There is no parable here. The commandment to be baptized is not in parable form only for those who have ears to hear. We must be baptized of the water and spirit:
John 3:3-5 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Mosiah 18:10: "Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?"
Baptism is your witness to Heavenly Father that you will follow Him and the Savior by the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Perhaps receiveing the Holy Ghost is a witness to you from Heavenly Father that He will help you keep your covenant.
DC 20:73: "Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Is there any other prayer in the church that is invoked in the name of all three members of the Godhead? I can't think of any. This is quite significant. I hadn't thought of this before.
DC 68:25: "And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. "
I take this pretty seriously. I've heard people question whether the age of eight is really appropriate to make such a huge decision. It is my opinion, having an eight year old, is that they are capable of making such a decision, though their spectrum of accountability is narrow, since their life-knowledge is narrow. It is a great parental leap of faith to teach and encourage children to be baptized and hope that they follow in suit, especially when you have observed the behavior of the child, good and bad. Most eight-year-olds have the tools to make good choices, though this is highly variable according to how seriously the parents have taught them right from wrong, up until this point in life and how to make choices. So, whether the child is prepared for baptism, in my mind, is almost completely the responsibility of the parent teaching responsibility and accountability to the child and a test of faith more for the parent than the child. When in Moroni (addressed to Elders of the church) it says to: "teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children." Parents need to have faith that eight-year-olds need to be baptized. What better hope can a parent have than to know their child has access to the gift of the Holy Ghost for a guide when they are not there?
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