Matthew 3:1-17
Matthew 3:1-4:
3:1In those days John the baptizer arrives
heralding-forth in the desert-place of Judea .2and
saying, "You must repent, for the kingdom of the heavens came-near2"
– .3for this is the (one) having been said by
means of Isaiah the prophet saying, "A sound crying-aloud in the
desert-place, you must prepare the way of (the) Lord, you
must make his paths straight." .4John himself used-to
have his clothing from hairs of a camel and a leather girdle around
his loin, and his nourishment used-to-be locusts and wild honey.
During the days while Jesus was still in Nazareth of Galilee, John the
baptizer (known by his occupation which was that he baptized others, the
baptist) approached and came within Judea's desert-place (a desolate
place, wilderness) proclaiming and saying to the people: you must repent
(change your minds from bad to good regarding God and the things of God
after re-thinking what God says), in truth the kingdom of the heavens
has actively come near and is still near you.
The kingdom of the heavens = the kingdom of God / God's kingdom. The word
"kingdom" refers to all that is contained within God's sovereignty, His
kingly or royal dominion and government and rule and territory and
power, etc. The words "the
heavens" literally refer to the areas above the earth, but figuratively
refer to God's spirit realm. The usage of the plural form "heavens"
gives great emphasis and expansive greatness to God's kingdom.
In truth, this is the one who was spoken about by definite words being
uttered by means of Isaiah the prophet saying: a sound crying aloud (a
voice bellowing) in the desert-place, you must prepare the way of the
Lord (make ready the Lord's road – figuratively referring to the manner
of action and method of proceeding to be taken by him), you must make
his paths straight (make the worn/beaten paths straight, figuratively
meaning to make his paths level in the correct direction for him to walk
on in order to carry-out his assignment).
Some Greek texts omit the word "his" in the phrase "you must make his
paths straight." A prophet is someone who speaks-forth God's words being
revealed to him/her concerning the past, present and/or future to,
before, in front of a person or people. The reference here is to what
the Prophet Isaiah spoke and is recorded in the Book of Isaiah 40:3
prophesying about John.
John himself at that time had his clothing (what he put on himself to
cover his body) from hairs of a camel and a leather girdle around his
loin area (loins). A "girdle" was as a belt worn between the tights and
the ribs of the person, which usually had a hollow and it was used to
carry things inside of it, and also used if the person needed to move
quickly by tying it around the turned or pulled up garments. Male and
female wore girdles. John's girdle was made of the skins of animals. His
nourishment (sustenance from food) at that time was locusts and the
natural honey he found in the open fields.
[Reference: Leviticus 11:22; II Kings 1:8; Malachi 4:5 and 6; Matthew
4:17, 11:12-15; Luke 1:76-80, 3:2-4; John 1:23.]
Verses 5 and 6:
.5Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the
country-around Jordan used-to journey-out towards him .6and
they used-to-be baptized in the river Jordan by him
expressly-agreeing (regarding) their sins.
At that time people living in Jerusalem and all from Judea ("all"
figuratively refers to a great number of people) and the
surrounding-area of Jordan were going out towards John. And, they were
being baptized (immersed) in the river Jordan by John. They were not
baptizing themselves but John was doing it for/to them while they were
being in full agreement regarding their sins (their aberrations from
God's law). They were definitely agreeing with and saying the same thing
as what John was saying to them regarding their missing the mark of
God's Word which was given to/for them.
They were not telling everybody all the sins they could remember
committing (if they did that it would have been a very depressing
experience for all there, to say the least) – but they were changing
their minds and assenting with intensity and completely agreeing from
inside to outside that they had committed sins and accepted the washing
away of their sins by John's baptism making them clean before God.
[Reference: Acts 1:4 and 5, 19:6.]
Verses 7-12:
.7But having seen many of the Pharisees and
Sadducees coming on his baptism he said to them, "Offsprings of
vipers, someone pointed-out to you to flee away-from the wrath being
about to (come), .8therefore you must make worthy
fruit of the repentance, .9and you must not consider to
say in yourselves 'We have a father - Abraham,' for I say to you
that God is able to raise-up children to Abraham out-from these
stones; .10but the axe already is laid towards the root
of the trees, therefore every tree not making beautiful fruit is
being cut-off and being thrown into fire. .11I
indeed baptize you in water into repentance, but the (one)
coming behind me he is stronger-than me, whose sandals I am not
sufficient to lift-up, he will baptize you in holy spirit and
fire, .12whose winnowing-fan (is) in his hand and
he will throughly-clean his threshing-floor, and he will
gather-together his wheat into the granary but the chaff he will
burn-down with unquenchable fire."
When John saw (perceived, knew) a lot of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming down to where he was carrying out his water (H2O) baptism, he
said to them: Offsprings of vipers (produced things, products, progenies
of, pertaining-to, and issuing-from vipers, as having been born from/by
these venomous snakes)….
Pharisees and Sadducees were two of the leading religious groups of
Judah/Israel claiming to know and teach others about God and the old
covenant writings. The Pharisees were one of the sects that had their
own beliefs and practices. They believed that their own oral law was
needed to complete and interpret the written scrolls of the old covenant
law. The Sadducees came from Zadok, the founder of this sect. They
constantly argued with the Pharisees, and they did not believe the
teaching of resurrection. John's greeting was not a socially acceptable
way of greeting religious leaders who would have their decorative robes
on them exhibiting their 'standing' in the community! John was not
tricked by their appearance or by their teachings, but spoke very
bluntly to them letting them know God's point of view.
John said to them: Offsprings of vipers, someone pointed-out to you
(someone indicated privately, under your eyes, plainly to you) to flee
away-from the wrath being about to come (to take flight away from the
lasting angry vengeance that is on the point of coming or happening).
The word "someone" could also be translated "who" but used in the
rhetorical sense because they were definitely informed, which was a good
thing and so they were given a choice.
Following-on logically from this, you Pharisees and Sadducees must make
worthy fruit of the repentance – you must do and evidence fruit (as the
produce or result of good trees) which is of equal-value or like-worth
belonging-to and issuing-from repentance (the changing of your minds to
the truth of what God says).
And, you must not consider (not suppose) to say within yourselves: 'we
have a father - Abraham' (we presently and actively have/hold Abraham
being our father, we are his descendants and so we are entitled to all
of his inheritance that God promised him and his seed). In truth, I say
to you that God is able (capable, He has the ability, the able-power) to
raise-up children who are born to Abraham out-from these stones (in
other words, it has no bearing on whether you are physically descendants
of his or not)!
But the axe (which has the capacity to break and cut-down what it comes
in contact with depending on how it is used by the user) already is laid
towards the root of the trees (it has by this time been laid, lying down
towards/with the root of the trees – figuratively referring to coming
wrath which will destroy those who were/are/will-be against God).
Therefore all or every tree that is not presently and actively making
beautiful fruit (not doing and evidencing fruit that has a manifested
decorous, harmonious and acceptable goodness from God's viewpoint) is
being cut-off (cut out from the rest of the trees) and being thrown/cast
into fire where they will be burned-up and thus destroyed.
God via John gave these Pharisees and Sadducees and all others present an
opportunity to change from their wrong believing and disagreeing and
living against God's truth to believing and agreeing and living the
truth of God's Word. This was the time for all to make their decisions
regarding believing and obeying and doing what God says – everyone has
freedom of will to make their own choice.
John continues:
- emphatically I indeed baptize you in water into repentance (with a view
to and resulting in the changing of your minds from bad to good
regarding God and the things of God, emphasizing your minds' change
after re-thinking the matter),
- but the one who is presently coming behind/after me he is stronger-than
me (comparatively more inherently strong, has more strength than I
have), whose sandals I am not sufficient to lift-up (I have not come to,
am not sufficing enough, not reached the point of satisfying sufficiency
to carry or support his sandals, what he wears on his feet, as a
slave/servant would do for his master),
- emphatically he (himself, the same) will baptize you in holy spirit and
fire…
…whose winnowing-fan (the tool used to throw grain up into the air so the
wind blows away the chaff/husks, the lighter bad portion, from the good
grain that the user wants to keep) is in his hand and he will
throughly-clean his threshing-floor (he will make it to be thoroughly
free from any bad foreign-mixture, cause it not to be mixed with
something else), and he will gather-together (assemble) his wheat into
the granary (barn) but the chaff he will burn-down with unquenchable
fire (he will burn the chaff up/out with fire that is not able to be
extinguished by what it is burning, it will burn-down everything that is
supposed to be burned-down).
John uses a figure of speech to help the people listening to him
understand – they would all have been familiar with how the grain and
chaff are separated and that only the grain should be kept but the chaff
should be destroyed.
Referring to the Christ, John said that he would baptize in holy spirit
and fire. This could also be translated as "in spirit holy and fiery" or
"in fiery holy spirit." The word "holy" means: sanctified, set-apart
from the state of being common, defiled or unclean against God, having
become into the state of corresponding to the essence of God. John was
prophesying regarding the time when the Lord Jesus Christ would give
holy spirit-life to those who believe what God says regarding God and
His son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Fire burns what can be burned, and
leaves what cannot be burned thus purifying what is left. Here, fire
signifies or indicates God's presence and His acceptance and
purification of this baptism that came to pass on the day of Pentecost
(recorded in Acts 2:1-4).
John's baptism with water was a type (pattern) of the baptism that Jesus
was going to bring to pass - baptism in holy spirit (refer to also John
1:31). As with John's baptism which was made available to all but all
did not choose to partake of it, so it was and is with Jesus' baptism
since the day he first made it available, and only those who choose to
believe what God says regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, will receive new spiritual bodies in the future.
[Reference: Malachi 4:1; Matthew 7:17-20, 13:30 and 40-43; Luke 3:7-18;
John 1:15 and 26-28; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 13:23-25, 19:1-7; Romans 1:18-21,
chapter 4; I Corinthians 3:12-15, 12:13, chapter 15; Galatians chapter
3; I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-17; Revelation chapters 19 and 20.]
Verses 13-17:
.13Then Jesus arrives from Galilee on Jordan
towards John to be baptized by him, .14but John used-to
throughly-hinder him saying, "I have need to be baptized by
you and you come towards me?" .15But Jesus
having answered said towards him, "You must leave (me)
now, for thus it is becoming for us to fulfill all righteousness."
Then he leaves him. .16But Jesus having been baptized
ascended immediately from the water, .17and look!, the
heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God descending
as-though a dove coming on him, and look!, a sound out-from the
heavens saying, "This is My son, the loved1 (son)
in whom I consider-it-good."
Then Jesus approached and came away-from Galilee down upon Jordan towards
John for the purpose of being baptized by John. But John was hindering
Jesus through-and-through (thoroughly preventing or blocking him, he was
continually cutting him short from what he was wanting to do) saying to
him: emphatically I have need (a necessity due to lack because of not
having that-which is needed for my use, which is) to be baptized by you
(whereby you are the one doing the baptizing), and emphatically you come
towards me?
John knew that the Christ would baptize with holy spirit and fire and so
from John's viewpoint it was the wrong way round – he did not understand
why Jesus would want to be baptized by him, which was a water baptism,
and so he was hindering Jesus and told him his logic asking him to
explain.
But Jesus answered saying towards John: you must leave me now (in the
sense of let it go from your concern as to what I do, dismiss me and
thereby permit me to do what I want to do at this moment), for in this
manner it is presently becoming (distinguished, suitable, proper)
for/to/with us to fulfill all righteousness (you and I to fill or
make-full every justice, all justness). Then John leaves Jesus do what
he wanted to do which was for John to baptize him in the Jordan river at
that time.
[As a note, there are many places where the Greek is written "having
answered saying" or "he answered and said" etc. This does not mean that
the person answered first and then afterwards said something else. It is
the way that the people spoke and wrote at that time; and means that the
person judicially replied to a question/statement made by someone else,
or to a situation, by saying such-and-such.]
After Jesus was baptized by John, he ascended immediately from the water
(he went-up straightway, in a direct manner, away-from the water – he
was not in the water anymore)…
- and look (behold, see)! – the heavens were caused to be open and Jesus
saw the spirit of God descending as-though a dove coming on him. Jesus
perceived and knew God's spirit (the spirit belonging-to and
proceeding-from God Who is Holy Spirit) as if it were a dove coming down
upon him…. The spirit was not a dove but this is how God chose to
communicate what He was doing.
- and look (behold, see)! – a sound/voice out-from the heavens saying:
this is My son, the loved1 son, (the word "loved1"
comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love -
this-one presently and actively is My son who is loved by Me, he
originates from Me and is beloved) within whom I consider-it-good (I
suppose it well in him, I have willing-purpose with good-design within
My beloved son). God had just given Jesus Christ holy spirit and this is
God's declaration regarding the one who would accomplish God's plan of
redemption and salvation once and for all.
God does not say that Jesus is Mary's son or Joseph's son, but that he is
"My" son. The word translated "as-though" is an adverb describing the
verb translated "saw" – Jesus saw God's spirit as though it were a dove.
A dove symbolizes being true, pure, clean, sincere, honest, etc (which
is the opposite of being mixed, adulterated, having guile). This is the
moment when Jesus received holy spirit-life from God, which was similar
to many of God's people who received holy spirit from God for specific
periods of time throughout the ages, such as Jacob, Moses, Isaiah. This
is the moment when Jesus' ministry officially began to accomplish
redemption and salvation once and for all. God had indicated that Jesus is His apostle and prophet
having received the spirit from God.
We need to understand that the spirit which God gave Jesus at that time
immediately after his water baptism by John, was not the same as the
spirit that is now available to mankind. It was only after Christ's
resurrection and ascension into heaven that he could shed forth the gift
of holy spirit, which is the spirit of Christ, on the day of Pentecost
as recorded in Acts chapter 2 – the spirit of Christ was not available
until after redemption and salvation was accomplished by Jesus Christ.
[Reference: Deuteronomy 18:15; Isaiah 11:1-5, 42:1; Habakkuk 2:4
(Septuagint); Matthew 2:22; Luke 3:21 and 22; John 1:29-34; I
Corinthians 10:5; Hebrews 3:1, and 10:38; II Peter 1:17. Note: verbs
with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate
the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link
of this study.]
