Matthew
3:1-17
Lesson 4
3:1-17
Lesson 4
Matthew 3:1-17
John the Baptist prepares the way 1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. |
Margin notes:
"John the Baptist." (3:1) - John the Baptist was the son of the Jewish priest Zacharias and Elizabeth (Luke 1:8-13; 3:2). Elizabeth was the Virgin Mary's cousin (Luke 1:34-36), making John and Jesus distant cousins. John was a prophet of the Old Covenant sent by God to preach repentance (Matthew 3:2), to bridge the gap between the Old and New Testaments, and to prepare "the way" for the Messiah's arrival (Luke 1:17; 1:76-77), a mission so important it is mentioned in all four Gospels (Matthew 3:1-17; Mark 1:2-5; Luke 3:4-11; John 1:19-27). Jesus said there was never a person born greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28). John was the first prophet in four hundred years and a lifetime Nazarite (Luke 1:15). To honor God, Nazarite Jews made religious offerings, took periodic vows not to cut their hair or drink alcohol, and to avoid contact with the dead. These vows lasted anywhere from thirty to one hundred days. Only three men were under lifetime Nazarite vows; Samson (Judges 13:2-7), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11), and John (Luke 1:15). God chose all three to perform extraordinary missions. John's purpose was to prepare the way for the Messiah, as prophesied in Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, and 4:5-6. King Herod Antipas beheaded him for denouncing Herod's marriage to his niece and brother's ex-wife, Herodias, and the other "evils" (Luke 3:19-20). To learn more about Nazarite vows, read Numbers 6:1-21. "Repent." (3:2) - See "Today's Questions" below. "The kingdom of heaven." (3:2) - Means "The kingdom of God." Matthew uses the word "heaven" instead of "God" for the benefit of his Jewish audience, who refused to speak the name of God out of respect. Matthew's Gospel is the only place in the Bible where you will find this phrase. Matthew used the term "heaven" instead of "God" for the benefit of his Jewish audience. Jews avoided speaking the name of God out of respect. It's interesting to note that this phrase appears exclusively in Matthew's Gospel and not in any other books of the Bible. "This is he." (3:3) - "This is the one." "The voice of one crying in the wilderness." (3:3) - John is quoting Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3). Isaiah (meaning Jehovah is salvation) was a profit (also called Esaias) who died in 681 BC. Considered the greatest Old Testament prophet, Isaiah wrote "The Book of the Prophet Isaiah," which spoke out against hypocrisy (Isaiah 29:13). He prophesized the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 6:15) seven hundred years before the birth of Christ. He is quoted over fifty times in the New Testament. "Prepares ye the way." (3:3) - Centuries earlier, Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 predicted that a messenger would come before the Messiah to prepare "the way." John the Baptist preparing the way is another fulfilled prophecy. The Bible considers John's mission so critical; it is mentioned in all four Gospels (Mark 1:2-5; Luke 3:4-11; John 1:19-27). "John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins." (3:4) - "John wore clothes made from camel's hair, and a leather belt around his waist." These were the simple clothes of a poor person and reminiscent of Elijah's wardrobe (2 Kings 1:8), who John represented. "His meat was locusts and wild honey." (3:4) - "His food was locusts and wild honey." Again, this is the diet of a poor person. "Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan." (3:5) - "Then Jerusalem, all Judaea, and all the area around the Jordan River went to see John." Sensing something special was happening, some walked forty miles to hear John and be baptized. "Jordan." (3:6) - The Jordan River lies approximately twenty miles east of Jerusalem and is about seventy miles long. It flows south from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. "O generation of vipers." (3:7) - "O you children of vipers." "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." (3:8) - "Let the fruit of your actions prove your repentance." "We have Abraham to our father." (3:9) - "Abraham is our father." Jews often boasted that Abraham was their father (the first Jew). Some believed that merely being a descendant of Abraham guaranteed salvation. "Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." (3:10) - Read Jesus' words in Matthew 7:19 and John 15:6. "Holy Ghost." (3:11) - The Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit are the same. "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner." (3:12) - "His winnowing fork is at hand, and He will clean the (threshing) floor and bring his wheat into the barn." This is a metaphor. Farmers use winnowing forks to separate worthless chaff from the valuable wheat. In the same way, God will separate non-believers from believers. "Suffer it to be." (3:15) - "Let it be." "Then he suffered him." (3:15) - "Then he allowed him." "Went up straightway out of the water." (3:16) - "Came immediately out of the water." |