John the Baptist
Notes
Transcript
Handout
No story ever written or recorded—whether fiction or non-fiction—ever included every detail about any character’s life. Such a story, or such a record of a life, would simply be too long to be useful. So it is with the story of Jesus. As we turn from Matthew chapter 2 to Matthew chapter 3, we skip past 30 years of Jesus’ life. While the details of those 30 years are undoubtedly interesting, they are not necessary, at least not in Matthew’s estimation.
Having established the identity and legitimacy of the King, Matthew turned his attention to the arrival of that King. So, he trained the spotlight onto the herald who would announce the coming of the King to the people: John the Baptist.
Though we assign narrative intent to Matthew as the writer of this Gospel, it’s important to remember that he was recording history not just writing a story.
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For 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.’ ”
4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 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? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 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. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 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. 12 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.”
The Introduction of John’s Manner, 1-4
The Introduction of John’s Manner, 1-4
His Physical Appearance & Message
His Physical Appearance & Message
He appeared in the desert
He appeared in the desert
the area of southeastern Judea, below Jerusalem and near Jordan
He appeared focused
He appeared focused
His clothing was simple and rugged
His diet was compliant (with the Law’s requirements) but opportunistic (readily available without preparation)
His identity and association was subordinated
He was Jesus’ second cousin
He may have been part of the Essene sect or Qumran community: a community of Jewish purists who separated themselves to the Judean desert to live lives of simplicity and purity focused on God and His word (they are the probable source of the Old Testament scrolls found in the caves of Qumran)
Who he was was not important relative to his message
His message was direct: Repent!
His Prophetic Appearance & Message
His Prophetic Appearance & Message
John’s appearance was prophesied
John’s appearance was prophesied
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
John’s appearance was prophetic
John’s appearance was prophetic
As the herald of the coming Messiah, John came in the spirit of Elijah (something that will come up again in the Gospels). He may have dressed the part too!
In 2 Kings, king Ahaziah had taken a fall and was laid up. He sent messengers to inquire of the gods whether or not he would recover. He received his answer sooner than he expected, and from God whom he had not asked.
6 So they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” ’ ”
7 Then he said to them, “What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?”
8 So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.”
And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
The Impact of John’s Ministry, 5-7a
The Impact of John’s Ministry, 5-7a
John’s message was simple
John’s message was simple
and it was direct: repent and prepare yourself for what God is doing.
John’s message was symbolic
John’s message was symbolic
Those who received his message confessed their sins and were baptised. This was a baptism of repentance, a kind of symbolic bathing that identified the participant with John and his message.
John’s message was supported
John’s message was supported
Many people gathered to him
Many people gathered to him
The religious leaders checked him out
The religious leaders checked him out
Enough people came to John that it caught the attention of the religious leaders
The Invective of John’s Message, 7-12
The Invective of John’s Message, 7-12
Pharisees and Sadducees
Pharisees and Sadducees
We are introduced to two groups of people that were both common and influential in Matthew’s day.
The Pharisees
The Pharisees
The Pharisees were religiously and politically conservative. They promoted legalism as a means to exercise control and extend their own power.
The Sadducees
The Sadducees
The Sadducees were aristocratic and religiously skeptical. Usually in power, they collaborated with Roman authorities to stay that way.
A Brood of Vipers
A Brood of Vipers
Though the Pharisees and Sadducees represented the two “sides” of Jewish religious and political life, both were poisonous and leading the people astray.
A question and a challenge, 7b-8
A question and a challenge, 7b-8
Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
The goal of the Jewish religious leaders and John seemed aligned: avoid God’s wrath. However the means of attaining that goal made them very much at odds with each other. According to John:
They misunderstood their identity, 9
They misunderstood their identity, 9
being “sons of Abraham” did not produce holiness.
They misunderstood their vulnerability, 10
They misunderstood their vulnerability, 10
The wrath of God is always at hand
The wrath of God was especially at hand now (to fall on those who rejected the King)
They misunderstood his message, 11-12
They misunderstood his message, 11-12
Repentance was not an end unto itself, rather it was a means of preparation for what—and who—was coming.
John was a servant, not a master (carrying shoes is servant’s work)
John’s Master had His own baptism
The Holy Spirit for those who received Him
The fire for those who refused Him
The turbulence to sort between the two, leaving only the good
Conclusion
Conclusion
John was the fore-runner and herald of Jesus’ arrival. He was dramatic and direct. His message was simple: Repent!
Repentance is not just words, it is actions that are consistent with the words.
Repentance is how we prepare ourselves for Jesus and what He is doing.
Repentance is as ongoing as our sinfulness requires it to be. It is not enough to call ourselves Christians or follow Christian teachings, living a more or less Christian lifestyle. We must remain attuned to God’s Spirit, prepared at all times to follow wherever and however God leads.
Questions for Further Review
What is the significance of the 30 years of Jesus' life being skipped in Matthew's account?
How does Matthew describe John the Baptist's appearance and message?
What was John the Baptist calling people to do, and why?
What does John mean when he says 'bear fruits worthy of repentance'?
In what way is repentance described as an ongoing process?
