Matthew 15:22: A Canaanite woman came out from that region, and began to cry out, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.

What is baptism? What is it for? Why do we baptize infants? There are many answers to that, and throughout the history of the church, many of the answers have unnecessarily complicated the issue. In some traditions, the issue has been complicated by a complicated theology of grace. In other traditions, the issue has been complicated by the fear of undermining the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith.

Fundamentally, the rationale for infant baptism is simple, and neatly illustrated by the story of the Canaanite woman. She brings her demon-possessed daughter to Jesus for healing and life. That’s what infant baptism is: We, members of the bride, bring our children to Jesus for healing. That’s all there is to it. We want our children to be with Jesus, and Jesus has said water is the way to come.

The story illustrates other aspects of baptism as well. The Canaanite woman is an outcast, a Gentile stranger to the covenant of promise, without hope and without God in the world. Yet, she cries out to the Lord Jesus for help, and Jesus helps and heals. The woman’s daughter is demon-possessed, under the dominion of Satan, but is liberated and released. The daughter is a god under the table, as is her mother; but Jesus feeds them bread from the master’s table.

All of these are true of baptism. We too are outcasts in our father Adam, and further outcasts in being Gentiles. We have been under the dominion of demons. We are among the dogs who have no hope but to eat some of the crumbs beneath the master’s table. Baptism changes all that. Baptism brings us near. Baptism takes us from the world of Adam to the world of the Last Adam. Baptism removes us from the power of Satan to the power of God. Baptism brings us to the table, not as housepets, but as children.

And all that is perhaps even more true in Mackenzie’s case. She has no natural connection with you or with anyone in this church. She shares no blood or descent or ancestry. Yet, you have brought her near to you, made her a member of your family, treated her not as an outcast but as an honored member of the family, fed her at your table. You have already demonstrated God’s love to her. And in bringing her for baptism, you are bringing her to Jesus so that He can do all that for her too. You are bringing her so that she can be healed, so that she can have a place at the table, so she can be changed from a stranger to a daughter of God, a child of God.

As you teach her about this event, make sure, once again, not to get too complicated. Baptism is something the least child can understand. When Mackenzie asks what happened when she was baptized, you can say simply: We brought you to Jesus, and now you’re His.