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MATTHEW CHAPTER 3
OBSERVATION STAGE
The purpose of
the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand within the
normative rules of language, context and logic 
which limits the observer to the content offered by the book of Matthew.
This will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more
importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective
comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.
Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.
(Mt 3:1 NKJV) '''[Now] in in those days John the Baptist [comes] preaching in the wilderness of Judea
(Mt 3:2 NKJV) and saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"
(Mt 3:3 YLT) for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "A voice of one crying [out] in the wilderness, 'Prepare... the way of the LORD, straight make... His paths.' "
(Mt 3:4 NKJV) Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
(Mt 3:5 NKJV) Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him
(Mt 3:6 NKJV) and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
(Mt 3:7 NKJV) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
(Mt 3:8 NKJV) Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
(Mt 3:9 NKJV) and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
(Mt 3:10 NKJV) And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
(Mt 3:11 NKJV) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
(Mt 3:12 NKJV) His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
(Mt 1:18 NKJV) '''Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. (Mt 1:19 NKJV) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. (Mt 1:20 NKJV) But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (Mt 1:21 NKJV) And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. (Mt 1:22 NKJV) So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: (Mt 1:23 NKJV) "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us.' (Mt 3:1 NKJV) In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, (Mt 3:2 NKJV) and saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" (Mt 3:3 NKJV) For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying [out] in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight." (Mt 3:4 NKJV) Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.''' =
The phrase rendered, "In those days" in Mt 3:1 refers to the days when Jesus resided in Nazareth in Galilee as indicated at the end of chapter 2:
(Mt 2:19 NKJV) "Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
(Mt 2:20 NKJV) saying, 'Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead.
(Mt 2:21 NKJV) Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
(Mt 2:22 NKJV) But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.
(Mt 2:23 NKJV) And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, 'He [Jesus] shall be called a Nazarene.' "
The phrase rendered "He [Jesus] shall be called a Nazarene" in Mt 2:23 NKJV is not a direct quotation from Scripture, but a reflection upon a number of prophecies that declared that the Messiah would be generally despised. Note the plural "prophets" in the phrase "which was spoken by the prophets." Author Matthew, therefore, is not saying that a particular passage or passages foretold that the Messiah would live in Nazareth; but that prophets foretold that the Messiah would be despised. The town of Nazareth housed the Roman garrison for northern Galilee. Most Jews despised the inhabitants as well as the Romans, viewing them as compromising with their enemy. So to declare that "He shall be called a Nazarene" would create that despised image of Him, as the prophets foretold.
(Isa 49:7 NKJV) "Thus says the LORD,
The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,
To Him Whom man despises,
To Him Whom the nation abhors
To the Servant of rulers."
(Isa 53:2 NKJV) "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
(Isa 53:3 NKJV) He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him."
(Ps 22:6 NKJV) "But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised by the people."
From the end of chapter 2 to the beginning of chapter 3, author Matthew omitted further accounts of Jesus' childhood, skipping to when Jesus was living a secluded life in Nazareth as an adult. About six months before Jesus came upon the scene to begin His own public ministry, John the Baptist came preaching publicly in the sparsely populated wilderness near the Jordan River, a desert region between the Judean mountain range and the Dead Sea, north of Jerusalem. The Greek words, "ho baptistEs," rendered "the Baptist" comes from the Greek verb "baptizO," to baptize, which means to be immersed into, dipped, or in some manner identified with in an actual sense or a symbolic one should the context be figurative or not be logically feasible. Although all water baptisms were symbolic, for example, the common practice of self-baptism that proselytes performed when they converted to Judaism; and when Jews performed their own ceremonial cleansings; John's baptism was an immersion administered by him upon an Israelite who had previously repented, i.e., exercised a moment of faith in the coming Messiah for deliverance of sins unto entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, in the waters of the Jordan River. Hence he was called "the Baptist," the first Israelite who baptized others. Since he neither chose to settle in Jerusalem nor in any of the nearby villages, people had to seek him out in the wilderness in order to hear what he had to say, (cf. Mt 3:5).
Author Matthew indicates in Mt 3:1-3 with a qualifying reference to the book of Isaiah that John the Baptist preached exclusively to Israel, saying "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" In verse 3, author Matthew interjected this qualifying reference to Isaiah, '''For this is he [John the Baptist] who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, " A voice of one crying [out] in the wilderness [to Israel], 'Prepare... the way of the LORD, straight make... His paths ." '" So the Greek word "metanoeite," which literally breaks down to: "meta" = "to change" and "noeite" = the mind, and which is rendered "repent" in the NAS, conveys in Matthew 3:1-3 the message that should every one of national Israel change his mind from rejecting to trusting in the coming Messiah / Son to be delivered by Him from one's sins unto eternal life and residence in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven, hence to have God account His gift of perfect righteousness to each one as he believes, (cf. Mt 1:21); then God's Eternal Kingdom of Heaven rule would begin on the earth. In the case of the message of John of repentance unto remission of sins, the word repent cannot mean to do godly works in order to receive remission (forgiveness) of sins, as some contend; because doing godly works cannot erase sinful deeds. Nor can repent mean here to turn from ones sins in the sense of not committing sins any more; for that is a task which is not possible given the sinful nature of every individual. Author Matthew implied in Mt 3:3 that John the Baptist was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to as the Baptist announced that it was Jesus Christ Himself Who was that Messiah / Son Who would deliver His people from their sins, (cf. Mt 1:21; 3:13-17).
(Mt 1:18 NKJV) '''Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
(Mt 1:19 NKJV) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
(Mt 1:20 NKJV) But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
(Mt 1:21 NKJV) And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
(Mt 1:22 NKJV) So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
(Mt 1:23 NKJV) "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us.' "
Note
that in Mt 1:18-21, Jesus was to be born of a virgin, (cf. Isa 7:14-16
).
Furthermore, in Mt 1:21, His name, Jesus, signified that He would save His
people, Israel, from their sins. This implied that that He would make an
atoning sacrifice for their sins.
Furthermore, in Mt 3:3, when author Matthew described John the Baptist as '''He of who Isaiah spoke when he said "A voice of one crying [out] in the wilderness, 'Prepare... the way of the LORD, straight make... His paths,' " ''' (Mt 3:3); Matthew, as an inspired author of Scripture, added his personal observations by linking the phrases from Isaiah 40:3: "A voice of one crying [out]" with "in the wilderness" together. By this Matthew identified John the Baptist as that voice "in the wilderness [of Judea]" which cried out the message given to generations of Israelites in the past and which now pointed in Matthew's time to the wilderness of Judea where John the Baptist announced Jesus Christ as the coming One Who would deliver His people, Israel, from their sins unto eternal life in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven, (Mt 3:13-17; 1-3).
(Mt 3:1 NKJV) '''[Now] in in those days John the Baptist [comes] preaching in the wilderness of Judea
(Mt 3:2 NKJV) and saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"
(Mt 3:3 YLT) for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "A voice of one crying [out] in the wilderness, 'Prepare... the way of the LORD, straight make... His paths." '''
(Isa 40:1 Holman) " 'Comfort, comfort My people,' says your God."
(Isa 40:2 NKJV) 'Speak [to the heart of] Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare [has been] ended, that her iniquity [is to have been pardoned], For she has received from the LORD's hand Double for all her sins.'
(Isa 40:3 HOLMAN) A voice of one crying out: ["In the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD]; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
(Isa 40:4 HOLMAN) Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rough places a plain.
(Isa 40:5 NKJV) [And] the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken [it].' "
The words of
Isaiah 40:1-5 with the context of 7:14-16 and 9:6-7 in view, to which
author Matthew refers in Mt 3:1-3, figuratively convey that when every
individual of a generation of Israel trusts alone in the LORD alone to
deliver him from his sins and hence be provided with the gift of God's
perfect Righteousness within himself unto eternal life in the Kingdom of
Heaven, then that would prepare the way of the LORD and He would come at
that time and begin His Kingdom rule. This mission of the LORD He was to
begin as a Child born of an Israelite maiden / virgin - a Son and Child of
Israel, (Isa 7:14-16); Who was further described in Isaiah 9:6-7 as
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
.
So when a generation of all Israel believed in Him, this mission of the
LORD to come to earth and rule would be completed by His establishing of
His Everlasting Kingdom of Heaven rule over the world on the throne of
David from Jerusalem through His people, Israel. So those individuals from
the population of the world, i.e., Jews and Gentiles, who trusted alone in
Christ alone would then be permitted entrance into the eternal Kingdom of
Heaven, implying an unlimited, universal atonement for the sins of all
mankind, (Mt 1:18-23; 3:1-3, Isa 6:3; 7:14-16; 9:6-7; 40:1-5).
****** EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH ******
(Isa 7:14 YLT) '''Therefore the Lord Himself [is giving] to you [plural, i.e., Judah] a sign, [behold], the Virgin [the pregnant one] [the one giving birth to] a son, And she [has called] his name Immanuel. (Isa 7:15 NKJV) Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. (Isa 7:16 NKJV) For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings... (Isa 9:6 NKJV) For unto us [Israel, Isa 1:1, 8:18] a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:7 NKJV) Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this... (Isa 39:1 NKJV) At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard [lit., was hearing] that he had been sick and had recovered [lit., was recovering]. (Isa 39:2 NKJV) And Hezekiah was pleased [lit., was being pleased] with them, and showed them [lit., was showing them] the house of his treasures - the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory - all that was found [lit., had been found] among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. (Isa 39:3 NKJV) Then Isaiah the prophet went [lit., was coming] to King Hezekiah, and said [lit., was saying] to him, "What did these men say [lit., have these men said], and from where did they come [lit., were coming] to you?" So Hezekiah said, "They came [lit., had come] to me from a far country, from Babylon." (Isa 39:4 NKJV) And he said, [lit., was saying], "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah answered, [lit., was answering], "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them." (Isa 39:5 NKJV) Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: (Isa 39:6 NKJV) 'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried [lit., have been carried] to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the LORD. (Isa 39:7 NKJV) And they shall take away [lit., be taking away] some of your sons who will descend [lit., shall be descendants] from you, whom you will beget [lit., be begetting]; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.' (Isa 39:8 NKJV) So Hezekiah said [lit., was saying] to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!" For he said, "At least there will be peace and truth in my days." (Isa 40:1 Holman) "Comfort, comfort My people," says your God. (Isa 40:2 NKJV) "Speak [to the heart of] Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare [has been] ended, that her iniquity [is to have been pardoned], For she has received from the LORD's hand Double for all her sins." (Isa 40:3 HOLMAN) A voice of one crying out: ["In the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD]; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. (Isa 40:4 HOLMAN) Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rough places a plain. (Isa 40:5 NKJV) [And] the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken [it].' " ''' =
In view in this passage in Isaiah chapter 40 is the imminent return in ancient times of the Israelites from Babylonian captivity to a Jerusalem which was to be rebuilt by them. Israel's past iniquity had been pardoned through having received double punishment for all her sins, (Isa 40:1-2). Whereupon t he next verse portrays the voice of a prophet announcing the imminent coming of the LORD in His glory to establish on earth the Eternal Kingdom of God conditional upon all Israelites making the necessary preparation: "A voice of one crying out, 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; Make a straight highway for our God in the desert, Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rough places a plain," [And] the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken [it],' " ''' (Isa 40:3-5).
The phrases such as "In the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rough places a plain," (Isa 40:3-5), cannot be literal because such a fulfillment of these phrases which portray the world completely without hill or valley, or uneven or rough ground is not literally possible with finite, flawed man; nor useful in enabling the coming of the LORD, Who is Creator and Master of the physical world, and would not be hindered by any physical obstruction. And from whence does it begin and to where does the highway go which is to be built for our God in the desert? One can only conclude that the prophet crying out is speaking figuratively of the way of God's Perfect Righteousness which can only be via every one of a generation of Israelites removing the spiritual hindrances from within oneself to receive the coming of the LORD through trusting alone in the LORD alone to deliver one from one's sins to provide the gift of God's perfect Righteousness within oneself unto eternal life; whereupon the LORD would come to establish His everlasting Kingdom of Heaven on the earth through His people Israel - having prepared His way of Perfect Righteousness within man by providing it for and within each individual by faith as a free gift. In the past, Israel's lack of faith had blocked her fellowship with the LORD and caused punishment and captivity to befall her, (cf. Isa 39:1-8). Nevertheless the ancient Israelites returning from Babylon had their opportunity to see the salvation of their God come into the world but failed to prepare for the LORD to bring in His Kingdom via repentance unto faith. Notice that this repentance cannot mean doing godly works in order to receive remission (forgiveness) of sins in order to enter the Kingdom of God, as some contend; because doing godly works cannot erase sinful deeds. Nor can repentance mean to turn from sin in the sense of not committing sins any more; for that is a task which is not possible given the sinful nature of every individual. Hence the LORD postponed the completion of His mission for when a future generation of Israelites will prepare itself properly for His coming.
According to the context of the Book of Isaiah chapters 1 through 40, the coming of the LORD and His Righteousness into the world would begin as a Child: born of a maiden / virgin Whom she called His name Immanuel, (Isa 7:14-16).
(Isa 7:14 YLT) '''Therefore the Lord Himself [is giving] to you [plural, i.e., Judah] a sign, [behold], the Virgin [the pregnant one] [the one giving birth to] a son, And she [has called] his name Immanuel.
(Isa 7:15 NKJV) Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
(Isa 7:16 NKJV) For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings'''
(Mt 1:18 NKJV) "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
(Mt 1:19 NKJV) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
(Mt 1:20 NKJV) But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
(Mt 1:21 NKJV) And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
(Mt 1:22 NKJV) So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
(Mt 1:23 NKJV) Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us.' "
So a Child
shall be born of a maiden / virgin. His name shall be called "Immanuel"
meaning "God is with us," (Isa 7:14-16
).
(Isa 9:6 NKJV) "For unto us [Israel, Isa 1:1, 7:14-16; 8:18] a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isa 9:7 NKJV) Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
So He will be
born of Israel, hence a Son of Israel; and be declared, "Wonderful,
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." He will
come to establish His Everlasting Kingdom rule over the world on the
throne of David from Jerusalem through His people, Israel, (Isa 9:6-7
).
The time of His everlasting rule would begin when national Israel
responded to Him by faith in order to be delivered each one of his sins,
(Isa 40:3). When that becomes the case in history, every obstacle to God's
rule of righteousness will be removed; which Isaiah 40:4 expresses
figuratively in order to convey a spiritual meaning of God's provision of
the gift of His Righteousness to man: "Every valley will be lifted
up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will
become smooth, and the rough places a plain." Hence all mankind will
see the glory of the LORD - His Perfect Righteousness - when He comes to
rule over His everlasting kingdom on the earth, (Isa 40:5).
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"
All of this was declared by the prophet to be true, for the mouth of the LORD had spoken it to him, (Isa 5:16; 6:3; 7:14-16; 9:6-7; 39:5; 40:1-5).
****** END OF EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH ******
(Mt 3:1 NKJV) '''[Now] in in those days John the Baptist [comes] preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Mt 3:2 NKJV) and saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" (Mt 3:3 YLT) for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "A voice of one crying [out] in the wilderness, 'Prepare... the way of the LORD, straight make... His paths.' (Mt 3:4 NKJV) Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. (Mt 3:5 NKJV) Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him (Mt 3:6 NKJV) and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.''' =
Author Matthew goes on to describe John the Baptist as living the life of a prophet of God in the wilderness. He clothed himself in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, similar to what Elijah the prophet wore. His food was the food of a poor man: locusts and wild honey. Locusts (Greek, "akrides") are large grasshoppers, still eaten in the East, (not the fruit of the 'locust tree), (Mt 3:4). People from Jerusalem, Judea and the region around the Jordan River came to him; confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the waters of the river. Note that the Jordan was a fast flowing river, hence it is evident that a shallow ford was in view.
Although all water baptisms were symbolic; for example, the common practice of self-baptism that proselytes performed when they converted to Judaism, or the ceremonial washings Jews performed upon themselves; John's baptism was unique in that it was an immersion in water which was administered by him upon an Israelite, symbolic of one already having repented to trust in John's message of a coming Messiah Who would deliver one from one's sins unto entrance into His Everlasting Kingdom rule of righteousness on the throne of David. This Kingdom would have begun immediately in John's time had all Israel repented.
So since repentance to trusting in the coming Messiah to deliver one from one's sins has been repeatedly stipulated as the sole requirement for entrance into His Everlasting Kingdom without exception which is corroborated by John the Baptist's preaching; and since John the Baptist said, "I baptize you with water unto repentance," (Mt 3:11a), in which the Greek word "eis" rendered "unto" means because of, i.e., as a result of having already repented; then John's water baptism was not required for deliverance from one's sins unto entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Hence John's water baptism was a symbolic act of those Israelites who had already repented. In the case of the message of John of repentance unto remission of sins, the word repent cannot mean to do godly works in order to receive remission (forgiveness) of sins, as some contend; because doing godly works cannot erase sinful deeds. Nor can repent mean to turn from ones sins in the sense of not committing sins any more; for that is a task which is not possible given the sinful nature of every individual.
Note that John required an individual to confess his sins before he baptized them evidently in order for the baptism to be acceptable before the LORD, (Mt 3:5-6; Isa 40:3).
(Mt 3:1 NKJV) '''[Now] in in those days John the Baptist [comes] preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Mt 3:2 NKJV) and saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" (Mt 3:3 YLT) for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "A voice of one crying [out] in the wilderness, 'Prepare... the way of the LORD, straight make... His paths.' " (Mt 3:4 NKJV) Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. (Mt 3:5 NKJV) Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him (Mt 3:6 NKJV) and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (Mt 3:7 NKJV) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?' (Mt 3:8 NKJV) Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, (Mt 3:9 NKJV) and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (Mt 3:10 NKJV) And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mt 3:11 NKJV) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.''' =
When John the Baptist saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism - men of the political and religious ruling classes of Israel, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come," implying an imminent wrath in light of his preaching to all Israel to "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," the phrase "at hand" meaning imminent. Since the phrase "to flee from the coming wrath" in Mt 3:7 is in the present tense; and since the particular wrath in view will be exercised upon those that did not produce fruit, (Mt 3:10), then the wrath in view must be a temporal one in the time of John the Baptist which evidently was to have been exercised against those who would oppose the LORD should He come to establish His Kingdom of Heaven rule upon the earth upon all Israel repenting to trust in John's message of a coming Messiah Who would deliver one from one's sins unto entrance into His Everlasting Kingdom. Hence this rules out eternal wrath which one escapes from when one repents to faith alone in the Messiah alone, (Mt 3:3). Finally, eternal wrath is not in view in Mt 3:7 because that would be exercised upon all unbelievers at the end of time after their mortal deaths.
John the Baptist's stern words to the Jewish leader, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come!" implied that, although they came to his baptism, they had neither trusted in his message, nor intended to be baptized. This is corroborated by Mt 3:9 which indicated that they thought that their physical descendancy from Abraham was sufficient to gain eternal life.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were two key religious groups in Israel in John's time who comprised most of the Israelite leadership. Although they held dramatically doctrinal points of view from one another, both groups claimed to be true followers of Judaism. The Pharisees accepted the Pentateuch and the rest of the books, which are today often called the Old Testament Scripture, as well as Jewish writings and oral traditions. Their activities were largely centered around the Synagogue. The Sadducees were more politically minded than spiritual. They accepted the Pentateuch as authoritative, yet denied the resurrection of the dead, and the existence of spirits and angels which the Pentateuch taught as true. They were often priests whose activities were focused on Temple worship. When John chastised them with "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance," (Mt 3:7b-8); it was in the sense that if they had believed in the coming Messiah to deliver them from their sins unto entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, then they should have demonstrated that change of mind with godly works to corroborate that they did believe in order to flee from the LORD's temporal wrath when He did come. Evidently, God would exercise His temporal wrath upon those who were not faithful to Him when He came to rule. The Greek phrase rendered "Brood of vipers," which meant a nest of deadly poisonous snakes, expressed the concept of a deadly influence which both sects had upon the community especially relative to deliverance of one's sins and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Notice that John distinguished between repentance unto faith in a coming Messiah and bearing fruit that demonstrated that repentance - two different activities which by definition may or may not accompany one another in an individual's life, (Mt 3:7-8).
After John exclaimed to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance," (Mt 3:7-8); he told them "And do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' " (Mt 3:9a), which further corroborated that they did not choose to believe in John's message, nor did they think they had to produce fruits worthy of repentance to avoid the temporal wrath to come. This implied that they believed that since they were physical descendants of Abraham, then they were automatically qualified for entrance into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven without having to repent to exercise a moment of faith in the Messiah or produce fruit in keeping with that repentance. But they were mistaken and would be disqualified as true children of Abraham to enter the Kingdom until they believed in John's message. Furthermore, they evidently did not produce fruits of godly works and hence were subject to God's temporal wrath when He came to establish His Kingdom. John went on to say, "God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones," (Mt 3:9b), evidently referring to stones nearby or in the waters of the Jordan. John implied by this that the prophecy of the Kingdom of Heaven being fulfilled through the descendants of Abraham would be fulfilled not with such as the Pharisees and Sadducees or any physical descendant of Abraham who did not believe, but with those children of Abraham by faith, even if the LORD had to raise stones up to be Abraham's children. Evidently there would be a remnant of children of Abraham who would be the people of God who would dwell with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven by faith alone as Scripture promised.
John went on to say, "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire," (Mt 3:10). Since this verse has as its emphatic initial phrase, "And even now," with present tenses which point to the time frame of John the Baptist; and since this verse follows the context of previous statements of John: "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, i.e., imminent; "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Mt 3:7b); and since the word rendered "fire" in Scripture is often used to mean temporal judgment depending upon the context; then one can conclude that the Kingdom would bring with it the fire of temporal judgment for all those who did not choose to believe in the coming Messiah and / or refused to produce godly fruit having opposed Him in His establishment of His Kingdom. So then temporal, not eternal punishment, i.e., early physical death, is in view in Mt 3:10.
In the same way that orchard keepers cut down trees that don't bear good fruit and immediately put them into the fire to be physically destroyed; so in a figurative sense, those individuals in their mortal bodies who did not produce good fruit - works of a righteous / godly quality up to the inception of the Everlasting Kingdom of Heaven - will immediately be cut down and figuratively "be thrown into the fire" of temporal judgment at the time of the LORD's coming. They will be physically destroyed; i.e., face early physical death. No one who has refused to exercise a moment of faith alone in the LORD alone or who has been characteristically unfaithful, who is in his mortal body at the time of the LORD's coming when He begins His Everlasting Kingdom can have a part in that Kingdom.
In the final analysis, whenever eternal judgment is in view, specific modifying phrases or words such as "eternal," or "unquenchable" are present. On the other hand, those that do not repent, i.e., change their minds to express a moment of faith alone in the coming Messiah alone to deliver them from their sins unto entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom of Heaven will also suffer eternal judgment as noted in verse 12 with the picture of the separation of wheat from chaff, wherein those represented by the chaff, i.e., unbelievers will suffer God's judgment in "unquenchable fire."
(Mt 3:1 NKJV) '''[Now] in those days John the Baptist [comes] preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Mt 3:2 NKJV) and saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" (Mt 3:3 YLT) for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "A voice of one crying [out] in the wilderness, 'Prepare... the way of the LORD, straight make... His paths.' "(Mt 3:4 NKJV) Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. (Mt 3:5 NKJV) Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him (Mt 3:6 NKJV) and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (Mt 3:7 NKJV) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Mt 3:8 NKJV) Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, (Mt 3:9 NKJV) and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (Mt 3:10 NKJV) And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mt 3:11 NKJV) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Mt 3:11 NKJV) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Mt 3:12 NKJV) His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." ''' =
In Mt 3:11, John the Baptist said, "I baptize you with water unto repentance" in which the Greek word "eis" rendered "unto" means because of, i.e., as a result of having already repented. So John's water baptism was an immersion by John in the waters of the Jordan River of Israelite believers as a symbolic act of their having repented to a moment of faith alone in the coming Messiah for deliverance from sins and entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom of Heaven. John declared that he was not worthy enough to carry the sandals of the One Whom he announced would be coming. The task of carrying another's sandals was given to the lowliest Gentile slave. John said that the One coming would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The verb rendered "to baptize" means to be immersed into, dipped, or in some manner identified with in an actual sense or a symbolic one should the context be figurative or not be logically feasible. The word rendered "fire" in this context is used to mean a kind of judgment. Since the context of Mt 3:11c conveys both baptisms of the LORD to be actual, not symbolic, then the LORD's baptism with the Holy Spirit was to begin at some time in history as an actual immersion of the Holy Spirit into an individual who repented to faith alone in Him alone. And the LORD's baptism with fire was an actual judgment by the LORD meted upon one who had never repented in his lifetime - in this case eternal judgment as corroborated in the next verse:
"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire," (Mt 3:12 NKJV).
The word rendered "wheat" in Mt 3:12 evidently was symbolic of those who had repented, i.e., exercised a moment of faith alone in the coming Messiah for deliverance of sins unto entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. The chaff represented those who did not so believe in his lifetime and hence would suffer eternal punishment represented by the words, "unquenchable fire."
This was figuratively portrayed by the imagery of the threshing of wheat which often took place in the open air, usually on a hilltop. The grain was placed in a circle on the ground and trodden down by oxen or asses or beaten off the ear by hand. Then, to separate the chaff and other useless weeds from the grain, everything was thrown into the air with a winnowing fan - a wooden forklike shovel, similar to a pitchfork. The wind would carry off the lighter chaff, while the heavier grain fell to the ground. In the same way that the good grain was gathered and placed in a barn and the useless chaff was gathered and burned; so the Messiah would gather those who had repented unto faith in Him to deliver them from their sins and give them entrance into His Everlasting Kingdom; from those who did not repent to believe in Him in their lifetimes and condemn them to eternal punishment in the unquenchable, i.e., eternal fire - an activity reserved for God alone - the Son of God. Had all Israel at the time of John repented, the Kingdom of Heaven would have begun in John the Baptist's time. Since this did not occur, that beginning is evidently yet to come when a generation of all Israel will repent.
(Mt 3:13 YLT) '''Then [comes] Jesus from Galilee upon the Jordan, unto John to be baptized by him, (Mt 3:14 NKJV) And John [was trying] to prevent Him, saying, "I [have] need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" (Mt 3:15 NKJV) But Jesus [having] answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then He [allows] him [to baptize Him]. (Mt 3:16 YLT) And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and lo [behold], opened to Him were the heavens, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him, (Mt 3:17 NKJV) and lo [behold], a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My Son - the Beloved, in Whom I [have found] delight." '''
(Mt 3:1 NKJV) '''[Now] in those days John the Baptist [comes] preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Mt 3:2 NKJV) and saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" (Mt 3:3 YLT) for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "A voice of one crying [out] in the wilderness, 'Prepare... the way of the LORD, straight make... His paths.' " (Mt 3:4 NKJV) Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. (Mt 3:5 NKJV) Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him (Mt 3:6 NKJV) and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (Mt 3:7 NKJV) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Mt 3:8 NKJV) Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, (Mt 3:9 NKJV) and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (Mt 3:10 NKJV) And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mt 3:11 NKJV) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Mt 3:11 NKJV) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Mt 3:12 NKJV) His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Mt 3:13 YLT) Then [comes] Jesus from Galilee upon the Jordan, unto John to be baptized by him, (Mt 3:14 NKJV) And John [was trying] to prevent Him, saying, "I [have] need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" (Mt 3:15 NKJV) But Jesus [having] answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then He [allows] him [to baptize Him]. (Mt 3:16 YLT) And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and lo [behold], opened to Him were the heavens, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him, (Mt 3:17 NKJV) and lo [behold], a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is My Son - the Beloved, in Whom I [have found] delight." ''' =
After 18 years
of a relatively secluded life in Nazareth of Galilee, Jesus came upon the
Jordan River to John the Baptist in order to be baptized by John, (Mt
3:13). But John objected saying, "I have need to be baptized by You,
and You are coming to me?" This implied that John viewed Jesus as not
requiring deliverance from sins, nor an act symbolizing it; i.e., He was
sinless - the Messiah, Himself Who should baptize him instead, (Mt 3:14).
Nevertheless, Jesus answered, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is
fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" - a reference to an act
of symbolizing His mission to be an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the
whole world. Since water has no capacity in and of itself to provide
anyone with God's righteousness, then John's water baptism of Jesus - a
unique baptism - had to have been symbolic of Jesus "[fulfilling] all
righteousness," as He stipulated. So the mission of Jesus as Messiah,
for which John baptized Him symbolically, was to actually "fulfill
all righteousness" in the sense of making provision through an
atoning sacrifice for all mankind to be delivered from their sins unto
entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom of Heaven; to be administered to
each individual who expresses repentance to a moment of faith alone in
Christ alone for such deliverance, (Mt 3:2). Whereupon John baptized Him,
(Mt 3:15). Then Jesus went up immediately from the water and behold the
heavens were opened up to Him such that in His Humanity He was provided
with a perspective of heaven in which He saw the Spirit of God descending
as a dove and coming upon Him, signifying according to author Matthew -
who evidently witnessed or was advised of this - that He was indwelt by
the Spirit of God to empower Him in His mission. Furthermore, as author
Matthew stipulated, "A voice [of God the Father] out of the heavens
said, 'This is My Son - the Beloved, in Whom I have found delight,' "
attesting to His mission and His Diety. Due to author Matthew's
stipulation, "This is My Son," in Mt 3:17, (as opposed to "You
are My Son"), it is implied that the voice of God the Father from
Heaven was audible to others as well as Jesus of which author Matthew was
witness or was advised. Finally, since the phrase "Son of [God]"
in this context implies having the characteristics of God
,
then Jesus Christ being God's Son, fully has all of the characteristics of
God - He is God as well as perfect sinless Man.
CONTINUE
TO MATTHEW CHAPTER 4 