4: Prepare the Way (Matthew 3)

Last week we celebrated the birth of the Messiah, whom Joseph was told to give the name JESUS - YESHUA - Yahweh saves, because He would save His people from their sins.

The day is coming when ALL…that includes ALL of us - will bow our knees and confess with our mouths that Jesus - not YOU or ME, no other false god - but JESUS is Lord.

That IS going to happen. The only question is...

BIG QUESTION: Will We Bow NOW?

Matthew now moves from the birth of Jesus and the later visit of the magi, to events at least 28 years later, just before Jesus began his public ministry at the age of 30 years old (Lk 3:23).

Today we meet John the Baptist, who came to prepare the way for the Messiah. And although John’s ministry was unique, his message from 2000 years ago is the same message that we must share with others today.

So, let’s discover what that message is.

Matthew 3:1–3 (NIV)

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” [Is 40:3]

We learn from Dr. Luke that John was the 2nd cousin of Jesus, the one born 6 months before Jesus, to Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, whom Mary visited for 3 months until baby John’s birth (Lk 1:36, 39, 56-60).

John was the son of Zechariah, a Levitical priest (Lk 1:5). Zechariah was chosen to burn incense in the temple of God in Jerusalem (Lk 1:8-9) - a high honor & responsibility that only a priest from the tribe of Levi could perform. As such, most would have expected John to follow in his father’s footsteps and serve as a priest. But God had other plans for this young man - to prepare the way for the Lord (Lk 1:13-17).

Matthew even notes that John the Baptist is the one that Isaiah wrote about 700 years before, Is 40:3 - a voice calling in the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD (Hebrew - YaHWeH), that’s God Himself!

Can you imagine being told that YOU were created to be the herald announcing that the KING of kings is on His way!

With that as his purpose in life,

John’s challenge to others was to repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near.

Repentance is more than feeling sorry for getting caught, but a genuine desire to TURN from sin and RETURN to God’s Presence. It’s more than talking about returning to God, but WALKING back to Him.

I can’t tell you how many people have told me, “I know I need to come back to God, BUT...” - that might be remorse, but it’s NOT repentance.

Why was it so important for people to TURN and RETURN at the moment in time? Here’s why:

The kingdom of heaven is the same as the kingdom of God, with “heaven” substituting for the Hebrew “hashem” - the Name. To say that the kingdom of heaven/God has come near means that judgement is on the way, and people better get ready.

JOHN WAS A STRANGE DUDE

Matthew 3:4 (NIV)

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

John was a strange dude. Rather than wear priestly clothes in a civilized city, John lived as a nomadic desert dweller, wearing strange clothes and eating strange things.

Camel’s hair could be woven into a thick, rough cloth that was essentially waterproof,

while locusts and wild honey were staple foods for those living in the desert. [R1] Yahweh allowed His people to eat locusts during their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land (Lev 11:21-22).

To people of his day, John the Baptist would have been seen as having a ministry similar to the OT prophet, Elijah, as Jesus says later in Matthew’s gospel (Mt 11:14, 17:9-13). John’s clothing was even reminiscent of Elijah, spoken of in 2 Kings 1.

2 Kings 1:8 (NIV)

They replied, “He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.” The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”

But by the time of John, Jews hadn’t heard from a legitimate prophet of Yahweh for 400 years - 400 years of silence. But now, here he is, one like Elijah of old!

JOHN HAD A STRANGE PRACTICE

Matthew 3:5-6 (NIV)

People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

John had a strange practice - baptizing Jews.

The Essenes, the most strict sect of Jews - you might think of them like Jewish monks comprised of only men and boys - would baptize one another twice a day out in the the wilderness. Our folks going to Israel will see the many baptismal pools of these men where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden.

But typical Jewish people were never baptized by another person. Yes, they would dunk themselves under water for ceremonial cleansing before entering the temple, but it was ONLY proselytes - Gentiles who converted to Judaism - that would be baptized by another person.

So John’s 1-time baptism of Jewish people was super significant - and here’s why:

Many Jews thought they were in God’s family simply because they were born into the Jewish family,

but John’s message is that every person must repent - turn from their sin and turn to God’s grace.

In other words, John is treating his fellow Jews like spiritual Gentiles who must convert to a new way of living - who must TURN FROM their sin and RETURN to God’s grace.

Look at the correlation in what Matthew writes next.

Matthew 3:7–9 (NIV)

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

The Pharisees and Sadducees - the religious leaders - evidently didn’t like John’s message and they came to critique him. Here was John, the son of a priest, who should be serving in sacred buildings dressed in priestly garments, but instead, is out in the rough wilderness wearing primitive clothing and baptizing other Jews?

We don’t get to hear what the religious leaders are saying about John, but he answers their objections with a tongue lashing and warning.

He calls them a brood of vipers. Those are 1) poisonous snakes birthed from ancestors who were also poisonous snakes 2) a danger to people, injecting their venom and causing death.

And just as snakes would flee from the fields being burnt off to prepare for planting, John warns these men about the coming wrath.

John warns them against leaning on their Jewish heritage - being in the family of father Abraham - would not protect them from God’s wrath. God doesn’t give a ‘family discount’ to get into the kingdom.

And God’s wrath WAS coming…through the ONE who John was preparing people for. And there was no hope for those who were RAISED as Jews. PEACE was only for those who would produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

In other words, there was HOPE for those who did more than TALK of repentance, but those who WALKED in repentance.

John’s Message should be OUR message:

BIG TRUTH: Warn of God’s Wrath & Offer God’s Peace

John continues his warning with these words:

Matthew 3:10–12 (NIV)

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear his threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

You don’t have to be a Bible scholar or understand the farming references here to see that there are 2 outcomes awaiting the Jewish audience who are about to see the King of Creation step onto the stage.

One tree produces good fruit - imagery for the person whose repentance is REAL.

The other tree does not produce good fruit - and is cut down and thrown into the fire.

More imagery is used representing the same reality - WHEAT and CHAFF:

His wheat is gathered into the barn - symbolizing those who repent and belong to the One who is coming to divide His people from those who are not His people (read Mt 25).

The chaff - the part that would be separated from the wheat and no good to eat - would be burned up with unquenchable fire.

And there is one more bit of imagery using the language of baptism:

Those who responded in repentance to the One who was coming, He will baptize with the Holy Spirit - they would be forgiven and filled with His Spirit of freedom.

But those who refused to repent and follow Him, He will baptize with fire - to be punished for their disobedience and treason before the King of Creation.

John has set the stage, and it’s time for the One who is more powerful than John to become the spotlight of the rest of the story.

Outside of Jesus’ birth, circumcision, and trip to the temple at age 12, the gospel writers tell us nothing else of Jesus’ life to this point.

But now, at age 30, the One the Jewish people had longed to see makes the 60+ mile trip from Galilee to where John is baptizing.

This event is so important that all 4 Gospels tell the story of Jesus’ baptism (Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9–11; Lk 3:21,22; Jn 1:31–34).

Matthew 3:13-15 (NIV)

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

If John wasn’t worthy to carry his sandals as a servant would (Mt 3:11), then he certainly wasn’t worthy to baptize Jesus, and that’s what he recognizes when he says, “I need to be baptized by you.”

So, why did Jesus need to be baptized?

First, Jesus validates the ministry of John the Baptist. John is not a rogue rabbi trying to defy the social system. He is a prophet, a great prophet, whom God had sent to prepare the way of the Lord!

Second, Jesus was identifying with sinners. Rather than standing far away from sinful people, he was right in the midst of them, incognito as a human being - rubbing shoulders with others stepping into the water to prepare for HIS arrival. The Savior was standing, walking, and living among those He came to save.

Finally, Jesus wasn’t baptized because He needed to repent and be forgiven. Jesus was about to begin the journey that would end up with Him doing all it took to fulfill all righteousness - what baptism later became a picture and reminder of - Jesus DYING - being BURIED - and RISING from the dead! (Rm 6:3-4, Col 2:11-13, 1 Pet 3:18-22)

NOBODY standing on the banks of the Jordan River, with the exception of God the Son, God the Father, and God the Spirit, knew what that moment would later come to represent throughout the ages.

And here, like it or not - understand it or not - we see the tri-unity (Trinity) of the ONE TRUE GOD revealed - Father, Son, & Spirit.

Matthew 3:16 (NIV)

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him.

Heaven opened was biblical language referring to communication & interaction between God and His people (Is 64:1, Ezek 1:1, Jn 1:51, Acts 7:56).

John saw the Spirit of God was descending like a dove, peaceful & gentle, and resting on Jesus. Just as kings were anointed with oil - a symbol of the presence of God’s Spirit, it now becomes obvious to the Baptizer that Jesus is the anointed, Spirit-led, Messiah-King who John has come to announce.

Matthew 3:17 (NIV)

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”

From this one phrase we learn both the identity of Jesus and the mission of Jesus as this reminds us of 2 OT messianic passages, Ps 2:7 and Is 42:1.

Jesus is NOT the son of Joseph, Jesus is the Son of God, and that doesn’t mean God’s kid. God didn’t have a physical relationship with a human woman. Look how the term “son” is used in Ps 2.

Psalm 2:6–9 (NIV)

“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

Matthew 3:17 (NIV)

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”

Isaiah 42:1 (NIV)

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.

So what should we do with what we heard today?

Respond to John’s message to prepare the way of the Lord

What is that Message?

BIG TRUTH: Warn of God’s Wrath & Offer God’s Peace

God’s wrath is coming - WITHIN YOUR LIFETIME! Within a few days or years, you WILL stand before the King of Creation who baptizes with the SPIRIT and with FIRE, who gathers the WHEAT and burns up the CHAFF.

REPENT - TURN from your sin and TURN to your Savior.

TAKE this same message to others.

This past week an NFL player suddenly dropped on the field and stopped breathing. It looked as though he was dead. Thanks to EMS and the God who hears prayer, it looks like he is going to recover. But suddenly, the stunned audience and announcers began to PRAY. They recognized how precious life was. Christian broadcasters began to take the opportunity to take the message to others.

Ben Watson, a former NFL tight end and vocal Christian, said this on CNN to Anderson Cooper and audience: “The questions about what happens after this life - where will you spend eternity…are coming up for all of us…but thank God that He provides an answer through His Son, Jesus Christ.”

We want to help you -

STAFF

DEACONS/WIVES or

_____________

Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2004), 133–134.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.

What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching? (You might need to look back in your notes to help explain your answer.)

Read Matthew 3:1-6. What are signs of real repentance versus lip service? What does it mean to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance”? (Mt 3:8)

Read Matthew 3:7-9. How might you point to John’s baptism of Jewish people when you meet someone who thinks they are in right relationship with God because of their family’s religious background or good works?

Read Matthew 3:10-12. Discuss the two outcomes of how people respond to Jesus.

Read Matthew 3:13-17. Why was Jesus baptized and how is the Trinity referred to in this passage?

Today’s BIG TRUTH is based on John’s message to warn of God’s wrath & offer God’s peace. Why is it important to share about BOTH - God’s wrath & God’s peace?

Share prayer needs and pray for one another.