Matthew 3

Mt 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea

The Desert of Judea - A barren wasteland extending along the western shore of the Dead Sea.

Mat 3:2  and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Mat 3:3  This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

Mt 3:4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

Locusts - cf. Le 11:22

Mat 3:5  People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.

Mt 3:6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

‘As one of the conditions of becoming a proselyte to Judaism, the person had to immerse himself in water (also be circumcised if a male and offer a sacrifice). To be baptized by John was a striking aligning of oneself with his message. John had no organization to join; those being baptized were already Jews; and the church was not yet in existence. So they were acknowledging the truth of his message and siding with righteousness.’ (Ryrie)

‘When, at the diaspora, numerous Gentiles sought admission to Israel, the required public repentance and acceptance of Mosaic Law was accompanied by immersion in water, symbolizing and effecting religious, moral, and ritual cleansing from the defilements of paganism. Ancient Jewish discussions (echoed in 1Co 10:2) support a pre-Christian date for this proselyte baptism. This is why John’s baptism needed no explanation, though his authority to perform it was challenged and his demand for purification of “children of Abraham” gave deep offense.’ {Mt 3:7-9 Joh 1:19-24} (EDBT)

Mt 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”

Pharisees - ‘The Pharisees were the most influential of the Jewish sects at the time of Christ. Though holding orthodox doctrines, their zeal for the Mosaic Law led them to a degenerate, though strict, outward observance of both the law and their equally authoritative (in their own eyes) interpretations of it. They knew the Scriptures (23:2), tithed, {Lu 18:12} fasted (9:14), and prayed; {Mr 12:40} but they were also hypocritical (23:15), self-righteous, {Lu 18:9} and the foremost persecutors of the Lord (9:3).’ Ryrie)

Sadducees - ‘The Sadducees, whose membership came largely from the priesthood and upper classes, were the anti-supernaturalists of Christ’s day. They denied the truth of bodily resurrection, of future punishment and reward, and of the existence of angels. {Ac 23:8} Though they upheld the written law of Moses, they were opposed to the oral traditions observed by the Pharisees. They were the party of the high-priestly families of Jerusalem with direct interests in the apparatus of Temple worship and generally collaborated with the Roman rulers. They opposed Christ as vigorously as the Pharisees and were condemned by him as severely, though not so frequently (16:1-4, 6).’ (Ryrie)

Flee - “All the while thou delayest, God is more provoked, the wicked one more encouraged, thy heart more hardened, they debts more increased, thy soul more endangered, and all the difficulties of conversion more and more multiplied upon thee, having a day more to repent of, and a day less to repent in’ (George Swinnock).

Mat 3:8  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

Mt 3:9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

“Do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” -’The common teaching of that day said that the Jews participated in the merits of Abraham, which made their prayers acceptable, helped in war, expiated sins, appeased the wrath of God, and assured a share in God’s eternal kingdom. Consequently, the people were startled when John and Jesus preached the necessity of personal repentance.’ (Ryrie)

Mt 3:10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

The ax is already - Time is running out; judgment is near.

Mt 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” - ‘The verbal form, ‘baptize(d) with the Holy Spirit’, occurs seven times in the Bible. Six refer to John the Baptist’s contrast between his preparatory heralding ministry, baptizing ‘with water’, and Jesus’ coming Messianic ministry, baptizing ‘with the Holy Spirit’. {Mt 3:11 Mr 1:8 Lu 3:16 Joh 1:33 Ac 1:5 11:16} It also occurs when Paul expounds the essential unity of the experience of the Spirit in all of God’s people: ‘we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body’. {1Co 12:13}

In Scripture ‘baptism in the Spirit’ belongs to that complex of ideas which refer to Christian beginnings: repentance and faith, justification, conversion, regeneration, water baptism, ingrafting into Christ, adoption into God’s family…’Baptism in the Spirit’ is therefore one of the ways the NT speaks about ‘becoming a Christian’; hence every true believer in Christ has been baptized in the Spirit…To use the phrase for a subsequent experience of the Spirit’s power and blessing, no matter how overwhelming, strictly goes beyond the biblical usage and is liable therefore in the long run to be unhelpful and misleading.’ (Milne, Know the Truth, 199.)

“And with Fire” - Revival is well described as fire. God himself is a consuming fire: he blazed at Sinai and in the burning bush. Fire cleanses, refines and purifies. Fire warms, glows and spreads. Fire brightens, cheers and illuminates. Fire is unpredictable and difficult to control. In all these respects, revival is like a spiritual fire.

Mt 3:12 “his winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Winnowing fork - A wooden shovel used for tossing grain against the wind after threshing so that the lighter chaff would be blown away, leaving the kernels to settle in a pile.

Mat 3:13  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.

Mt 3:14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

‘Matthew alone tells us that John tried to deter Jesus from being baptized, ostensively because baptism implies that a person has sin of which they must repent. John seems to recognize his own sinfulness in comparison with Jesus and notes that their roles should be reversed-Jesus should be baptizing John. Jesus’ reply seems to acknowledge the logic of John’s argument, but he nevertheless requests baptism for a different reason.’ (DJG)

Mt 3:15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

“To fulfill all righteousness” - That is, to fulfill the demands of God’s law. ‘Matthew has portrayed Jesus fulfilling specific prophecies as well as more general biblical themes. Now he fulfills the moral demands of God’s will. In so doing, Jesus identifies and sanctions John’s ministry as divinely ordained and his message as one to be heeded.’ (DJG)

Mt 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

The Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him - ‘We are not to suppose that there was any change wrought in the moral character of Jesus, but only that he was publicly set apart to his work, and solemnly approved by God in the office to which he was appointed.’ (Barnes)

Mt 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

‘The Gospels show that three voices-Scripture, a prophetic voice in the wilderness and the heavenly voice-all attest Jesus’ identity. The heavenly voice alone would have been inadequate, but here it confirms the witness of Scripture and a prophet. Jesus is not a mere prophet but the subject of other prophets’ messages. The fact of the voice is important, but what the voice says is most important, for this is what officially declares Jesus’ identity to Matthew’s biblically informed implied audience. The voice rehearses ancient biblical language, probably adapting Ps 2:7 (“you are my Son”) into an announcement to the bystanders (This is my Son). Psalm 2, originally an enthronement psalm, is here used to announce in advance Jesus’ messianic enthronement. The second proposed biblical allusion here, Isa 42:1, is more controversial, despite its many proponents. But whether or not Mark saw Isaiah’s servant as background here, Matthew surely did, for he reads the wording of this voice’s recognition oracle into his own translation of Isaiah. {Mt 12:18} Jesus’ mission includes suffering opposition as well as reigning, and so does the mission of his followers. {Mt 5:11-12 10:22 16:24-27 19:27-29 24:9-13}

The Father’s acclamation of the Son may suggest various principles to Matthew’s readers. First, it reveals how central Jesus is to the Father’s heart and plan; no one can reject Jesus and simultaneously please the Father. Jesus is not one prophet among many, but God’s ultimate revelation; that he is God’s “beloved” Son underlines the magnitude of God’s sacrifice. {compare Joh 3:16} Though in many contemporary circles worship properly exhorts and encourages the people of God, {Col 3:16} we also need the kind of worship that tells Jesus how great he is, praising him for what he has done and for who he is. {Ps 150:2} Second, the Father’s acclamation reveals that the meek Jesus is also the ultimate ruler who will usher in justice and peace. The beginning of his story tells his persecuted followers the end of the story in advance, providing us firm hope for the future. Finally, the voice reveals Jesus as the Son obedient to the point of death, who willingly divests himself of his proper honor by identifying with us in baptism and death. We who often trifle with obedience in the smallest matters-for instance, the discipline of our thoughts or words for God’s honor-are shamed by our Lord’s obedience. May we worship him so intensely that his desires become our own and we, like our Lord, become obedient servants with whom the Father is well pleased.’ (IVP NT Commentary)