condition akin to a disease. It causes us to be blind to the goodness and presence of the Lord which is all around us. It causes separation from the divine covenant relationships He has placed in our lives. The answer is always the same. We are called to fully submerge ourselves into the life of Christ. To be one with Him in His baptism is to truly come alive in Him. It’s all a part of the maturing process and all of creation is waiting for us to grow up. (Rom 8:19)
-DT
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