Did Jesus really mean that?

In Biblical Palestine, a “Rabbi’s NAME” evoked the entirety of his teachings and commands; which brings me to believe that in being baptized, Jesus claimed something much broader. Going into the water was an immersion. Later, before ascending to Heaven, Jesus told his disciples to go preach The Good News, “baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have taught you,” (Mt 25:19-20). I believe he was telling them to “immerse” everyone so deeply in his teachings/commands that their old selves would die and be replaced by a new reality. Back then death itself was considered a baptism of sorts.

My hypothesis, and there is a lot for me to learn: I believe that customs of Jesus’ day on Earth viewed immersion in water as a sign (a testimony) of repentance and not an actual cleansing from sin. Even some views of baptism during the Protestant Reformation show more interest in this public witness than in a dispensation of divine grace. Counter-Reformation, Free Church traditions tended toward viewing baptism as a communal co-witness involving the whole congregation. A few score years later, Quakers totally eschewed baptism.

I recently asked an OT prof about the history of this “in-the-name-of” concept. He cited customs of naming children according to desired/assumed attributes, then renaming to reflect new and different realities; Abram/Abraham, Sarai/Sarah, Jacob/Israel, Simon/Peter, Saul/Paul. Names were intended to reflect one's essence. 

“Jesus” like the OT name “Joshua” meant “savior,” but even though Jesus, the person, embraced his title, he didn’t preach similar to modern fundamentalist understandings of “savior.” He preached “release to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and the year of The Jubilee” (ref. LK 4:18-21 where Jesus read Isaiah 61:1-3 in the synagogue). He preached a repentance to simple righteousness (restorative justice), not altar calls and “holiness.”

My hypothesis again; I believe that Jesus’ command to “baptize” and to pray, asking “in my name,” implied total immersion in his teachings and commands. Such a prayer is truly “in Jesus name,” in direct alignment with his divine will. From that kind of prayer follow miracles unimaginable.

I welcome comments in dialogue.