jesus and the devil 1

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (v. 1). The other Gospel accounts agree with this rendering, though one or two words are different. After the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism, we are told immediately that the Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness. However, the Spirit did not merely lead Him there but drove Him to that place. The Spirit impelled Jesus to go into the wilderness for the specific purpose of being tempted.

The Scriptures tell us clearly, in James’s epistle, that temptations arise from within, from the evil inclinations of our hearts, and we succumb to these temptations as a result of our corrupt spirit (James 1:14–15). James writes, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am temped by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (v. 13). For that reason, we know that here in Matthew God is not tempting Jesus. The word Matthew uses can mean “tempt” or “test.” God sent His Son into the wilderness in order that He would be tempted by Satan, and the purpose for the temptation was to test Him.

The Sinlessness of Jesus

In our last lesson we considered that when Jesus submitted to the baptism of John, He did so in part to identify with His people, to demonstrate the corporate solidarity between Jesus and the covenant people of God. Jesus did not need to be baptized as repentance for sin, because He had no sin. Nonbelievers attack the veracity of the virgin birth and the resurrection of Jesus because these two events are so manifestly miraculous. Yet there is something in the Scripture about Jesus that is even more astonishing than His resurrection from the dead, and that is His sinlessness.

The most righteous among us have not made it without sin since we got out of our bed this morning. Not one of us has ever loved the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and strength. To imagine a human being, no matter how sanctified, living a life of complete righteousness without the smallest moral blemish is almost impossible to conceive. We must remember that one of Jesus’ roles was to serve as the new Adam, the second Adam. He was called to do for us what the first Adam failed to achieve. This parallel contrast between the original Adam and the new Adam is set forth frequently in the New Testament to show that by the first Adam’s disobedience, the world was plunged into ruin, but by the second Adam’s obedience, His followers are redeemed. Both Adams were subjected to a probationary test to see if they would achieve obedience and righteousness. For Christ to redeem us as the second Adam, He had to be put to the test if He was to redeem us. Like the first Adam, He was placed on probation, and He could not fail His test.

The redemption that Christ accomplished for us was not achieved by His death alone. He not only had to take our punishment for sin, but He also had to achieve righteousness on our behalf. Therefore, His perfect obedience is as necessary to our salvation as His death upon the cross. Here, in this experience in the wilderness, that righteousness and obedience are at stake.

The First Test

The location of the first Adam’s test was the garden of Eden, an unspoiled place filled with the luscious fruit that God had given to His creatures, saying to them, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Gen. 2:16–17). The setting for Adam and Eve’s test was a gourmet feast in this pristine garden of Eden. The setting of the test of the second Adam was in the Judean wilderness, which, far from being a lush garden, is one of the most desolate places on earth. Its only inhabitants are spiders, scorpions, and a few varieties of birds. It was a place forbidding and foreboding into which the Spirit drove Jesus to be tempted.

The circumstances of His test were to take place on an empty stomach after a forty-day fast reminiscent of the forty days and nights of the fast of Moses in the Old Testament before God gave him the law. The Serpent came to Adam and Eve when their stomachs were full; he came to the new Adam in the midst of profound hunger. Additionally, Adam and Eve’s test was not given in the midst of solitude or loneliness, but in the midst of companionship. They faced their test with mutual support and encouragement, whereas Christ faced the devil alone. Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus faced the devil at a time when the world was accustomed to sin. You can see the strong contrast between the two tests.

At the same time, there is a point of similarity that we do not want to miss: the same issue was at stake. In the garden of Eden the Serpent came to Adam and Eve with a question: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1). Of course God had not said that; God had said they could freely eat. There was only one place in the garden that was off-limits. When Eve responded to Satan, saying, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Satan told her, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (vv. 2–5). So, seeing that the fruit seemed good, they did eat and plunged the world into ruin.

When the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, Satan also came with a question: “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (v. 3). The last words echoing in Jesus’ ears had come from heaven itself, when God audibly spoke, saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The devil’s point of attack was the same in both cases—the trustworthiness of the word of God. Adam and Eve did not believe God, but Jesus did.

The question of whether Jesus could have sinned comes up in every generation. Many theologians say it is impossible that Jesus could have sinned, and they base that argument on the eternal decrees of God. Did not God decide that Christ would come to this world and be our Redeemer, and if indeed Christ was ordained to redeem us, then surely, in light of that divine foreordination, it would have been impossible for Him to sin. There is some weight to that argument, because if God ordains from all eternity that something is going to happen, it most certainly will happen.

There is a tiny but important theological distinction between the necessity of the consequence and the necessity of the consequent. From the eternal perspective, there is no possibility that Jesus would have sinned, just as it would have been impossible for Adam and Eve or Judas not to sin. However, in terms of the consequent, God’s eternal decrees work in and through the means that He appoints, and the appointed means for the fall of the human race was through the decision of Adam and Eve, which they did without coercion. In like manner, our Lord was obedient through no coercive power of God, and in that sense, considering His human nature, He could have sinned.

Even more important is the Christological issue. Throughout church history theologians have argued that it would have been impossible for Jesus to sin because He is God incarnate, and God cannot sin. However, God incarnate has two natures—a divine nature and a human nature—and though we cannot divide them, we must distinguish between them. During His lifetime Jesus got hungry, He sweated, and He died. Those were manifestations of His human nature, not His divine nature. God does not sweat. Those who think that Jesus’ divine nature so overshadowed His human nature so as to make it impossible for Him to sin have slipped into monophysitism, an old and lethal heresy in which divine attributes are imputed to the human nature. Jesus’ human nature was a real human nature with all of the limitations that go with it. Jesus had the ability to sin, or He would not have been truly human. Moreover, if Jesus had been incapable of sinning, the temptation in the wilderness would have been nothing but a sham.¹

Remarkably, from the heights of baptism blessing Jesus descends into wilderness temptation. It is not accidental—the same Spirit who anointed him in chapter 3 leads him into the wilderness to be tempted. The fasting for forty days and forty nights is another link to the past: Israel, redeemed from Egypt, spent forty years in the wilderness ‘tested’ by the word of God (see Deut. 8:2). Now Jesus, called out of Egypt, also spends his probation in the wilderness.

But there are deeper associations here. After all, sin entered the world by temptation in a garden. Adam failed the probation, and sin passed into all men. Now Jesus is tempted in a wilderness. He will stand where Adam fell, and will bring salvation into human experience. For this reason, says the writer to the Hebrews, it was fitting that Jesus should be tempted: ‘Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted’ (Heb. 2:17–18).

The reality of the temptation is not diminished by the fact that Jesus has no sin and cannot sin. He feels its full force and has to resist until the tempter withdraws from him. Satan takes advantage of Jesus’ location (the isolation of the wilderness) and of Jesus’ condition (he is hungry), but he cannot bring him to yield.

The temptations focus in a particular way on the deity of Christ. The voice at the baptism declared him to be the Son of God; the voice in the wilderness now says, ‘If you are the Son of God …’ In the first assault, the devil wants Jesus to perform a miracle in order to meet his physical need; in the second, he wants him to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple in order to test whether God will keep his promise; in the third, he wants him to obtain what God has promised him (all the kingdoms of the world) by the devil’s way, avoiding the cross altogether.

Jesus’ resource for meeting these assaults is the Word of God. Interestingly, he finds the Book of Deuteronomy particularly appropriate; and that should not surprise us, since it was given to Israel in the Old Testament. Now, for the true Israel, in the wilderness for his people, the ancient Word of God is the only adequate help.

One angel—the devil—recedes, while other angels minister to him.²

THE THREEFOLD TEMPTATION OF JESUS

Let us follow the movement of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus came down to be born among us and so to be identified with us. He grew up as any other child would, except that He was harmless and without sin. Now, in His baptism, He has been identified with us. He has put on our sin. Now He is going to be tested because there are some real questions to be answered. Is the King able to withstand a test, and can He overcome?

The word tempt has a twofold meaning:

1. “Incite or entice to evil; seduce.” There is something in each of us which causes us to yield to evil. This was not true of Jesus. “… the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me” (John 14:30). He was “… holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners …” (Heb. 7:26). So the temptation for Jesus had to be different from that which would cause me to fall, in that it needed to be a much greater temptation.

2. “Test.” God does not tempt men with evil according to James 1:13. Yet, we are told “… God did tempt Abraham …” (Gen. 22:1). This means that God was testing the faith of Abraham.

Jesus is now to be tested. Could Jesus have fallen? I want to answer that with an emphatic no! He could not have fallen. If Jesus could have fallen, then you and I do not have a sure Savior at all.

Perhaps you are asking, “Well then, if Jesus could not have fallen, was His temptation a legitimate and genuine temptation?” May I say to you that His temptation was much greater than any that you and I have ever had. When a new model Chevrolet or Ford or Dodge is developed, it is thoroughly tested to prove it can stand the test. And every genuine diamond is tested to show that it is not a phony. In a similar way, the Lord Jesus Christ was tested to demonstrate that He was exactly who He claimed to be.

Let me illustrate with this little story. When I was a boy, I lived out in West Texas. It was a sparsely populated area in those days. The Santa Fe railroad came through our little town, but it went on by and stopped in the next little town. But it crossed the left fork of the Brazos River near our town. In the summertime there wasn’t enough water in that river to rust a shingle nail, but in wintertime you could float a battleship on it. One winter we really had a flood, and it washed out the Santa Fe bridge. We were without a train for a long time. Finally, they put in a bridge. They worked a long time on it. Then one day they brought in two engines, stopped them on the bridge, and tied down their whistles. Believe me, that was more whistling than we had ever heard in our little town! All twenty–three of us ran down to see what was happening. As we were standing around, one brave citizen went up to the engineer in charge with our question,“What are you doing?” The engineer answered, “Testing the bridge.” Our man said, “Are you trying to break it down?” The engineer almost sneered, “Of course not! We’re testing it to prove that it can’t be broken down.”

May I say to you, that was the exact reason the Lord Jesus was tested. It was to prove, to demonstrate, that He could not be broken down. His testing, therefore, was greater than ours. There is a limit to what we can bear. You give me enough temptation, you build up the pressure, and finally I’ll succumb to it. That is true of you too. But Christ never gave in although the pressure continued to increase. In other words, a ten–pound fishing line will break when twenty pounds of pressure is put on it, but a hundred–pound line can bear more than twenty–five pounds of pressure. Now, I’m the ten–pound fishing line, and He is the one hundred–pound line.

Another really interesting feature of this temptation is the comparison and contrast with the testing of Eve in the Garden of Eden. To begin with, Christ was tested in a wilderness while Eve was tested in a garden. What a contrast!³

**

1 Sproul, R. C. (2013). Matthew (pp. 50–53). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

2 Campbell, I. D. (2008). Opening up Matthew (pp. 35–36). Leominster: Day One Publications.

3 McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Matthew 1-13) (electronic ed., Vol. 34, pp. 55–56). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Jesus baptized

Jesus’ Baptism of Identification

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

¹⁵ But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

¹⁶ When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. ¹⁷ And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

—Matthew 3:13–17

3:15 righteousness. God’s kingdom (His sovereign rule in salvation and judgment) is defined by His righteousness. Jesus teaches the perfect righteousness that God requires (5:20, 48); He also secures God’s righteousness for sinners. His baptism points to His death as “a ransom for many” (20:28) and shows the perfect obedience in which He fulfills all righteousness (Jer. 23:5, 6). Remission of sins and the gift of righteousness are received through faith in Jesus (8:10; 23:23; cf. 21:32). Those who lack God’s righteousness, but hunger and thirst for it, will be filled (5:6; 6:33). Jesus calls those burdened with the load of self-righteousness to find their rest in Him (11:28–12:8).¹

The baptism of Jesus has been difficult to interpret. Why did the Son of God need to be baptized? John’s baptism was a call to repentance; it was an introduction to the new kingdom. When Jesus came to the Jordan and asked John to baptize Him, John tried to dissuade Him. John stated that he needed what Jesus could give him rather than that Jesus needed anything from John. However, Jesus responded that it should be done “to fulfill all righteousness.”

For thirty years Jesus had lived in Nazareth, awaiting the time when the Father would direct Him to begin His public ministry. His act of being baptized by John was a complete and full identification with the kingdom that John was announcing. Baptism symbolized the turning from the old to the new. Jesus’ baptism was His own symbolic act of identification with the new, of participation in the kingdom of God. Jesus’ use of the word “righteousness” is significant, for righteousness is the word which denotes right relationship. Jesus’ act of being baptized was a witness to the rightness of His relationship in the kingdom and to His right relationship with God, the sovereign of this kingdom.

A second symbolic happening with Jesus’ baptism was the descending of the Spirit of God upon Him. As John said in his witness, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:32–33). John was granted the visual symbol of the Spirit of God lighting on Jesus in the fashion of a dove alighting—the assurance that this was the King coming in His kingdom. But the Spirit came as a dove, not as a lion upon “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” in power, but with dovelike meekness.

The third certification is the voice from heaven which John heard at the baptism. The voice said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The statement has two phrases, each a quotation from the Old Testament. In Psalm 2:7, a psalm which described the Messiah as the coming King, we read, “You are my Son” (niv). In Isaiah 42:1, the description of the suffering servant, we read, “in whom I delight” (niv). At Jesus’ baptism He is given this divine confirmation from the Father, a word of His being and His behavior, of His acceptance and His approval. The person of the King is now introduced as the Son of God!

A suggested outline for a message on Jesus’ baptism of identification is as follows: (1) the Sign, the act of baptism; (2) the Spirit, the presence of God; and (3) the Sonship, attested by the voice from heaven (3:13–17). He is identified with the kingdom, with the Spirit, and with the Father.²

This is remarkable, and we are going to ask the question: “Why was Jesus baptized?” and try to answer it.

But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

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 [Matt. 3:14–15].

Why was Jesus baptized? There may be several answers, but the primary reason is stated right here: “For thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” Jesus is identifying Himself completely with sinful mankind. Isaiah had prophesied that He would be numbered with the transgressors (see Isa. 53:12). Here is a King who identifies Himself with His subjects. Actually, baptism means identification, and I believe identification was the primary purpose for the baptism of the Lord Jesus. Again, the reason Jesus was baptized was not to set an example for us. It was not a pattern for us to follow. Christ was holy—He did not need to repent. You and I do need to repent. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. He was baptized to completely identify Himself with humanity.

There was a second reason Jesus was baptized. Water baptism is symbolic of death. His death was a baptism. You remember that He said to James and John when they wanted to be seated on His right hand and on His left hand in the Kingdom, “Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (Matt. 20:22). You see, Christ’s death was a baptism. He entered into death for you and for me.

There is a third reason for the baptism of Jesus. At this time He was set aside for His office of priest. The Holy Spirit came upon Him for this priestly ministry. Everything that Jesus did, His every act, was done by the power of the Holy Spirit. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21). There was sin on Him, but there was no sin in Him. My sin was put on Him, not in Him. That is an important distinction. Therefore, you and I are saved by being identified with Him. He identified Himself with us in baptism. And Peter says that we are saved by baptism (see 1 Pet. 3:21). In what way? By being identified with the Lord Jesus. To be saved is to be in Christ. How do we get into Christ? By the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I believe in water baptism because by it we declare that we are identified with Christ. The Lord Jesus said, “… him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). We must recognize that we have to be identified with Christ, and that is accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Our water baptism is a testimony to this. One time an old salt said to a young sailor in trying to get him to accept Christ and be baptized, “Young man it is duty or mutiny!” And when you come to Christ, my friend, you are to be baptized because it is a duty. If you are not, it is mutiny.

This subject of baptism needs to be lifted out of the realm of argument to the high and lofty plane of standing for Christ. How we need to come out and stand for Christ!

Let me repeat verse 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”—that is, John baptized Him.³

Because John’s mother and Jesus’ mother were cousins, John knew Jesus quite well. And although he did not yet understand that his second cousin was the promised Messiah, he knew Jesus was without sin. That is why, in the midst of baptizing others, John was suddenly aware of his own sinfulness when Jesus approached him.

“There’s no fault in you,” declared John. “You should be baptizing me.”

But Jesus immediately said, “Allow it to be so, for in so doing, we will fulfill all righteousness. It’s the right thing to do.” Why? If baptism was a sign of repentance, why would Jesus, who was sinless, say, “It’s important for Me to be baptized by you”?

I suggest four reasons for your consideration.

1.. Jesus’ Baptism Was an Affirmation of John’s Ministry

In joining the masses and coming to the Jordan to be baptized, Jesus was saying, “Even though John knows he’s a sinner, even though John is aware of his inadequacies, I approve of his service for Me. And his message of repentance is a valid one.” When Jesus began His public preaching, repentance was His message as well. In coming to the Jordan, Jesus was affirming John’s ministry—both the man and the message.

2.. Jesus’ Baptism Is an Identification with Us Personally

He who knew no sin took our sin, died for us, and identifies with us in baptism. Jesus was immersed, and so are we. Consequently, there is an identification and a bonding.

3.. Jesus’ Baptism Was a Declaration to His Father Prophetically

In submission to the Father’s plan, Jesus came to die. Romans 6 teaches that baptism is a picture of death and burial. In baptism, Jesus was saying, “I know I have come to die. And, Father, I am submitted to that plan of death and burial.” But because baptism doesn’t end in the water, because He was pulled out again, which speaks of resurrection, Jesus also declared this to His Father, “Yes, I am submitted to Your plan—I will die. But I will also rise again through Your power.”

4.. Jesus’ Baptism Is an Illustration of the Trinity

After Jesus came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard from the heavens.

The baptism of Jesus was an affirmation of John’s ministry, an identification with us personally, a declaration to the Father prophetically, and an illustration of the Trinity practically.

When I read of Jesus’ baptism, my mind goes back about twenty-three hundred years earlier to the story of a man whose name means “Comforter.” You know him by the name of Noah. Noah was surrounded by a world that was corrupt and defiled. But Scripture tells us that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And God told Noah, “I’m going to drown this corrupt, wicked world. I’m going to be merciful.”

Merciful? Yes.

In sending the Flood, God was doing quickly and mercifully what man was doing slowly and painfully. Noah’s society, immersed in the occult and caught up in perversion, was destroying itself. So God sent the Flood. For forty days it rained, and the world was drowned. At the end of forty days, the rain stopped, and Noah let out a raven and a dove. The raven, a scavenger, had plenty to pick on. Carcasses were everywhere, so the raven didn’t come back. But the dove, a bird of purity, circled, and finding no place to set her foot, came back and landed on Noah.

The picture is incredible to me. A man called Comfort, surrounded by water, in which the polluted world has been drowned, and the dove comes upon him. Could this have registered in the minds of those who observed the baptism of Jesus? It certainly does for me, and through it, I understand something of the significance of baptism—a dying to the world around us and a resurrection to newness of life as Paul declared in Romans 6:4.

I am not stretching the analogy, because in 1 Peter 3:21, Peter writes that Noah and the Flood are a picture of baptism. But wait—there was another man who was submerged in water, baptized radically, whose name literally means “dove.” You know him by his more familiar name of Jonah. Jonah was rebelling against the Lord when he went through a most interesting baptism. He wasn’t only immersed in water. He was thrown in! For three days, he was at the bottom of the sea in the belly of a great fish, where he was broken as he cried out to God and repented from his sin. And suddenly, he was resurrected as the whale had the “urge to re-gurge” him on the beach at Assyria.

Jonah’s baptism was not a drowning of the world around him. It was a drowning of the rebellion and selfishness within him. Jonah had his own agenda, but through his baptism, he surrendered it. That’s also what baptism is about. Not only are you dying to the world that surrounds you, but to the selfishness within you. Baptism says, “Lord, I will go wherever You lead. Do whatever You desire. Whatever that might mean, I trust You. You are my God and my King.”

You might be saying, “This is all very fine theoretically. But I was baptized six months ago, or six years ago, or sixty years ago, and I have failed miserably.”

So did Noah. After emerging from the ark, Noah got drunk and exposed himself in a manner that caused a problem in his sons felt to this day. The sinfulness that should have been eradicated from Noah’s world resurfaced when he was drunk in his tent.

What about Jonah? Jonah preached, and the greatest revival in history took place as the entire city of Ninevah turned to the Lord. Yet what did Jonah do? He went up on a hillside and pouted, angry because four hundred thousand Ninevites got saved. He failed miserably because the selfishness that should have been drowned in the belly of the whale re-emerged.

During Noah’s baptism, it rained for forty days. After Jonah’s baptism, he emerged and preached, “forty days until Ninevah is destroyed.” Following Jesus’ baptism, He was led into the wilderness for forty days. Although all three had times of trial, only One emerged victorious. Only One made it successfully. Only One was baptized and moved on to total and complete victory. Was it Jonah, the great prophet? No. Noah, the man of faith? No. Only Jesus.

Jesus, in His forty-day temptation, overcame Satan. He didn’t fail. And because of His victory, baptism not only says, “I am dying to the sin around me, and I am dying to the sin within me,” but most importantly, it says, “I believe in the One who died for me.”

You see, gang, when you are baptized, it doesn’t mean you are going to be perfect from that point on. It means you acknowledge that you are perfectly forgiven and perfectly loved, that Jesus Christ paid the price for every sin you ever have done, are doing, or will ever do. The One who was baptized and was victorious through those forty days of trial and testing is now living in you.

Thus Paul writes,

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

That’s the gospel—Jesus Christ victorious, living in me. I don’t know when you were baptized, but I encourage you to reaffirm your baptism in your own heart. Be like Noah. Watch the world drown, and rise above it. Be like Jonah. Die to your selfishness, and walk in newness of life. And if you have failed like Noah did, like Jonah did, like we all have, know this: Jesus is your Victory. He who knew no sin became sin for you. You are perfectly forgiven. Enjoy your salvation, and live to that calling.⁴

1 Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2005). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (p. 1365). Orlando, FL; Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries.

2 Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol. 24, p. 18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

3 McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Matthew 1-13) (electronic ed., Vol. 34, pp. 52–54). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

4 Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (pp. 17–20). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

rc sproul john the baptist

JOHN THE BAPTIST

Matthew 3:1–12

After two thousand years of redemptive history, recorded for us in the prophecies of the Old Testament, the voice of God became silent, and there was not a single word from God in prophetic utterance for a period of four hundred years. The last prophecy in the Old Testament is found in the book of Malachi: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (Mal. 4:5–6). Here at the end of the Old Testament God is saying that instead of bringing a curse upon the world, He is going to bring back the voice of Elijah the prophet. Four hundred years later that prophecy was fulfilled, according to Jesus, in the person of John the Baptist. Our Lord declared that John came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17).

John’s Message

Turning to Matthew’s account we read: In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea (v. 1). The fact is that the one anointed by God to restore the voice of prophecy to the land did so with the vocation of preaching. This reminds us that it is through preaching that God has chosen to save the world. God traditionally met with His prophets in the desert or wilderness, places removed from the frenetic activity of the city, where God could whisper in a still small voice to those whom He anointed to be agents of revelation. Just like the Old Testament prophets, this new prophet comes out of the wilderness, and his message is simple: “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (v. 2).

The other Gospels record John as saying, “Repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand.” Some have seen the difference between the language of Matthew and that of the other Gospel writers as indicating that there are two different kingdoms under God’s reign—a heavenly kingdom and an earthly one. That is wrong, however. We must remember that Matthew is a Jew writing for Jews using the customary literary form of circumlocution. The Jews, who were loathe to pronounce the name of God, found substitute expressions, so instead of saying “kingdom of God,” Matthew says “kingdom of heaven.”

John was sent to Israel, and he called upon them to repent and be baptized. His message would have scandalized the Jews, because the only people baptized prior to this time were those converting from paganism to Judaism. These converts, Gentiles, were considered unclean, so they were required to participate in a symbolic washing of their filth so as to become worthy to join the community of Israel. The convert baptized himself, as if he were taking a bath before he could join the community of Israel.

Then out of the desert came John, who resembled Elijah in dress and manner, telling the Jews that they needed to be baptized. His message was clear: the Jews too were unclean. God’s own people were not ready for His coming, and they needed to repent. The force of that verb, repent, is no mere hat tip to the holiness of God with a mere acknowledgment of one’s sin. The call here is to radical conversion—to turn from sin and intoxication with this world and direct one’s soul and heart to the things of God. And there is no inclusion for anyone in the kingdom of God who has not done that. That is as true today as it was when John made that announcement by the Jordan. John speaks with a sense of urgency. Something new and radical is about to happen—the breakthrough of God’s kingdom is at hand.

John’s Role

This is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight’ ” (v. 3). The language of heraldry is used when the New Testament speaks about Christ’s coming, even when it speaks of the rapture. Such fanfare happened in the Middle Ages when a king came into a village. The trumpeters gave a blast of the trumpet indicating that the king was about to appear. That was the role of John the Baptist. John’s entire function, the purpose for which he was made and raised up, was to herald the kingdom of God, because the kingdom of God was made manifest by the appearance of the King. Just as trumpeters would blow their trumpets to announce the visitation of the king, so the purpose of John the Baptist was to cry in the wilderness to prepare the pathway of the Lord.

Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey (v. 4). The camel hair that John wore was not the sort we find today in expensive outer garments. It was one of the roughest, most crude, and cheapest forms of outer garment of the ancient world. John was not adorned with suede but with the roughhewn skin of the camel. The honey he ate to survive was not the sort cultivated by beekeepers. It was the wild honey obtained only at the risk of a thousand bee stings.

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins (vv. 5–6). The Jews referred to common people as ‘am hā’āretz. The Greeks used the expression hoi polloi. These were the people of the land in contrast to those titled with nobility. The ‘am hā’āretz, the common folk, heard John gladly and were obedient to his word, whereas the clergy, the professional religious people, were absolutely outraged that this strange man would come out of the wilderness and tell them they were unclean and unready for the coming kingdom. How would we have responded if we had heard John? Would we have gone to the Jordan River for cleansing, or would we have refused to participate in the humbling ritual?

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?” (v. 7). The Pharisees and Sadducees were not coming to be baptized but merely to examine what John was doing so that they could report it to the authorities in Jerusalem. John knew what was in their minds, which is why he rebuked them sharply. We see here an important part of John’s message—impending judgment.

The Greek word translated “judgment” is krisis, from which we get the English word crisis. John is saying that his baptism is not a meaningless ritual; it is a moment of supreme crisis, because the kingdom of God is at hand. It will be heaven for those who receive it but wrath for those who do not.

“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 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” (vv. 8–9). The Pharisees and Sadducees must not think that circumcision or their pedigree as descendants of Abraham will save them. God can make people children of Abraham who were not children of Abraham. God can make people living stones, who before were nothing but recalcitrant sinners. I am a child of Abraham, and I once had a heart of stone. I had no more spiritual life in me than the stones along the Jordan River, but God changed my heart of stone to a heart of flesh, which He has done for every person who is in Christ.

“Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees” (v. 10). Do you see the urgency? The kingdom of God is not going to come in some distant time. The woodsman has penetrated that tree down to its very core, the root, so that one more swing of that ax and the tree will come crashing down. That is how close things are, John is saying.

“Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (v. 10). Our Lord gave this same metaphor: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6). If you profess to be a Christian and do not bring forth the fruit of repentance, you will be like the branches that are cast off and are thrown into the fire. Have you thought about that? We live in a culture where no one is afraid of the judgment of God, but the biblical portrait is of a God who will judge the earth, a God who will call every living creature to account. If we do not bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, we will be cast into the fire, where we belong.

“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” (v. 11). Every Christian is united to Christ in His suffering, humiliation, death, and resurrection, and we have been baptized by His Spirit, and that baptism is a baptism of fire. This fire cleanses us, it purges and purifies us, and it produces what the crucible was designed to produce—the pure gold of sanctification. Think not that you come to a Savior who will keep you out of the fire. He will keep you out of the eternal fire, but in the meantime you stand in the furnace like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

“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” (v. 12). The fan John mentions here is the winnowing fork that Jewish farmers used to separate the good wheat from the chaff. With the fork farmers tossed the wheat into the air. The chaff was so light that even the slightest current of wind would carry it away, but the good wheat would fall to the floor. That is the metaphor John is using here, and the fork is already in the hands of the farmer. That time of separation, that time of division between the wheat and the chaff, is right now.

Do you see the crisis? The visible church is always made up of both wheat and chaff. At the last day Jesus will separate true church members from false. He will gather His wheat into His Father’s house, and the rest will be burned with unquenchable fire.

To which group do you belong? That is the question we all have to answer at some point. Am I part of the wheat or the chaff? Is my destiny my Father’s house or my Father’s wrath? I pray that we will have nothing to fear from the future judgment of God. But if I assume that about each of us, I would be absolutely foolish. Statistically there have to be those among us who are not in Christ, who have nothing to face in the future except the punishment of God. If that is you, you need to flee to the Savior and to the cross so that He will clean you, and change you, and make you His own.¹

3:1 As Christ’s forerunner, John the Baptist preceded the Lord Jesus in birth, ministry, and death. Luke describes John’s birth (see Luke 1), but Matthew jumps directly into the account of John’s proclamation of the coming of the kingdom of heaven. John is called “the Baptist” because he baptized people. Unlike the common practice of proselytes and Jews administering ceremonial cleansings to themselves, John baptized those who came to him professing repentance and identifying with his message.

3:2 The Greek verb translated repent indicates a change of attitude and outlook which well may result in sorrow for sins. But the basic idea is a reversal of thinking which changes one’s life (see v. 8). The kingdom of heaven is most likely synonymous with “the kingdom of God.” Both terms seem to be used consistently throughout the New Testament to refer to God’s heavenly kingdom coming to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. This kingdom begins with the incarnation of Christ, continues with the inception of the church, and will be fully manifested when Christ returns. The kingdom was at hand because it was being offered to Israel in the person of the Messiah. John’s preaching assumed that judgment would precede the coming of the kingdom, a fact that was taught by the Old Testament prophets (see Is. 4:4, 5; 5:15, 16; 42:1; Jer. 33:14–16; Ezek. 20:33–38; Dan. 7:26, 27; Joel 1:14, 15; 3:12–17; Zeph. 1:2–18; 3:8–13; Zech. 13:2, 9; Mal. 3:1–5; 4:1–6). At this point, John assumed that the nation of Israel would repent and the kingdom would come. John was telling the Jews of his generation to repent in order to gain entrance into Christ’s kingdom.²

1 Sproul, R. C. (2013). Matthew (pp. 39–44). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

2 Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (Mt 3:1–2). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

john the baptist part one

John the Baptist burst upon the Jewish scene like a flaming voice from God. He came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, acclaimed by the people as a prophet of God. The uniqueness of his prophecy was the announcement of the coming of the Christ. His message was a call to repentance, a genuine renewal of piety, but in the context of preparation for the kingdom of heaven. In this sense his confrontation with Pharisees, Sadducees, publicans and soldiers had sociopolitical implications; a new kingdom was being announced.

Here again Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah, thereby bridging the old covenant to the new inbreaking of the messianic age. The quote from Isaiah clearly focuses on the messianic age: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’”

The description of John introduces him as a unique and bold prophet. In being clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt, even his appearance marked him as a man of the wilderness rather than a man of the courts and the streets. His diet of the locust-bean and wild honey was good food, but it was the rough diet of a man who lived close to earth and nature. Like Elijah in his spirit and power, John broke the comfortable silence of humanism with a word from Yahweh. Significantly, this inbreaking of a special message from God comes not from the synagogues or the temple schools but from a man whose schooling was in his walk with God.

John’s message was focused on the very center of Jewish faith, for the call to repentance meant turning away from sin and turning toward God. He was a stern realist regarding right and wrong, calling for public confession and integrity in daily life. His message is given in Luke 3:10–14: share with the needy, bear fruit of integrity, do not extort money, be content with your wages. He saw himself as only a slave for the coming Messiah (v. 11), yet he was the voice to prepare the way—lifting the valleys of poverty that embitter, lowering the hills of pride and wealth, smoothing the rough road of social injustice, trying to show others that the kingdom was at hand. To repent meant to live the life that God means for us to live.

John seems to have introduced a baptism with water as a unique symbol of “repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). Scholars have wrestled with the relationship of this baptism to that with blood in the initiatory rites of the Essene community, as well as with proselyte baptism highly regarded by the school of Hillel. But John was not creating a new religious structure. Rather, he was announcing the coming of the King. Baptism for John was a symbol of repentance, a symbol of cleansing from sin and turning away from the old life to a new life.

In verses 5 and 6 we read that “Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.” It is evident first, that his ministry was understood and respected, for the people came from Jerusalem and from the total region to John’s ministry. Second, it is evident that his baptism was understood as a baptism of repentance, for the people were baptized, “confessing their sins.”

The boldness of John is evident in his addressing the religious leaders who came to him, describing them as a brood of vipers. The picture is as though they fled judgment like snakes from a field on fire. John requires of them “fruits worthy of repentance.” In verse 9 he attacks their claim to identity with Abraham by traditional or ethnic associations. God’s children are children of faith as was Abraham, rather than people with simply an ethnic or traditional relationship. Here again, the Gospel of Matthew points beyond the Jewish community to an understanding of God as bringing His message of grace through Abraham and his Jewish descendants, a message for the whole world.

John’s words in verse 10 are a special word of judgment corresponding to the judgments of the Old Testament prophets. He said that God would cut off Israel for their unbelief and called for persons to return to a life of faith. John was a herald of reform, introducing a movement which would touch every level of society: the religious, ethical, social, and political.

We here note the character of John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah. In the light of the testimonies of the Scripture: (1) John was the witness of the Messiah (John 1:6–8); (2) John understood his place in relation to the Messiah (John 1:19–23); (3) John announced the Christ as the Lamb of God (John 1:29–30); (4) John was a voice of transition from the old covenant to the new (Matt. 1:11–14); (5) John accepted his role with humility, stating, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30); (6) John was a fearless preacher before men of whatever rank in society (Mark 6:20); (7) John’s witness of the Christ was recognized by the people, for they said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true” (John 10:41).

John announced the baptism with the Spirit and the baptism with fire as superior to his baptism with water. The word “baptism” means to be brought under the control of a superior power or influence. There are five uses of the term “baptism” in the New Testament. There is the baptism with water, which symbolizes being initiated into the church or being brought under the influence of the covenant community. Second, there is the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which means to be brought under the control and influence of the presence of the Spirit of God. Third, there is the baptism with suffering, which means to be brought under the influence of a suffering, purging experience. Fourth, there is the baptism with fire, which means to be brought under the influence of a judging, refining, searching experience. And fifth, there is the baptism into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13), which means to be brought under the control of the Head of the church which is Jesus Christ, and to be made a part of His body.

In verse 11, John speaks of the baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire in a relationship which seems to hold grace and judgment together. Baptism with the Spirit has to do with the gift of divine presence, and the baptism with fire has to do with a judgment experience which God’s presence brings to bear upon persons who are not open to Him. These two baptisms are of redeeming love and of righteous fear.

This is the first use of the term “baptism with the Holy Spirit.” John said that he baptized with water, meaning that John was the agent, and that with which he baptized was water. In a similar way he refers to the Christ as the one who will do another kind of baptizing, and that with which He would baptize would be the Holy Spirit. Simply interpreted, this means that Jesus is the one who does the baptizing with the Spirit, and the baptism is the Holy Spirit Himself. What one receives in the baptism with the Holy Spirit is the gift of the Holy Spirit from the Master.

The emphasis is on the baptism with the Spirit or in the Spirit. This is not to be read as baptism of the Spirit, as though it is something the Holy Spirit does. The baptism is the gift of the Spirit Himself. There are things which the Holy Spirit does for us and we can properly speak about the regeneration of the Holy Ghost, the illumination of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the anointing of the Spirit, etc. But when we refer to the baptism we must speak of the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

There are at least five ways in which the Christian church has spoken of the baptism with the Spirit through the centuries. The first is the historical interpretation, which is to say that the Holy Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost to the church, that He has been in the church ever since, and that we share in the Spirit as we share in the church. The second is the Wesleyan interpretation which relates the baptism with the Spirit to sanctification, affirming that beyond the initial experience of grace and justification by faith, there is a second work of a baptism with the Spirit for sanctification. A third interpretation may be called the R. A. Torrey interpretation, which relates the baptism with the Spirit as a special enduement for power to witness which is to be sought and experienced in the life of the believer. Fourth, there is the charismatic interpretation which relates the baptism with the Spirit to gifts or manifestations, associating these gifts with the expression of the baptism itself. Fifth, there is the relational interpretation which sees the baptism with the Holy Spirit as the occasion in which Christ gives the Holy Spirit to dwell in the life of one who takes Him as Lord. While there is truth in all of these interpretations, the relational interpretation seems to be the most satisfactory.

¹

Now, all of a sudden, John the Baptist walks onto the pages of Scripture. If we had Matthew’s Gospel only, we would ask, “Where did he come from, and what is his background?”—because Matthew gives us none of that, and the reason is obvious. The prophet Malachi had said that the messenger would come ahead to prepare the way for the coming of the King—“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me …” (Mal. 3:1). This messenger was John the Baptist. You don’t really need to know about the background of a messenger. When the Western Union boy delivers a message to your door, do you say to him, “Young man, did your ancestors come over on the Mayflower? What is your background?” You’re not interested in that. You are interested in the message because the message is all–important, and that is what you want. So you thank him, give him a tip, and dismiss him. You are through with him.

John the Baptist made it very clear that he was just the messenger, and Matthew is making that clear, too. Therefore, he walks out onto the page of Scripture, preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Now let’s deal with these expressions: (1) “Repent ye”; (2) “the kingdom of heaven”; and (3) “is at hand.” They are very important.

“Repent” is an expression that always has been given to God’s people as a challenge to turn around. “Repent” in the original Greek is metanoia, meaning “to change your mind.” You are going in one direction; turn around and go in another direction.

Repentance is primarily, I think, for saved people, that is, for God’s people in any age. They are the ones who, when they become cold and indifferent, are to turn. That was the message to the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3, and it was the message of the Lord Jesus Himself.

Someone may ask whether the unsaved man is supposed to repent. The unsaved man is told that he is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the message of Paul to the jailer at Philippi (see Acts 16:31). That old rascal needed to do some repenting; but when an unsaved man believes in Jesus, he is repenting. Faith means to turn to Christ, and when you turn to Christ, you must also turn from something. If you don’t turn from something, then you aren’t really turning to Christ. So repentance is really a part of believing, but the primary message that should be given to the lost today is that they should believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We like to see folk come forward in a service to receive Christ or sign a card signifying that they have made that decision, but the important thing is to trust Christ as your Savior, and if you really turn to Him, you turn from something else.

The expression “kingdom of heaven” means the rule of the heavens over the earth. The Lord Jesus is the King. You can’t have a kingdom without a king; neither can you have a king without a kingdom. Remember Richard III who said in the Shakespearean play, “My kingdom for a horse.” If he had traded his kingdom for a horse, he wouldn’t have been a king. He would have been only a man on horseback. A king must have a kingdom. So what did John the Baptist mean by “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”? He meant that the Kingdom of Heaven is present in the Person of the King.

Is there a present reality of the Kingdom of Heaven? Yes, there is. Those who come to Him as Savior and acknowledge Him are translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son. They belong to Him now. And they have a much more intimate relationship than that of a subject with a king. Christ is the Bridegroom, and believers are part of His bride!

Then someone may ask whether we are like subjects in a kingdom because we are to carry out His commands. Again I say, there is more to it than that. We are to obey Him because we love Him. It is a love relationship. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

The “kingdom of heaven” is the rule of the heavens over the earth. That’s not in existence today. Christ is not reigning over the world now. There must be something wrong with the thinking of those who insist that the Kingdom of Heaven is in existence in our day. Christ is not reigning in any form, shape, or fashion—except in the hearts of those who have received Him. However, He is coming someday to establish His Kingdom on the earth. When He does, He will put down rebellion. Believe me, He is really going to put it down.

The Kingdom of Heaven was at hand, or was present, in the Person of the King. That was the only way in which it was present.

Matthew now tells us that what he is recording is in fulfillment of prophecy—

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 [Matt. 3:3].

“The prophet Esaias” is Isaiah, and the prophecy is in Isaiah 40:3.

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness”—all that John the Baptist claimed for himself was that he was a voice crying in the wilderness. And his purpose was to “prepare the way of the Lord.”

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 [Matt. 3:4].

He’s a strange individual, isn’t he? He follows a strange diet and has an unusual way of dressing. I hate to say this, but today John would probably qualify in his looks as a vagrant. His raiment was of camel’s hair, his leathern girdle was about his loins, his meat was locusts and wild honey. We’re told that he never shaved and had long hair. Here’s an unusual man, friend, a man with a mission. He’s really an Old Testament character, walking out of the Old Testament onto the pages of the New Testament. He is the last of the Old Testament prophets.

Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan [Matt. 3:5].

Notice that the crowds went out to him. John did not rent a stadium or an auditorium or a church, and there was no committee that invited him. In fact, he didn’t come to town at all. If you wanted to hear John, you went out to where he was. Obviously, the Spirit of God was on this man.

And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins [Matt. 3:6].

In other words, all of this denoted a change in the lives of these people. The very fact that they submitted to John’s baptism was an indication that they were leaving their old lives and turning to new lives.²

John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1–15)

For over 400 years, the nation had not heard the voice of a prophet. Then John appeared and a great revival took place. Consider four facts about John.

His message (vv. 1–2, 7–10). John’s preaching centered on repentance and the kingdom of heaven. The word repent means “to change one’s mind and act on that change.” John was not satisfied with regret or remorse; he wanted “fruits meet for repentance” (Matt. 3:8). There had to be evidence of a changed mind and a changed life.

All kinds of people came to hear John preach and to watch the great baptismal services he conducted. Many publicans and sinners came in sincere humility (Matt. 21:31–32), but the religious leaders refused to submit. They thought that they were good enough to please God; yet John called them a “generation of vipers.” Jesus used the same language when He dealt with this self-righteous crowd (Matt. 12:34; 23:33; John 8:44).

The Pharisees were the traditionalists of their day, while the Sadducees were more liberal (see Acts 23:6–9). The wealthy Sadducees controlled the “temple business” that Jesus cleaned out. These two groups usually fought each other for control of the nation, but when it came to opposing Jesus Christ, the Pharisees and Sadducees united forces.

John’s message was one of judgment. Israel had sinned and needed to repent, and the religious leaders ought to lead the way. The ax was lying at the root of the tree; and if the tree (Israel) did not bear good fruit, it would be cut down (see Luke 13:6–10). If the nation repented, the way would be prepared for the coming of the Messiah.

His authority (vv. 3–4). John fulfilled the prophecy given in Isaiah 40:3. In a spiritual sense, John was “Elijah who was to come” for he came in the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:16–17). He even dressed as Elijah did and preached the same message of judgment (2 Kings 1:8). John was the last of the Old Testament prophets (Luke 16:16) and the greatest of them (Matt. 11:7–15; see 17:9–13).

The Jews baptized Gentile converts, but John was baptizing Jews! His baptism was authorized from heaven (Matt. 21:23–27); it was not something John devised or borrowed. It was a baptism of repentance, looking forward to the Messiah’s coming (Acts 19:1–7). His baptism fulfilled two purposes: it prepared the nation for Christ and it presented Christ to the nation (John 1:31).

But John mentioned two other baptisms: a baptism of the Spirit and a baptism of fire (Matt. 3:11). The baptism of the Spirit came at Pentecost (Acts 1:5, and note that Jesus said nothing about fire). Today, whenever a sinner trusts Christ, he is born again and immediately baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ, the church (1 Cor. 12:12–13). In contrast, the baptism of fire refers to the future judgment, as Matthew explains (Matt. 3:12).

His obedience (vv. 13–15). Jesus was not baptized because He was a repentant sinner. Even John tried to stop Jesus, but the Lord knew it was His Father’s will. Why was Jesus baptized? First, His baptism gave approval to John’s ministry. Second, He identified Himself with publicans and sinners, the very people He came to save. But mainly, His baptism pictured His future baptism on the cross (Matt. 20:22; Luke 12:50) when all the “waves and billows” of God’s judgment would go over Him (Ps. 42:7; Jonah 2:3).

Thus, John the Baptist bore witness to Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and also as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Because of John’s witness, many sinners trusted Jesus Christ (John 10:39–42).³

3:1. The forerunner of Christ was John the Baptist. He was the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, and a cousin of the Lord (cf. Lk 1:5–80). The significance of his preparatory ministry cannot be overestimated. Even Josephus (Antiq. xviii 5.2) refers to him by name. John was a child of promise whose birth had been announced by the angel Gabriel to his father who was a priest. His birth was accompanied by the promise: “He shall be great in the sight of the Lord … and shall be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Lk 1:15). Jesus said of him that there was none greater than John (Mt 11:11) during the Old Testament dispensation. This would imply that John the Baptist was the epitome of the message of the Old Testament itself.

Matthew’s reference to John the Baptist assumes that his readers were familiar with him. There is no connection anywhere in Scripture to relate John to one of the Essene communities or to the Qumran sect (of the Dead Sea Scrolls). The real significance of John seems to be his appearance in the wilderness of Judea, the eastern part of the province lying beyond the mountain ridge and west of the Dead Sea. This infertile area may rightly be called a “wilderness.” John’s appearance, preaching a message of repentance, is in fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” The words of the prophet originally formed the part of his message to the Babylonian exiles, who eventually returned to their own land. John, the last of the prophets of Israel, was now commissioned to prepare the way for the King. “The reign of God was immediately to be made manifest in Israel in all its fullness in the Person and the work of none other than the Messiah Himself” (Tasker, p. 47). John is presented as the prophet sent in the spirit of Elijah “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Mal 4:5). His appearance (wearing a rough coat of camel’s hair and having a leather belt around his waist) and his dynamic and often scathing preaching, certainly depicts him in the life-style of Israel’s ancient prophet. Jesus would later proclaim, “I tell you that Elijah has already come!” (For a recent study see M. Loane, John the Baptist.)

2. Repent means a change of mind that leads to a change of action. Repentance (Gr metanoia) is basically “a change of mind” which results in a change of conduct. Repentance is not sorrow. It involves a complete change of attitude regarding God and sin and is often accompanied by a sense of sorrow and a corresponding change in conduct. Such repentance does not arise within man himself, but is the result of God’s mercy in leading man to it (cf. Acts 5:31; Rom 2:4; 2 Tim 2:25). Thus, repentance involves the very process of conversion whereby men are born again. (On the significance of repentance see H. A. Ironside, Except Ye Repent.)

John’s message of repentance was necessary in order to prepare people for the kingdom of heaven which was at hand. The phrase “kingdom of heaven” is used only in the Gospel of Matthew and seems to be based on similar references in the book of Daniel. The phrase “the kingdom of God” is used more frequently by Mark and Luke. The change is perhaps due to Matthew’s Jewish background and outlook. Since the Jews regarded it as blasphemous to refer to God by name, it is possible that Matthew substituted the word heaven for that reason. Usually the two phrases are used interchangeably in the Gospels. The kingdom of heaven is the rule of heaven over earth. The Jews of Jesus’ day were looking forward to the coming of a Messiah who would reign in a Davidic kingdom on earth. It is this kingdom which Christ proclaimed was a literal earthly kingdom, based upon spiritual principles, which would demand a right relationship with God for entrance into that kingdom. Therefore, John the Baptist’s ministry is clearly seen as a time of preparation for the coming of Christ and the proclamation of His kingdom.

3–7. Spoken of by the prophet Isaiah [Esaias]. All four Gospels relate this prophecy to a fulfillment in the life and ministry of John the Baptist (Mk 1:2; Lk 3:4; Jn 1:23). Make his paths straight refers to the straightening or preparing of one’s life in a right relationship with God in order to prepare for the coming of the King. John’s dress of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle was similar to Elijah’s clothing (2 Kgs 1:8) and was the usual dress of prophets (Zech 13:4). Locusts were an allowable food (cf. Lev 11:22) and were eaten by the very poorest of people. The reference in verse 5 to Jerusalem, and all Judea relates to the people of those places. John’s ministry was received with great enthusiasm in its early stages. So great was his success that even many of the Pharisees and Sadducees (vs. 7) came to this baptism.⁴

3:6 They confessed their sins. Confession is more than simply acknowledging one’s own sinfulness; it is agreeing with God’s verdict on sin and expressing the desire to get rid of sin and live for God. Confessing means more than verbal response, affirmation, or praise; it means agreeing to change to a life of obedience and service. After this, John baptized them in the Jordan River. When you wash dirty hands, the results are immediately visible. But repentance happens inside, with a cleansing that isn’t seen right away. So John used a symbolic action that people could see: baptism. For baptism, John needed water, and he used the Jordan River.⁵

1 Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol. 24, p. 18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

2 McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Matthew 1-13) (electronic ed., Vol. 34, pp. 47–50). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

3 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 16–17). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

4 Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (pp. 1875–1876). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

5 Barton, B., Comfort, P., Osborne, G., Taylor, L. K., & Veerman, D. (2001). Life Application New Testament Commentary (p. 17). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.

JOSPEH GOIN G HOME

. The anxious care of Joseph for the safety of the child and its mother may be regarded as a proof that Divine Providence always raises up faithful servants to protect and to promote His own kingdom, and with it the spiritual welfare of mankind. But in this instance the salvation of the world was connected with the safety of a babe, threatened by the craft of a despot, whose dagger had on no other occasion missed its mark. Hence the care of Providence for the safety of this child was unremitting; Joseph’s vigilance did not cease even in his sleep, while the mother’s solicitude was undoubtedly still more eager. Every other consideration seems secondary to that of the safety of the child. Thus has the Lord ever prepared instruments for His work. By God’s grace, devoted and faithful servants have never been wanting in the world, and the King Eternal has always had His faithful ones.¹

7. Nazareth is the perpetual symbol of the outward lowliness and humble condition of Christ and of Christianity in the world. It is the emblem of that poverty which apparently so ill accords with the exalted nature of, and the depth of spiritual life brought to light by, the Gospel. But what to the world seems unfitting, is in reality, and in the sight of God, most fitting; for Christianity is based and reared on deepest humility. Hence the path by which God leads His elect is first downward, and then upward; both the descent and the ascent increasing as they proceed, as we see in the history of Jacob, of Joseph, of Moses, of David, and of others. The prophets were fully and experimentally acquainted with this fundamental principle of the Divine government. Hence they prophesied of the lowliness of the Messiah during the earlier period of His life, of His subsequent humiliation, and of His death at the conclusion of His earthly career.²

Nazareth is not to be thought of as a backwoods community, but was on the trade routes of the world. Located in the north of Israel, it was a town which lay in the hills of the southern part of Galilee, on the major trade routes which carried the news of the world. All one needed to do was to climb the hills of Nazareth to have a view of the world. Off to the west one could view Mt. Carmel and beyond the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Here ships came and went from Rome, and from Rome to the ends of the earth. One could look to the foot of the hills and see one of the greatest roads in that part of the Roman world, leading from Damascus to Egypt and on into Africa. This was one of the great caravan routes, one which Abraham probably used in his business of operating a caravansary. It had been followed three centuries earlier by Alexander the Great and his legions. On this road, called “the way of the south,” Jesus, as a boy, could have observed and met travelers of many nations. The second road came through this community from Telmius on the sea to the west, traveling on to Tiberias and the eastern frontiers of the Roman Empire. On this road the caravans from the east moved to the coast on the west, while the Roman legions moved from the coast into the eastern frontiers. Thus Jesus was brought up in a town where the traffic from the ends of the earth moved through His sphere of life.

Jesus’ boyhood days exposed him to the cultures and philosophies of people of all nations. This must have enhanced his conviction that the kingdom of God was for people of all nations. It is probably true as well that Galilee was the one place in Palestine where a new teacher could readily be heard. This setting helped focus Jesus’ message, not on a revival of Judaistic religion as it was known in Jerusalem, but on God’s grace for all people, from a base in Capernaum where the gospel could be heard by the peoples of all lands. Matthew quotes the striking prophetic statement, “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned” (4:16). Here is the good news of God’s grace, the gospel for the world. ³

In this is said to be fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. Which may be looked upon, (1.) As a man of honour and dignity, though primarily it signifies no more than a man of Nazareth; there is an allusion or mystery in speaking it, speaking Christ to be, [1.] The Man, the Branch, spoken of, Isa. 11:1. The word there is Netzar, which signifies either a branch, or the city of Nazareth; in being denominated from that city, he is declared to be that Branch. [2.] It speaks him to be the great Nazarite; of whom the legal Nazarites were a type and figure (especially Samson, Jdg. 13:5), and Joseph, who is called a Nazarite among his brethren (Gen. 49:26), and to whom that which was prescribed concerning the Nazarites, has reference, Num. 6:2, etc. Not that Christ was, strictly, a Nazarite, for he drank wine, and touched dead bodies; but he was eminently so, both as he was singularly holy, and as he was by a solemn designation and dedication set apart to the honour of God in the work of our redemption, as Samson was to save Israel. And it is a name we have all reason to rejoice in, and to know him by. Or, (2.) As a name of reproach and contempt. To be called a Nazarene, was to be called a despicable man, a man from whom no good was to be expected, and to whom no respect was to be paid. The devil first fastened this name upon Christ, to render him mean, and prejudice people against him, and it stuck as a nickname to him and his followers. Now this was not particularly foretold by any one prophet, but, in general, it was spoken by the prophets, that he should be despised and rejected of men (Isa. 53:2, 3), a Worm, and no man (Ps. 22:6, 7), that he should be an Alien to his brethren Ps. 69:7, 8. Let no name of reproach for religion’s sake seem hard to us, when our Master was himself called a Nazarene.⁴

1 Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Matthew (p. 65). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

2 Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Matthew (pp. 65–66). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

3 Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol. 24, p. 18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

4 Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (pp. 1617–1618). Peabody: Hendrickson.