All the recent rain left some serious road damage on our way home. Today they were patched. Patching works but it isn’t the same as new. As I bounced across one of them I immediately thought of Matthew 9:16. Jesus said, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.” I remembered being a little boy and watching my mother patch my school pants and darn the holes in my socks. Does anyone darn any more? While the repaired socks never really felt right I sort of liked the patches on my pants, especially if they were colorful patches.
The context of Jesus’ comments seems to indicate He wasn’t overly enthused about people trying to patch up their broken lives. He seemed to be more in favor of starting all over with something completely new. His comments to Nicodemus in John 3 are about a new birth. Apparently an alteration here and there just isn’t going to do it. We need a fresh start. That’s what baptism is all about. You bury the old man under the water and a new one comes to life.
That is great symbolism and easy to say. However, I fear most of us have had the unfortunate experience of having the old man resurrect. He’s like a zombie that refuses to stay in its tomb. That is a yucky thought. The old man causes us to commit yucky deeds. The symbolism of baptism is great but unfortunately it is applied to flawed beings. Does that mean we shouldn’t bother? Oh, no. It just means we need to pay attention and as Paul says we should put him down every time he pops up. Jesus helps. Just ask.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 10, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org