Matthew 3

1. Background

We’ve been informed that Jesus and His family returned from Egypt after Herod died and took up residence in Nazareth.  Meanwhile, God is working with John the Baptist to prepare Jesus’ upcoming public ministry.  John’s ministry is tied to the OT in Matthew 3:3 which is a quotation of Isaiah 40:3.

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.

The significance of John’s garment portrays him as a prophet, drawing from the kind of clothing prophets wore in OT times.  When Jesus arrives, John had already been laying the foundations of repentance, the proper attitude to receive the word of God through Jesus’ ministry.  With John’s preaching, those refusing to repent meant they would continue onto judgment.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

¹⁰ And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Religious Jews would have felt safe in their genealogies and self-righteousness rather than trusting in the mercy of God and Christ.

⁹ And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. ¹⁰

John identified Jesus as the one who was chosen to do the judging.

¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

As Jesus was baptized, God spoke audibly from heaven, and what God said would remind the avid Bible reader of Abraham, who was mentioned earlier in the chapter, and Isaac on the mountaintop. Instead of Abraham sacrificing his beloved son, Isaac, God provided a substitute for Isaac.  But now we are seeing the fulfillment of that prophetic scene in God giving His Son as our substitute.

2. What We Learn About God.

God’s Plans to Communicate and Reiterate His Love Throughout the Ages. God’s communication of love to us is not reserved for just a fleeting moment.  It is evident through the weaving of stories and allusions in the Bible that God took great care to communicate His love us in a way that would remind us how great it is all throughout human history.  This is seen in the allusions made in this passage to Abraham and Isaac and the imagery of Christ coming out of the water.  God has chosen His Son for a very special task.  We can understand this task when we meditate on the significance of the ram that substituted Isaac, Abraham’s beloved son.  But now we see Jesus, God’s only begotten, cherished above all, yet given in proclaiming love for sinners made in God’s image.  The space of time between these two events is great and reaches far beyond what any human storyteller could arrange.

God’s Love is exhibited in the backdrop of judgment and righteousness.  I think, without the assistance of God’s revelation, humankind would have a tough time to reconcile the cold hard truth of our guilt along with the extravagance of God’s love and mercy.  How could God remain just and righteous if He were to simply ignore our shame and guilt?  He does not ignore it.  The ax is laid to the roots of those who remain in sin, yet through the Substitute, God provides in Jesus Christ, there is an escape from sin, a scapegoat who can bear our guilt for us.  God judges the Scapegoat and the guilty are proclaimed righteous and just, worthy of eternal life.  It is the noblest thought in all the Bible; it is the glory and goodness of God in the highest form.

3.  How the Passage is Fulfilled in Jesus.

The culmination of all of God’s communication is Jesus Christ.  In other words, God has planned from the beginning of the world to finally reveal His ultimate love through the life, actions, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  His life and death wasn’t just a show, but it accomplished the justification of sinners who desperately needed saving from our own condemnation.  The result is eternal life with God.  But as we will continue to learn through reading, God will include sinners in His plan to continue this work throughout the world, adding more value to those redeemed by the Son.

Love, mercy, righteousness, and judgment are perfectly balanced in Jesus Christ who becomes our example in continuing the work of God on Christ’s behalf.  Our lives become the extension of God’s love through Christ, to the ends of the earth and to all who undeservingly repent in faith towards God.

4. Application

Repentance is an attitude and even a discipline left to the responsibility of the Christian.  We have been saved through receiving what we could not earn in the gift of Christ’s death on our behalf.  The proper attitude towards God while receiving and living out this gift is repentance.  A repentant attitude can be cultivated when one considers the extravagant love and goodness God has for the individual.  Therefore I will fulfill my responsibility to attend to God’s word through faith and humility.  It is a daily discipline in my life to subject to God which is done easily when I think about His goodness towards me.  I realize my sin nature, which is still present even after salvation, is a constant force against faith in God, so therefore I will fight it with the knowledge God gives me, and in Jesus name.