Matthew 3:1-12 - The Proclamation of John the Baptist
3:1) In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3) This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” 4) Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5) Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6) and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7) But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8) Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9) Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10) Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11) “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12) His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
John the Baptist: John the Baptist was a powerful and popular prophet during the time of Jesus. His miraculous birth story is also found in Matthew’s Gospel. He descended from Abijah and Aaron. His mother, Elizabeth, was a kinswoman of Jesus’ mother, Mary. John was neither a follower of Jesus, nor a rival. They both preached repentance and preparation for the coming judgement of God. He was known for his straight talk and capacity to whip up people’s emotions. He believed that God would soon enter into history to bring both reward and judgement. His refusal to continence sinful behavior ran him afoul of the royal house of Herod Antipas and led to his execution. John was called the Baptist because of his innovations in the ritual washings that were common to Judaism.
Judgement in Matthew: Judgment in Matthew is good news for the righteous and bad news for the unrighteous. Judgment was accountability for sin, both active and passive. In Matthew, judgment means standing before the blinding honesty of God and receiving purification and forgiveness or utter rejection. Matthew believed that without an understanding of judgment, or consequences for behavior, there is no need for a savior and no opportunity for real change.
Word Study
Vs. 1 – In those days – these events occurred while Jesus was still in Nazareth
Wilderness – refers to the barren region about 10-15 miles wide, 60 miles long in the lower Jordan valley some miles out from Jerusalem. It was hot, unpleasant and difficult to get to.
Vs. 2 – repent – this word, the summary of both John’s and Jesus’ message, does not mean “to feel sorry for, or remorseful”. It means “to turn around away from, or to reverse
course.” It is possible to be sorry for something and not repentant. Repentance requires a change in behavior.
Kingdom of heaven – phrase used only in Matthew. It is synonymous with the phrase Kingdom of God and means the active, effective rule of God over people’s lives.
Vs. 3 – Prepare the way of the Lord – from Isaiah 40:3. In Isaiah, this referred to God leading the exiles back to Palestine from captivity in Babylon. Both in Matthew and in Isaiah the emphasis is on God’s decisive action to free and restore God’s people.
Vs. 4 – camel’s hair with a leather belt – In 2 Kings 1:18 we see this same phrase describing the clothing of Elijah. It was believed that Elijah would return to herald the coming of Messiah. Matthew identifies John the Baptist with Elijah.
Locusts – some say this refers to the pods of carob trees. It could also refers to simple locusts, a food declared clean in Lev. 11:22. In either case, the point is that this was what poor people ate.
Vs. 6 – baptized – lit. dipped or immersed.
Vs. 7 – Pharisees – influential party dedicated to strict observance of Mosaic Law and the oral law that grew up to interpret it.
Sadducees – the party that was made up of the priestly families. The Pharisees and Sadducees did not get along well and would not likely have been working together. Matthew uses them as symbols of the Jewish opposition.
Brood of vipers – the image is of snakes fleeing a burning forest. It is a way of saying that the Jewish opposition is scared, cowardly, poisonous and predatory.
Vs. 8 – fruit – internal change that results in productive deeds.
Vs. 9 - Abraham – the ancestor of faith with whom God made the covenant of promise
Vs. 11 – Holy Spirit – here simply means spiritual power
Fire – this refers to judgment that will purify the righteous and burn up unrighteousness.
Questions for Personal Reflection
1. To truly celebrate Jesus’ birth we have to know that humanity actually needed a savior. Can you identify behaviors or circumstances in which you failed to live up to God’s moral code? Have there been times when you have harmed others by your behavior? Harmed yourself? What were the consequences? What did you deserve?
2. When have you experienced repentance in your life? What were the changes that occurred in you as a result of that “change of course”? How did “turning around” help you to experience the “kingdom” (God’s effective rule) in your life? Are there areas in which you still need to repent? One of the gifts of Advent is the opportunity to focus on doing that internal cleansing so that we can truly greet Jesus with joy on Christmas. If you are struggling in this area, ask God to help you. Sometimes the working out of repentance is a process.
3. How do you see your life bearing fruit for God? If that is not obvious to you, take a moment to ask God to help you see the fruit of your faith this Advent season. Ask also for God to show you how to increase the fruit of faith in your life.
4. How do you experience spiritual power?