Explore the Bible Lesson Preview December 6, 2015 The Way Prepared Background: Matthew 3:1-17 Lesson: Matthew 3:1-12

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview December 6, 2015 The Way Prepared Background: Matthew 3:1-17 Lesson: Matthew 3:1-12 Motivation: Repentance is not a popular call in today s society. But, is it ever popular? It must be prompted by God s Holy Spirit and be accompanied by the fruit of righteousness. It is a change of attitude with an accompanying change of action. Note: Pastor Gregg is the editor of this quarter s curriculum. To view his video introduction to Matthew, ygrid.com/web/explorethebible Examination: I. The In-between Period: Chapter 2 closes with Jesus infancy; Chapter 3 begins when He is thirty. What happened during roughly 90% of His life? William Barclay suggests four things: A. Jesus was growing up in a good home. The importance of a good stable home to a child s development cannot be overstressed. His knowledge of the Bible started here. B. Jesus was fulfilling the duties of the eldest son. Joseph s apparent absence at the wedding feast of Cana (John 2:1) leads us to believe that Mary was widowed. It fell to the eldest son to care for the family. C. Jesus was learning what it was like to be a working man. Jesus worked in Nazareth for all the silent years in order that he might know what our life was like, and that, understanding, he might be able to help. (William Barclay, Matthew pp ) 1 / 6

2 D. Jesus was faithfully performing the lesser task before the greater task was given to Him. (Luke 19:17; Heb. 5:8) II. Preparing the Way (1-6) After four hundred years of prophetic silence, John the Baptist, according to Alexander MacLaren, leapt into the arena fully grown and fully armed. A. John Spoke Like A Prophet In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea (1) He came preaching in the wilderness. The Old Testament prophets spoke boldly the Word of God. Often we associate the prophets only with predictions. However, a careful study of Old Testament prophets will reveal that they spent more time and effort in forthtelling than in foretelling. In other words, they concentrated more on denouncing the sins of their day than in predicting events of our day. In that regard, John the Baptist spoke like a prophet. HCSB, p.1613, 3:1 In those days means during the time of Jesus residence in Nazareth rather than during the reign of Archelaus. After all, Archelaus reigned from 4 B.C. to A.D. 6, too early for John the Baptist to have begun his ministry since he would have been under age 12. In OT usage, in those days often referred to a time of prophetic fulfillment (Is 10:20; Am 9:11; Zph 1:15; Zch 12:3-4). Matthew probably used the phrase in conjunction with his references to fulfilled prophecy to emphasize that God s promises were being fulfilled through Jesus and John the Baptist, herald and predecessor of Messiah. The location of John s ministry ( Wilderness of Judea ) is reminiscent of the ministry of the prophet Elijah (1 Kg 17:3; 19:3-18; 2 Kg 2:1-12), whom many Jews believed would appear again to prepare the way for Messiah (Mt 17:10-13). Josephus described John s ministry in a way that closely matches the Gospel accounts (Ant ). B. John Behaved Like A Prophet and saying, Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near! For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight! (2-3) If Jesus was the royal King, then John was His herald. 2 / 6

3 Make His paths straight creates the word picture of a herald going forth in advance of a King. HCSB, p.1613, 3:3 Matthew s application of Is 40:3 to John the Baptist tells us as much about Jesus as it does about John. After all, in its original context the prophecy spoke of one who prepared the way for the coming of Yahweh to describe the coming of Jesus, Matthew proclaimed that Jesus is divine. C. John Dressed Like A Prophet John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (4) His camel s hair suit reminds us of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). Other parallels with Elijah include his ministry in a wilderness, his call to repentance and his confrontation with an evil ruler (Mt. 11:14; 17:12-13) His health food diet was in stark contrast to the religious establishment in nearby Jerusalem. D. John Was Received Like A Prophet Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him, (5) The people acknowledged that John s message was from God. His message was not entertaining or politically correct, but he drew great crowds. E. John Saw Response Like A Prophet and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. (6) Based on Levitical instruction to ritually purify themselves, Jews had long practiced ritual baptism in mikvahs. Such ancient structures can be viewed in present day Jerusalem. A mikvah (pool) has been associated with Jewish worship to this day. John s baptism was unique and provided the name by which we know him the Baptizer. Two things set it apart from all baptisms before it: it was administered by another and it proclaimed repentance. HCSB, pp , 3:6 Although Jews required Gentiles to immerse themselves in water in order to convert from paganism to Judaism, John demanded that repentant Jews be baptized as well. This bold move implied that Jews did not belong to God merely by virtue of their descent from Abraham. Like anyone else, ethnic Jews needed to repent in order to enter the coming kingdom. Unlike the repetitive ritual washing of other religious groups, John s baptism appears to have been a one-time event associated with a permanent repentance and a transformed life. 3 / 6

4 F. John s Message Was That Of A Prophet: Repent and Confess Sin (2, 6) Believer s Study Bible, p. 1336: 3:2 In the Judaism of the interbiblical period, obedience to the Law became the condition for membership among God s people. Obedience would bring God s kingdom and transform the world. The Law came to be an intermediary between God and man; to gain the words of the Law was to gain life in the world to come. Thus, the O.T. doctrine of election which found expression in the covenant was replaced by a doctrine of obedience to the Law. Instead of constitution, a standard by means of which the covenant was preserved, obedience to the Law became the condition for membership. Legalism replaced election. Failure to obey necessitated repentance, and repentance was the theme of John s preaching. John demands repentance, a turning from sins in view of the coming Day of Judgment. Jesus (4:17) also preaches repentance as an invitation to respond to divine initiative (cf. 13:44-46) and issues the call to repent, not because God is going to act at some time in the future, but because God is now acting. Jesus call for repentance is in itself the activity of God s kingdom. To John and Jesus, repentance means more than simply accepting the yoke of the Law, which was the current view of Judaism; rather, it involves both an acknowledgment of sin and an ethical change in conduct for all men even those of Jewish descent, who could claim access to a treasury of merit as children of Abraham (c. 9). John s baptism in water constitutes the outward sign of true repentance (v. 6). Repentance ( metanoia, Gk.) means to turn from sin to God (cf. 2 Cor. 7:10). The kingdom of heaven is a Semitic idiom in which heaven is substituted for the divine name (see against heaven in Luke 15:18). This form of expression would appeal to Matthew s Jewish readers more than kingdom of God, a phrase found in Matthew only four times. For the development of this concept, see 4:17; 11:11-13; 12:28; 19: At hand means that God is about to act to bring both judgment ( baptize with fire ) and salvation ( baptize with the Holy Spirit ). This is to be accomplished by Him who is coming after me (v. 11). III. Proclaiming the Truth (7-10) A. Repentance and Fruit When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees comin g to the place of his baptism, he said to them, Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. (7-8) John would not tolerate the religious leaders to be only Sabbath believers, jumping on the repentance bandwagon for show. He wanted action to match words. A tree that does not bear fruit is cut down (10). HCSB, p.1614, 3:7-9 In Mt 2:4 the chief priests and scribes identified the place of Messiah s birth but made no effort to visit Him. Their attention was on worldly power instead. That negative portrayal is now followed by John s charge that the leading priests of the Jews were a brood of vipers 4 / 6

5 (see 12:34; 23:33) fleeing from God s coming wrath. John stressed that the coming kingdom would be accompanied by blessing for God s people and by punishment for the unrepentant. John knows that the Pharisees and Sadducees had no intention of confessing their sins because they presumed that descent from Abraham guaranteed that they would escape God s wrath. This belief was reflected in the Mishnah, which stated: All Israel will have a share in the work to come. John s statement about raising up children for Abraham from these stones involves wordplay in Aramaic. The word child (ben) sounds similar to the word stone (eben). A stone has no intrinsic value, yet Almighty God can transform worthless rock into a person and include him in His covenant people if He so chooses (Is 51:1-2). Consequently, descent from Abraham gave the Jews no grounds for boasting. John s warning foreshadows the incorporation of believing Gentiles into the people of God, an important theme in Matthew s Gospel. B. Sin and Judgment (9-10) And don t presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (9-10) The tree that fails to produce fruit is a foreshadowing of Jesus discourse on the vine and branches in John 15:1-6) and His cursing of the fig tree in Matthew 21:18-22 and the parable of the wicked tenants in Matthew 21: IV. Pointing to the King I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out. (11-12) A. Contrast I am not worthy (11) HCSB, p. 1614, 3:11 Removing the master s sandals was a task so menial that Hebrew salve owners could not require it of Hebrew slaves. John, however, saw himself as unworthy to perform for Jesus the very task that slaves were spared from performing. John expressed this deep humility because Jesus was more powerful than he, and this greater power expressed itself through a new baptism that was vastly superior to John s. John s baptism was a public expression of repentance, but his baptism could not change a person s heart. Jesus, however, baptized the repentant with the Holy Spirit, making them holy through inner transformation. Matthew s quotation from Jr. 31:15 in Mt 2:18 was probably intended to remind his readers of the promise of the new covenant (Jr 31:31-34). The reference to baptism with the Spirit recalls the related promise in Ezk. 36:24-27 in which God declared, I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances. This work of the Spirit was highlighted again at Jesus baptism (3:16). Jesus would have the power to transform human character in a way that John could not. Jesus would also baptize people with fire, a reference to divine judgment against unrepentant sinners. B. Change He will clear His threshing floor (12) John would not allow a profession without a change in position; he demanded nothing less than separation from old, sinful ways. 1. Baptism is a symbolic break with the world s system. (11) We are buried to an old way of doing things. His baptism with the Holy Spirit and Fire will usher in His new kingdom. 2. Wheat must be separated from chaff. (12) There is a clear division between those in the Kingdom and those not. (Matt. 7:21-23, Luke 13:25-28). HCSB, p.1614, 3:12 A winnowing shovel was used to toss grain into the air. The wind would blow the useless husks (called chaff ) aside while the heavier grain kernels fell to the threshing floor. The chaff would then be gathered up and burned. John s parable thus descried a coming divine judgment in which all people are sifted, with the result that Messiah s followers will be preserved by God while the unrepentant are gathered for punishment. Though chaff is highly flammable and burns away quickly, possibly giving the impression that divine judgment is only temporary, John made clear that the fire which awaits the unrepentant will never go out. God s punishment against unrepentant sinners is eternal. V. The Baptism of Jesus (3:13-17) A. The Test of Jesus Baptism But John tried to stop Him (13) Never before in their national history had Jews consented to baptism. The rite was reserved for polluted proselytes, but was not appropriate for the sons of Abraham. That s why John was so shocked that Jesus would desire baptism. Jesus recognized a true movement of God among His people and saw the next step along His Messianic journey. B. The Timing of Jesus Baptism Allow it for now, because this is the way to fulfill all righteousness (15) This event was the beginning of Jesus public ministry. It was His coronation as the Messiah. C. The Trinity at Jesus Baptism 1. The Spirit descending like a dove. HCSB, p.1615, 3:16 The opening of the heavens demonstrates that both the voice and the descending Spirit came from heaven and were divine. First-century Jews associated the dove with the Spirit since Gn 1:2 described the Spirit as hovering over the primeval waters. The Hebrew verb translated hover is the same word used to describe a bird rapidly fluttering its wings. Consequently, both the Qumran Scrolls and the Talmud associated God s Spirit in Gn 1:2 with the dove. The descent of the Spirit thus alludes to Gn. 1 and identifies Jesus not only as One empowered by the Spirit but also as One who brings new creation (2 Co 5:17; Gl 6:15). 2. The Son gazing at the open heavens 3. The Father blessing His Son with acknowledgment that He was the Messianic King (Psalm 2:7) and the Suffering Servant (Isa. 42:1). HCSB, p. 1615, 3:17 The Father speaks directly only twice in Matthew here at Jesus baptism and later at the transfiguration. On both occasions He identified Jesus as His Son 5 / 6

6 and expressed approval of Him (see 17:5). The Father s words at Jesus baptism blend together two important OT texts: Ps 2:7 and Is 42:1. Psalm 2 was a song sung at the crowning of Israel s kings. The Father s application of this text to Jesus identified Him as a divinely appointed King who would rule with divine authority and whose kingdom would extent to the ends of the earth (Ps 2:1-12). The allusion to Is 42 identified Jesus as the Servant, the messianic figure whom Is 53:5 promised would be pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities, Matthew 12: explicitly applies Is 42 to Jesus, and Mt 8:17 explicitly applies Is 53 to Jesus. With this OT background in mind, we see that the Father s words identify Jesus as King and Savior. Application: 1. Preparation precedes proclamation; God prepared Jesus for 30 years for a three year ministry. 2. Confession and repentance precede fruits of righteousness. 3. Following the Lord in Believer s baptism is the first step of obedience. Leader Pack Item 1: Map: Jesus Ministry in Galilee; Item 2: Book Outline: Matthew; Item 3: Poster: Winter ; Item 4: Time Line: Matthew; Item 5: Bookmark: Memory Verses Biblical Illustrator p. 80; The Message and Purpose of Matthew s Gospel & p. 46; Camel Hair Garments Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: ; also, the Highpoint Bible Study (Downtown) is available on MP3 at the HFBC site under the Highpoint link/downloads. Dates: 11/26-27 Thanksgiving Holiday, offices closed; 11/29 NO LBS Thanksgiving weekend; 12/3 Women s Christmas Banquet; 12/5 Deacon Christmas Party; 12/6 SPF Mentor Celebration; 12/6 All HUB Students Christmas Party; 12/9-13 Celebration; 12/24-25 Christmas Holiday church offices closed; 12/24 Christmas Eve Services; 12/27 NO LBS; 12/31 Summit NYE Party. 6 / 6