Chapter 3 - The Work of John the Baptist 3:1-12
v1 In those days, John the Baptist appeared in Judea’s wild country. v2 He taught the people who came there. ‘You must turn away from doing bad things! Where God rules in heaven is near now’, he said to them. v3 God’s servant Isaiah spoke about John long ago.
‘A voice is calling out in the wild country’, he had said.
‘ “Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him”, the voice says.’
v4 John wore clothes that he had made from camel’s hair. He had a leather belt round him. He ate insects and wild honey that came from another kind of insect. v5 People who lived in Jerusalem and all the country round about went to him. They came from the valley of the river Jordan too. v6 They confessed what they had done wrong. So John baptized them in the river Jordan.
v7 Many Pharisees and Sadducees were coming to the place where John was baptizing people. ‘You are like a family of poisonous snakes!’ John said to them. ‘I do not know who warned you to run away from God’s anger. v8 You must do right and fair things. That will show that you have turned from your sins.
v9 Do not think that you can say to yourselves with satisfaction, “Abraham was our ancestor long ago.” I tell you this: God can make children for Abraham from these stones if he wants to. v10 The axe is already lying at the root of the tree. Men cut down every tree that does not produce good fruit. They throw such trees into the fire. v11 I baptize you with water now. It shows that you have turned away from your sins. But there is someone more powerful than I am. He is coming later. I am not even good enough to carry his shoes! He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. v12 He is like a farmer at harvest time. His harvest fork is in his hand to shake out the grain. He will clear the straw from his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat and he will store it. But he will burn the rest that is no good. Nobody will be able to put out that fire.’
Commentary
Verse 1
‘In those days’. Matthew does not tell us exactly when John began his work, but it was about 30 years after Jesus was born because Jesus was 30 years old when John baptized him in the Jordan river.
No prophet had heard a message from God for about four hundred years. That period is called the Intertestamental Period between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Then John suddenly arrived in the desert.
Verse 2
John said that people must turn from their sins. They must prepare themselves for God to rule as He does in heaven. The Jews greatly respected God and His name. They would not use God’s name. Instead, they used the word ‘heaven.'
Verse 3
John made Isaiah’s words (Isaiah 40:3) come true. All four gospels agree with that. In those days, people had to repair a road before a king traveled on it. John was like someone who gave orders to the people. He described himself as ‘a voice that is calling out in the desert’ (John 1:23). He was telling people to prepare for the Messiah.
Verse 4
John had made rough clothes from camel’s hair. They were like the clothes that God’s servant Elijah wore long ago (2 Kings 1:8). He ate locusts, a kind of insect that flies.
Verses 5-6
Sometimes people who were not Jews wanted to become Jews. Then they asked for baptism. They did not usually baptize people who were Jews already. But John baptized Jews in water. They had confessed their sins and they wanted to obey God. Water cleans a person’s body. In a similar way, baptism shows that a person is ‘clean’ from their sins. They would then be ready to meet the Messiah.
Verse 7
The Pharisees were Jews who wanted to obey God’s Law. There were many good Pharisees. One was called Gamaliel (Acts 5:33-39). But there were also many proud Pharisees. They believed that they were the only people who obeyed God’s law. But they destroyed what the law really meant.
Through the years, the official writers (called ‘scribes’) had introduced hundreds of extra rules. The Pharisees said that people must also obey all those extra rules.
The Sadducees came from the families of priests. They were wealthy. They wanted to keep their political power. So they opposed any religious ideas that might make them lose their authority.
John called the Pharisees and the Sadducees ‘a family of poisonous snakes.’ Later, Jesus used the same words about the Pharisees (Matthew 12:34; 23:33). They were dangerous. They were like poisonous snakes. John said that they were like snakes that were trying to escape from a fire in a forest. He meant that God was angry with them. They were trying to escape from Him.
Verses 8-9
A person’s actions show whether they have sincerely changed their ways. The Jews believed that Abraham’s actions were good enough for himself and for all his children and their families always. So Jews thought that they were safe after they died. But John said that that was not enough. A person may have Abraham as his ancestor, but each person must change his own actions.
Verse 10
A farmer cuts down trees that do not produce good fruit. He throws them into the fire. God is like a farmer. He will punish those people who do not live in the right way.
Verse 11
John knew that he was preparing the way for someone. That person was much greater than he himself was, John said. Only a slave carried other people’s shoes. John said that he was not good enough to do even this humble task for the Messiah.
John baptized people with water. This showed that people desired to be free from sin. The Messiah would give the Holy Spirit. The Jews had looked forward to the time when the Spirit would come. ‘It shall happen that I will pour out my Spirit on everyone,’ God’s servant had said long ago (Joel 2:28). The Spirit teaches people how to live in the true way. The Spirit also gives people the power to live in the right way. Fire is very powerful. Fire can also destroy. Therefore, it is picture language for God’s judgment.
Verse 12
At harvest time, people used a tool like a large fork to throw dry plants into the air. The grain fell to the ground, and the wind blew the rest away. The farmer stored the grain. Then he burned the part of the plant that he could not use.
In this picture, John showed that the Messiah would separate people. The people who believed Him would be like the grain. They would be His people. But some people did not accept the Messiah. They were like the part of the plant that the farmer burned. God would judge them.
The Baptism of Jesus 3:13-17
v13 Jesus came from Galilee to the river Jordan. He wanted John to baptize him. v14 But John tried to refuse. ‘I need you to baptize me,’ John said to Jesus. ‘So why do you come to me?’ v15 Jesus replied to him. ‘Let it be this way now’, Jesus said. ‘It is right for us to do this. It carries out God’s good plan.’ Then John agreed to baptize Jesus. v16 Jesus went up out of the water as soon as John had baptized him. At that moment, heaven opened, and Jesus saw God’s Spirit. The Spirit came down like a gentle bird on Jesus. v17 Then a voice from heaven spoke. ‘This is my son whom I love. I am very pleased with him,’ the voice said.
Commentary
Verse 13
Jesus was perfect. He had no sins to confess. Jesus did not need John’s baptism. But he was showing that John’s work was right. Jesus had come to rescue people from their sins. He wanted to show people that He was a real person too. His baptism also showed that He was going to begin his own public work.
Verses 14-15
Only Matthew’s gospel records that John protested. Jesus was greater than John was. So John thought that Jesus ought to baptize him.
Verse 16
The dove is a gentle bird was a sign of peace. Jesus would bring peace between people and God. He would also bring peace between different people. The gentle bird was also a sign of a new start. It would remind Matthew’s readers about Genesis 8:8-11. The same kind of gentle bird came back to Noah after the flood. This bird was a sign that Jesus would do his work in a gentle way. It was also a sign of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gave Jesus the power to do God’s work.
Verse 17
The voice from heaven links words from Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1. Psalm 2 describes God’s ‘son.’ He is the king, and all the rulers on earth must serve Him. Bible teachers call Isaiah 42 one of the ‘Servant Songs.’ God was very pleased with this special Servant and He would have God’s Spirit. This Servant would then be able to do God’s work. The last of the ‘Servant Songs’ was in Isaiah 53. It spoke about a Servant who would suffer and die for other people.
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