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Chapter 3
Salvation demands personal commitment, not merely being part of a religious or ethnic group. No one can take one's spiritual status for granted simply because one is Jewish, Catholic, Baptist, evangelical or anything else. As the saying goes, God has no grandchildren; the piety of our upbringing cannot save us if we are not personally committed to Christ.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ”3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!Clear the road for him!’”
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath?8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires. ” So John agreed to baptize him.16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” Matt 3:1-17 (NLT)
John the Baptist and the Baptism of Christ.
SUMMARY.--The Preaching of John. The Kingdom of Heaven. John's Raiment and Food. The Great Multitudes. The Pharisee and Sadducees. Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire. Jesus Comes for Baptism. Jesus Baptized in the Jordan. The Anointing of the Spirit. The Voice from Heaven.
1. In those days. Many years after the incidents of the last chapter; somewhere from twenty-five to thirty. Came John the Baptist. Called the Baptist or Baptizer because he baptized the people. He came forth as a preacher and reformer. He was the subject of prophecy ( Isa. 40:3Mal. 3:1 ); his birth was announced by an angel; he was of a priestly family, the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary. He was now about thirty years old. Preaching in the wilderness of Judea. A region thinly inhabited, used mostly for pasture, a rocky tract in the eastern part of Judea and west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea.
2. Repent ye. The great rite of John was baptism, but the great duty commanded was repentance. Repentance is more than a sorrow for sin; it is a determination to abandon it and live a new life. It means a change of the will, or heart, new purposes, a determination to leave off sinning. Sorrow is not repentance, but "godly sorrow worketh repentance" ( 2 Cor. 7:10 ). The kingdom of heaven. The long expected kingdom ruled by the Messiah King, predicted by the prophets, and especially by Daniel ( Dan. 2:44 ). The announcement of this anxiously-waited-for kingdom thrilled all Judea. Is at hand. It is to be noted: 1. That the kingdom to which he referred was in the future, but near. It did not begin with Abraham, or David, or even with John the Baptist. 2. It is the kingdom of heaven, not an earthly kingdom, and hence, must have a King sent from heaven. That King was not yet revealed to the public, but we have seen that one was born at Bethlehem who was to be the King. John was not the founder, but the herald of the coming King.
3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness. John was called a voice, (1) because the whole man was a sermon; (2) because he would call no attention to himself as a person, but only to the Savior, whose way he had come to prepare. For the prophecy see Isa. 40:3 . Prepare ye the way of the Lord. The messengers sent before the eastern kings prepared the way for the chariots and armies of their monarchs. A "king's highway" had to be carried through the open land of the wilderness, valleys filled up, and hills leveled. Interpreted in its spiritual application, the wilderness was the world lying in evil. Make his paths straight. Roads that have not been properly directed at the beginning. So are the ways of men when no preparation has been made for the GREAT KING. When John cried, Make his paths straight, he meant, Stop your crooked ways.
4. Raiment of camel's hair. See 2 Kings 1:8 . Not the camel's skin with hair on it, but a garment made of the shaggier camel's hair, woven in a coarse fabric. It was recognized as a garb of the prophets ( Zech. 13:4 ), and is still worn in the East by the poor. A leathern girdle about his loins. The "leathern girdle" may be seen around the body of the common laborer. It fastens the loose raiment of the East about the waist. His meat. Food. Locusts. Permitted to the Jews as an article of food ( Lev. 11:22 ), and still used by the poorer classes in Arabia, Egypt and Nubia. They are a large, voracious insect, much like the Rocky Mountain grasshopper. Wild honey. Honey deposited by wild swarms of bees in the rocks. So abundant was it that Palestine was described as "flowing with milk and honey." John was no epicure, and used such food as the wilderness provided.
5. There went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea. These expressions must be taken, not as meaning every individual, but as showing the wonderful impression produced by his preaching. All Judea, and among the rest, the people of Jerusalem came.
6. And were baptized of him in the Jordan. Note that the baptism took place not at, but in, in the Jordan. Mark says, "in the river Jordan." The Jordan, the principal stream of Palestine, rises in the mountains of Lebanon, runs south into the sea of Galilee, leaves it and descends southward along Galilee, Samaria and Judea, to the Dead Sea. In many places the streams is fordable, and furnishes good facilities for baptizing. Confessing their sins. Baptism itself, a burial in water, a "baptism into death," a symbol of the burial of one who dies to the old life, is a confession of sins. There was, perhaps, also a verbal confession. The acknowledgment of sin, repentance and baptism are prescribed as conditions of pardon.
7. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The two principal religious sects. The first originated in the time of the Maccabees, and were a kind of Jewish Puritans, but had in the Savior's time degenerated into a set of formalists, who paid far more attention to outward forms than to inner life. They were scrupulous in observing ceremonies, very orthodox, but were filled with spiritual pride. From an early period of Christ's ministry they opposed him. The other principal sect of the Jews, the Sadducees, derived their name from Sadduc, the founder of the sect; were irreligious, sensual and skeptical. They were materialists, and denied "angel, spirit, or the resurrection of the dead." Annas and Caiaphas, the high priests, were Sadducees. Generation of vipers. The guilty, corrupted race had become a generation of vipers; not only poisoned, but poisonous, hateful to God, hating one another. The viper is hateful, full of hate, and dangerous. Who hath warned you? Malachi ( Malachi 3:2Malachi 4:5 ) had predicted the wrath to come. John's question expresses doubt of their sincerity.
8. Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance. There is no repentance whatever unless there is a change of life as the result. The change of life is the proof of the change of heart.
9. Think not to say . . . We have Abraham to our father. They believed that Abraham's race was to be saved, if all else were destroyed. John destroys this refuge of sin. Of these stones. Pointing, perhaps, to the stones of the Jordan. In thus sinking the higher claims of Judaism, John points to the Gentiles, who were to become Abraham's children by faith. (See Gal. 3:29 .)
10. The axe laid at the root of the trees. A sign that the tree is to be cut down. The tree meant is the Jewish nation. Every tree. A fruitless fig-tree was afterward made by our Lord the representative of the whole Jewish nation ( Luke 13:6 ), but here John declares a universal law. What does not bear good fruit shall finally be destroyed. Cast into the fire. When the tree is not fruitful, or bears useless fruit, it is fit for nothing but to be burned.
11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. His baptism was only a water baptism. The King could send the Holy Spirit, and give a mightier baptism, in addition to the outward baptism. Mightier than I. In that he can perform all that I only promise. Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. The duty of a slave, or one greatly inferior in rank. In the Orient sandals are generally removed on entering a house, and left in charge of a servant, who brings them again when needed. So humble was John, compared with the King, that he was hardly worthy to be his servant. He shall baptize with the Holy Spirit. In order to know what is meant we must refer to the fulfillment. On the day of Pentecost occurred such a baptism, the first so recognized in the New Testament. Then the spirits of the apostles were overwhelmed by the Divine Spirit, so that they spoke as he gave them utterance. It was Christ who "shed forth" the baptism of that occasion. This would be plainer had the Greek en, here rendered "with," has been rendered "in," after the word baptize. Of the 2,600 occurrences of en in the Greek New Testament, it is rendered "in" in the Common Version 2,045 times. The American Committee of Revisers in the Revised Version (see margin) so render it in connection with the word baptize, and are doubtless right. These great scholars, mostly learned Pedo-baptists, would say, "Baptize in water," "Baptize in the Holy Spirit." And with fire. The term fire is used in verse 10 , and there means a destroying agency; it is used again in verse 12 in the same sense; it is used in verse 11 , also, the intervening verse, and must be used in exactly the same sense as in the other two verses. It cannot mean a curse in Matthew 3:10Matthew 3:12 , and a blessing in verse 11 , without a word of explanation. It is strange, therefore, that all commentators should not agree that the baptism of fire is a baptism of trial and suffering. There were two classes before John. Some would repent and be baptized finally in the Holy Spirit; there were others who would remain impenitent, and be baptized in the awful trials that would come upon Israel. The next verse explains this. John says in it that there is the wheat and the chaff; one shall be gathered into the garner and the other burned.
12. Fan is in his hand. Rather the winnowing shovel, by which the wheat and chaff were tossed together into the air, so that the wind would blow the chaff away. In Palestine grain was threshed on an outdoor threshing floor, either by hand or the treading of cattle, and winnowed by casting it up to the wind. Gather his wheat into the garner. Granary, or grain depository. Unquenchable fire. A reference is here made to the practice of burning the chaff under process of winnowing. The wheat is the righteous, the chaff is the wicked, and Christ is the winnower; the granary is heaven, the unquenchable fire is hell.
13. Then cometh Jesus. Not named by Matthew since he was taken to Nazareth in childhood. From Luke Luke 2:46Luke 2:47Luke 2:51Luke 3:23 we learn that he was subject to his parents, at twelve years of age astonished the doctors in the temple by his wisdom, and was now thirty years of age. He had worked in Nazareth as a carpenter. Galilee. The northern part of Palestine, containing at this time, according at this time, according to Josephus, 240 towns and villages and an immense population. To be baptized. He came for this purpose. He sought the rite.
14. John forbade him. The objection that John made to the baptism of Christ implies some knowledge of him. Their mothers were cousins, but there is no evidence that Jesus and John had ever met. The Spirit had told John to proclaim the Redeemer and had given him a sign by which he should know him. When Jesus came before him, he perhaps knew, by the Spirit, his purity, and may have believed that he was the Messiah, but as yet he "knew him not" (see John 1:33 ). He could not be certain until he saw the divine sign. I have need to be baptized of thee. These words were uttered under the conviction, not certainty, that Jesus was the Christ.
15. Suffer it to be so now. The term "now" implies that the relation of Jesus to his work made it proper that now he should be baptized. It is true that baptism was for sinners; Jesus was sinless; but he humbled himself, accepted the burden of human duties, and must set a perfect example to men. He obeyed the Jewish law, and it was needful also that he obey the Divine rite that John had inaugurated. Thus it becometh us. In order to fulfill all righteousness, show forth a perfect obedience, set a perfect example, it became him to submit to the institution of baptism, and it became John to administer it to him. "Us" refers to Jesus and John.
16. And Jesus, when he was baptized. The baptism took place in the river Jordan, and was doubtless by immersion. Dr. Whitby, of the Church of England, on this passage, says: "The observation of the Greek Church is this, that he who ascended out of the water must first descend into it. Baptism is therefore to be performed, not by sprinkling, but by washing the body." Dr. Schaff, the great Pedo-baptist scholar, says: "While the validity of baptism does not depend on the quantity or quality of water, or the mode of its application, yet immersion and emersion is the primitive and expressive mode to symbolize the idea of entire spiritual purification and renovation." Dr. Schaff also says: "The Greek word baptize is derived from a root that means 'to dip,' 'to immerse.'" These views are endorsed by all the great Pedo-baptist scholars. Went up straightway out of the water. The Revision says "from the water," which is correct, as the preposition is apo; yet Mark uses ek in giving the same account, which the Revision correctly renders "out of." He went up, praying, as we learn from Luke 3:21 . Lo, the heavens were opened unto him. The skies were parted, rolled back, so as to reveal, as it were, the throne of God. Spirit . . . descending like a dove. In form, and not, as some suppose, in motion merely, which would convey no definite idea. It descended to anoint him to be Christ.
17. A voice from heaven. Three times God speaks from heaven in connection with the ministry of Christ--at his baptism, his transfiguration, and in the temple just before his suffering. Thou art my beloved Son. The very words addressed to the Messiah in Psalm 2:7 ; and from which the Son of God became one of his standing appellations. Thus the baptism of Christ was the occasion of his public recognition. No reader should fail to observe the significance of the time chosen by God for the acknowledgment of the Son. It is just after he has humbled himself in an act of obedience, in baptism, that the Holy Spirit anoints him as the Christ, and God formally acknowledges him as his Son. No more forcible expression of the estimate set by God on this institution could be given. This example and the New Testament harmonizes in teaching--1. That we must be baptized if we would follow Christ. 2. That it is when we repent and are baptized that we receive the Holy Spirit ( Acts 2:38 ). 3. That when we have obeyed the Lord he will recognize us as his children.
God sent John the Baptist to prepare Israel for his climactic revelation in history. Just as God revealed his purposes in advance to his prophets in ancient Israel (Amos 3:7; compare Issaiah 41:22-29; 42:9; 43:9, 19; 44:7-8, 24-26; 45:21; 46:10; 48:6),
John was a wilderness prophet proclaiming impending judgment; for him repentance (Mt 3:2, 6, 8) was the only appropriate response to the coming kingdom (3:2), its fiery judgment (3:7, 10-12) and its final judge, who would prove to be more than a merely political Messiah (3:11-12). Although most Jewish traditions acknowledged that all people need some repentance, John's call to his people (Mt 3:5-6, 8-9) is more radical. John's "repentance" refers not to a regular turning from sin after a specific act but to a once-for-all repentance, the kind of turning from an old way of life to a new life; that Judaism associated with Gentiles' converting to Judaism. True repentance is costly: the kingdom "demands a response, a radical decision".
Most Jewish people in Palestine expected a time of impending judgment against the wicked and deliverance for the righteous. But most expected judgment on other peoples and on only the most wicked in Israel. Oppressed by surrounding nations, Israel had good reason to long for deliverance, but many people within the nation, including its political leaders, needed to look first to themselves.
3:7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8"Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham." Jewish people had long believed they were chosen in Abraham. This meant that they were not sinful like the Gentiles. It would be this attitude, a hard heart, that Jesus would harshly confront them with.
John spoke about Jesus as having a much greater baptism.
To make application to the souls of the hearers, is the life of preaching; so it was of John's preaching. The Pharisees laid their chief stress on outward observances, neglecting the weightier matters of the moral law, and the spiritual meaning of their legal ceremonies. Others of them were detestable hypocrites, making their pretences to holiness a cloak for iniquity. The Sadducees ran into the opposite extreme, denying the existence of spirits, and a future state. They were the scornful infidels of that time and country. There is a wrath to come. It is the great concern of every one to flee from that wrath. God, who delights not in our ruin, has warned us; he warns by the written word, by ministers, by conscience. And those are not worthy of the name of penitents, or their privileges, who say they are sorry for their sins, yet persist in them. It becomes penitents to be humble and low in their own eyes, to be thankful for the least mercy, patient under the greatest affliction, to be watchful against all appearances of sin, to abound in every duty, and to be charitable in judging others. Here is a word of caution, not to trust in outward privileges. There is a great deal which carnal hearts are apt to say within themselves, to put aside the convincing, commanding power of the word of God. Multitudes, by resting in the honours and mere advantages of their being members of an outward church, come short of heaven. Here is a word of terror to the careless and secure. Our corrupt hearts cannot be made to produce good fruit, unless the regenerating Spirit of Christ graft the good word of God upon them. And every tree, however high in gifts and honours, however green in outward professions and performances, if it bring not forth good fruit, the fruits meet for repentance, is hewn down and cast into the fire of God's wrath, the fittest place for barren trees: what else are they good for? If not fit for fruit, they are fit for fuel. John shows the design and intention of Christ's appearing, which they were now speedily to expect. No outward forms can make us clean. No ordinances, by whomsoever administered, or after whatever mode, can supply the want of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire. The purifying and cleansing power of the Holy Spirit alone can produce that purity of heart, and those holy affections, which accompany salvation. It is Christ who baptizes with the Holy Ghost. This he did in the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit sent upon the apostles, Acts 2:4. This he does in the graces and comforts of the Spirit, given to those that ask him, Luke 11:13; John 7:38, 39; see Ac 11:16. Observe here, the outward church is Christ's floor, Isa 21:10. True believers are as wheat, substantial, useful, and valuable; hypocrites are as chaff, light and empty, useless and worthless, carried about with every wind; these are mixed, good and bad, in the same outward communion. There is a day coming when the wheat and chaff shall be separated. The last judgment will be the distinguishing day, when saints and sinners shall be parted for ever. In heaven the saints are brought together, and no longer scattered; they are safe, and no longer exposed; separated from corrupt neighbours without, and corrupt affections within, and there is no chaff among them. Hell is the unquenchable fire, which will certainly be the portion and punishment of hypocrites and unbelievers. Here life and death, good and evil, are set before us: according as we now are in the field, we shall be then in the floor.
Christ's gracious condescensions are so surprising, that even the strongest believers at first can hardly believe them; so deep and mysterious, that even those who know his mind well, are apt to start objections against the will of Christ. And those who have much of the Spirit of God while here, see that they need to apply to Christ for more. Christ does not deny that John had need to be baptized of him, yet declares he will now be baptized of John. Christ is now in a state of humiliation. Our Lord Jesus looked upon it as well becoming him to fulfil all righteousness, to own every Divine institution, and to show his readiness to comply with all God's righteous precepts. In and through Christ, the heavens are opened to the children of men. This descent of the Spirit upon Christ, showed that he was endued with his sacred influences without measure. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. At Christ's baptism there was a manifestation of the three Persons in the sacred Trinity. The Father confirming the Son to be Mediator; the Son solemnly entering upon the work; the Holy Spirit descending on him, to be through his mediation communicated to his people. In Him our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable, for He is the altar that sanctifies every gift, 1Pe 2:5. Out of Christ, God is a consuming fire, but in Christ, a reconciled Father. This is the sum of the gospel, which we must by faith cheerfully embrace.
—Matthew Henry Concise
John the Baptist Is Presented (3:1-12) The "Judean wilderness" (3:1) was a barren desert region west of the Dead Sea. John's message was "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (3:1-2). For years, people had been saying the kingdom of heaven was coming. John announced that it was at hand. John was identified as the one who would "Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming" (3:3; cf. Isa. 40:3). See the context of Matthew's quote in the book of Isaiah (Isa. 40:1-11). John the Baptist came as a prelude to the messianic age. John's appearance (3:4) was similar to that of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and this was the only explicit connection made between John the Baptist and Elijah in the Matthew account. John was in the wilderness to "prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming." He had to be sought out (3:5) because his ministry was to a separated people who were willing to come away from society to confess their sins.
John's message had a twofold thrust (3:2). First, he wanted people to repent and be saved. This directed listeners to acknowledge their guilt (3:6) and change the attitudes of their hearts. Second, his end-time message, "the Kingdom of Heaven is near," had to do with the fulfillment of God's promise to David of a messianic kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12-16). Through his ministry, John the Baptist became the "voice shouting in the wilderness" (3:3) foreseen in Isaiah 40:3. He came as the messianic forerunner, the one sent ahead to announce the Messiah's coming.
The "coming judgment" (3:7) was related to the coming of the messianic kingdom. According to Josephus, the "Pharisees" (3:7) were "a body of Jews with the reputation of excelling the rest of their nation in the observances of religion, and as exact exponents of the laws." They were middle- class Jews, primarily associated with the synagogue. The "Sadducees" (3:7) were the priestly aristocracy associated with the Jewish temple. Unlike the Pharisees, they did not believe in the bodily resurrection, since they did not believe this doctrine was taught in the Mosaic Scriptures. They did not accept anything except the Mosaic Scriptures (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) as authoritative.
The expression "brood of snakes" (3:7) characterized the religious leaders as evil and deceitful. These leaders had misunderstood the significance of the original international scope of the Abrahamic covenant. John the Baptist anticipated judgment on the unrepentant and corrupt Jewish religious establishment (3:10; cf. 23:37-38; John 15:1-2, 6). John the Baptist's mission was to call Israel to repent and be changed at the level of the heart and character, not on the level of outward religious ritual.
The word "baptized" (3:11) was a transliteration of the Greek word baptizo, meaning "to dip" or "to immerse." The Greek root bapto was used by those in the dye trade to describe the "dipping" of cloth. As a result of this "dipping," the cloth would be identified with a new color. The word was used here of a religious act of baptism that would result in one becoming identified as a follower of John and his movement. The baptism "with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (3:11) foreseen by John suggested the work of Christ at Pentecost (Acts 2) and the final judgment (3:12; 13:40-42). The "winnowing fork" (3:12) was an instrument used for tossing threshed grain into the air to separate the wheat from the broken bits of straw (chaff). In the judgment, God would separate the repentant (grain) from the unrepentant (chaff) (cf. 25:31-46).
Jesus Is Baptized (3:13-17) John misunderstood Jesus' intentions at his baptism. John understood baptism to represent an act of repentance, and thus, protested Jesus' baptism. But Jesus did not come to repent of sin. He came to identify with his people in righteous alignment with God's purposes. He came to "do everything that is right" (3:15) by identifying himself with the righteous remnant of God's chosen people—the people he had come to represent and save (cf. 12:18-21). The righteousness Jesus sought to fulfill included God's plans and demands for his people and John the Baptist. It also included Jesus' identification with the righteous remnant in Israel.
God's announcement (3:17) was the first of three times when God spoke from heaven regarding his Son (cf. 17:5; John 12:28). There were two titles given here: (1) "Son" (cf. Exod. 4:22, where God spoke of the nation of Israel as his son) and (2) "beloved" (cf. Gen. 22:2, where Abraham called his only son, Isaac, "beloved"). Jesus was both the Messiah and the representative of the covenant people before God. That representation would become the basis for the mediating role he would take in God's ongoing work of redemption.
—Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary
Chapter 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,‘People do not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,‘He will order his angels to protect you.And they will hold you up with their handsso you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ”7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ”8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world and all their glory.9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,‘You must worship the Lord your Godand serve only him.’ ”11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. The Ministry of Jesus Begins
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee.13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,16 the people who sat in darknesshave seen a great light.And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,a light has shined.”
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ” The First Disciples
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too.22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.Crowds Follow Jesus
23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon-possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River. Matt 4:1-25 (NLT)
Jesus couldn't prove his obedience until he was tempted. If he had given in his mission would have been lost. We too, when we are ready to give in to temptation, must consider whether Satan is trying to block God's purposes for our life or for someone else's life. Satan didn't tempt Jesus in the temple. We too must beware, for the enemy is not always going to attack us where we think he is, and that he will attack whether we are feeling strong, capable, or when we are lonely, week, and tired. Temptaion comes to test us, it is not a sin, but it leads to sin if it is not overcome The more we resist the temptation that comes our way, the stronger we become against the next one. When we are tempted, we may turn to God for help or we may run away from Him. The Holy Spirit is available anytime we feel too weak to go on. Trying to resist the lure of temptation on our own is dangerous. God is not a magician or a jeannie, but He is able to provide the strength we need to overcome temptation before it gets a strong hold on us . Don't ask God for a miracle just to make Him prove His existence. He comes to teach you, strengthen you, and grow you to maturity. The temptation Jesus faced is similar to is what we face. He is able to sympathize with us. He knows our weakness.
Jesus Is Tempted: Identity with Israel's Testing (4:1-11) Satan's intent in the temptations was to cause Jesus to sin by taking shortcuts to the accomplishment of his kingdom purposes. God's purpose was to demonstrate Jesus' sinlessness (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15) through his obedience to the Father's will. Jesus responded to the temptations by quoting Scripture (Matt. 4:4, cf. Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:7, cf. Deut. 6:16; and Matt. 4:10, cf. Deut. 6:13) and refusing to fall into sin.
During Jesus' temptations in the wilderness, he quoted from the Old Testament Scriptures connected with Israel's own wilderness experience. But where Israel had failed to obey God during its wilderness experience, Jesus succeeded in perfect obedience during his. God was "fully pleased" (Matt. 3:17) with Jesus' righteousness (3:15). His baptism and subsequent temptation in the wilderness was compared to Israel's passing through the Red Sea into the wilderness. Israel was tested for forty years and Jesus for forty days.
The first temptation (4:3-4) was with regard to food. It was a test of Jesus' dependence on and trust in the Father to provide for everyday needs. In his defense against Satan, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 8:1-3, where Moses was reminding the people of Israel of God's provision of manna in the wilderness. Satan was tempting Jesus to make his own manna and not trust in God's provision. In Deuteronomy 8, the people were reminded that the purpose of manna was to test the heart's devotion to God. The Israelites had to depend on God's provision since there was no other food supply available. This first temptation was intended to thwart Jesus' dependence upon his Father by causing him to use his own resources to meet his need. The words of Satan, "the Devil" (Matt. 4:3), could be translated, "Since you are the Son of God."
The second temptation (4:5-7) was with regard to safety. Satan hoped to tempt Jesus into trying or testing the power and ability of God. This would have been a rash self-assertion to prove a point that did not need proving. Such an act would have shown a lack of faith in the power of the Father. Compare the commandment "Do not test the Lord your God" (4:7; Deut. 6:16) with the time Israel put the Lord to the test in the wilderness because they were angry and lacked faith (Exod. 17:1-7). This test would prove whether or not God was with the nation of Israel in the Sinai wilderness or with Jesus in the Judean wilderness. But the people of Israel and Jesus needed no such proof. To test God again would prove only a lack of faith. Thus, this second temptation tested Jesus' faith in God's presence and control over life's events. The "highest point" (4:5) referred to the southeast corner of the temple that overlooked the deep Kidron Valley. The second temptation was intended to cause Jesus to put God to the test by placing himself in a precarious situation that would require divine intervention (4:6).
The third temptation (4:8-9) was with regard to power and wealth. It was a temptation to short-circuit God's plan for salvation that required the redemptive suffering of Jesus. Satan offered Jesus immediate glory and riches, while God's plan would take Jesus down a road of suffering and death. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13 in his defense against Satan. In Deuteronomy 6:10-15, Moses had warned the people of Israel as they entered the Promised Land to avoid the temptation to fall into idolatry. He warned Israel not to forget that God had given them all that they owned in the Promised Land. Similarly, Jesus had to avoid the temptation to embrace riches and forget God. Jesus was offered all of this world's kingdoms under Satan's authority (cf. John 12:30-32; Eph. 2:1-2) for just one little act of worship. But such sin would have disqualified Jesus as God's means of redemption to the world.
During his own wilderness experience, Jesus, the perfect Israelite, was identified with his people in the wilderness of Sinai. All his quotations of Old Testament Scripture reflected similar temptations experienced by the nation of Israel in the wilderness. But where Israel had failed, Jesus succeeded. Jesus' use of the Old Testament pointed to his temptations being the fulfillment and summation of Israel's wilderness temptations. Jesus, who would represent the people as a perfect sacrifice, had proved worthy of the task by conquering the temptations that had overcome Israel centuries before. Jesus banished Satan and as a result enjoyed God's provision (4:10-11).
The Location of Jesus' Ministry: Light Dawns on the Gentiles (4:12-16) Jesus identified with the nation of Israel through his ancestry and birth, as well as through his parallel experiences. The events of Jesus' youth summed up the major events of Israel's history. His temptations paralleled Israel's failures in the wilderness. He further identified with Israel by the locale of his ministry. But his work of salvation would not be for Israel alone. He also came to bring light to the Gentiles (4:12-16). Leaving Nazareth, he moved directly into the territory of Herod Antipas, the one who had imprisoned John the Baptist (4:12-13). For more on John the Baptist's arrest and execution (4:12), see Matthew 14:1-12.
"Zebulun and Naphtali" (4:13) were Israelite tribes that occupied the region of Galilee. Luke recorded that after his rejection, Jesus left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, a fishing village and tax collection station along the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew did not mention Jesus' one-year Judean ministry noted in John 1-3.
The location of Zebulun and Naphtali related to the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah (4:14-16; cf. Isa. 9:1-7). Although Galilee was occupied by the descendants of these tribes, a variety of Gentile people groups lived in the area as well. Jesus was beginning a major new movement; he was bringing a new light to the Gentiles. Matthew saw in Jesus' arrival in Galilee a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2. A new era had dawned for a region that once lay in spiritual darkness. Jesus' ministry had started with Israel but would extend to all the nations.
MESSIANIC IDENTITY: FULL AUTHORITY AS SERVANT AND SON OF GOD TO INAUGURATE HIS NEW COMMUNITY (4:17-16:20) Overview: This section of the book of Matthew (4:17-16:20) is introduced by the phrase "From then on" (4:17). The events of this section elaborate the meaning of the simple message: "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (4:17). The phrase "from then on" also introduces the final major section of the book (cf. 16:21). In that section, the passion or suffering of Jesus will be the primary focus.
The kingdom proclaimed by Jesus would come at God's own time and in God's own way. In section 4:17-16:20, that "time" and "way" were greatly illuminated and defined by the Lord's words and actions. The problem of man's sin was especially significant for the coming of the kingdom (cf. Isa. 51:1-8; 62:1-2; Dan. 9:24). Jesus' new covenant was based on a complete forgiveness of sins (cf. Jer. 31:33). The very name "Jesus" meant that he would save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). Therefore, whether people rejected or accepted Jesus, his death as the substitute for mankind's punishment was indispensable. The resolution of the sin problem was the only way to open the "gates" to the kingdom of God. The cross and the kingdom were inseparably linked.
This section presents four major events in the life of Jesus: (1) the calling of his new community of disciples (4:18-22); (2) the authority of his words in fulfillment of the law (5:1-7:29); (3) the authority of his deeds as his identity is questioned (8:1-16:12); and (4) the revelation of his identity, supernaturally revealed to his community of disciples, along with his gift of authority to "lock" and "open" (16:13-20).
The Community Is Called (4:17-25) Jesus' message was precisely the same as John the Baptist's (4:17; cf. 3:2). Jesus started where John left off, but he would soon go far beyond all that John had said and done (cf., for example, 4:23-25; 5:1-7:29). The call of the first disciples in 4:18-22 chronologically follows the events of John 1:35-51. This was not the first contact that these men had had with Jesus. They had heard John the Baptist identify him as the Lamb of God and had traveled with Jesus to Cana where they had seen his first miracle (John 2:1-11). But now at Jesus' invitation, they left their fishing to become fishers of men by proclaiming the gospel. The gospel was the "good news" of forgiveness for those who would repent and align themselves with the righteous remnant (cf. Isa. 1:19-20; 25:6-9; 51:1-8; Mal. 4:1-2).
Jesus was teaching in the synagogues (Matt. 4:23; cf. Luke 4:16-22), announcing the kingdom (cf. Matt. 4:17), and authenticating his message by miracles (12:28; cf. John 20:30-31). The stress on healing was leading up to the Matthew 8:17 quote of Isaiah 53:4. Healing was a picture or outward sign of a greater restoration based on the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 9:6). Many interesting things happened during this part of Jesus' ministry, but Matthew rushed through the events to give the reader a sense of the general impact and growing ministry of Jesus.
"Ten Towns" (4:25, Greek "Decapolis") was a Gentile district east of the Jordan River known for its splendid Greek cities. This section (4:17-25) gave a quick summary of Jesus' teaching, preaching, and healing ministries as a contextual background for Jesus' well-known Sermon on the Mount in the following chapters (Matt. 5-7).
—Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary
Salvation demands personal commitment, not merely being part of a religious or ethnic group. No one can take one's spiritual status for granted simply because one is Jewish, Catholic, Baptist, evangelical or anything else. As the saying goes, God has no grandchildren; the piety of our upbringing cannot save us if we are not personally committed to Christ.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ”3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!Clear the road for him!’”
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath?8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires. ” So John agreed to baptize him.16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” Matt 3:1-17 (NLT)
John the Baptist and the Baptism of Christ.
SUMMARY.--The Preaching of John. The Kingdom of Heaven. John's Raiment and Food. The Great Multitudes. The Pharisee and Sadducees. Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire. Jesus Comes for Baptism. Jesus Baptized in the Jordan. The Anointing of the Spirit. The Voice from Heaven.
1. In those days. Many years after the incidents of the last chapter; somewhere from twenty-five to thirty. Came John the Baptist. Called the Baptist or Baptizer because he baptized the people. He came forth as a preacher and reformer. He was the subject of prophecy ( Isa. 40:3Mal. 3:1 ); his birth was announced by an angel; he was of a priestly family, the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary. He was now about thirty years old. Preaching in the wilderness of Judea. A region thinly inhabited, used mostly for pasture, a rocky tract in the eastern part of Judea and west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea.
2. Repent ye. The great rite of John was baptism, but the great duty commanded was repentance. Repentance is more than a sorrow for sin; it is a determination to abandon it and live a new life. It means a change of the will, or heart, new purposes, a determination to leave off sinning. Sorrow is not repentance, but "godly sorrow worketh repentance" ( 2 Cor. 7:10 ). The kingdom of heaven. The long expected kingdom ruled by the Messiah King, predicted by the prophets, and especially by Daniel ( Dan. 2:44 ). The announcement of this anxiously-waited-for kingdom thrilled all Judea. Is at hand. It is to be noted: 1. That the kingdom to which he referred was in the future, but near. It did not begin with Abraham, or David, or even with John the Baptist. 2. It is the kingdom of heaven, not an earthly kingdom, and hence, must have a King sent from heaven. That King was not yet revealed to the public, but we have seen that one was born at Bethlehem who was to be the King. John was not the founder, but the herald of the coming King.
3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness. John was called a voice, (1) because the whole man was a sermon; (2) because he would call no attention to himself as a person, but only to the Savior, whose way he had come to prepare. For the prophecy see Isa. 40:3 . Prepare ye the way of the Lord. The messengers sent before the eastern kings prepared the way for the chariots and armies of their monarchs. A "king's highway" had to be carried through the open land of the wilderness, valleys filled up, and hills leveled. Interpreted in its spiritual application, the wilderness was the world lying in evil. Make his paths straight. Roads that have not been properly directed at the beginning. So are the ways of men when no preparation has been made for the GREAT KING. When John cried, Make his paths straight, he meant, Stop your crooked ways.
4. Raiment of camel's hair. See 2 Kings 1:8 . Not the camel's skin with hair on it, but a garment made of the shaggier camel's hair, woven in a coarse fabric. It was recognized as a garb of the prophets ( Zech. 13:4 ), and is still worn in the East by the poor. A leathern girdle about his loins. The "leathern girdle" may be seen around the body of the common laborer. It fastens the loose raiment of the East about the waist. His meat. Food. Locusts. Permitted to the Jews as an article of food ( Lev. 11:22 ), and still used by the poorer classes in Arabia, Egypt and Nubia. They are a large, voracious insect, much like the Rocky Mountain grasshopper. Wild honey. Honey deposited by wild swarms of bees in the rocks. So abundant was it that Palestine was described as "flowing with milk and honey." John was no epicure, and used such food as the wilderness provided.
5. There went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea. These expressions must be taken, not as meaning every individual, but as showing the wonderful impression produced by his preaching. All Judea, and among the rest, the people of Jerusalem came.
6. And were baptized of him in the Jordan. Note that the baptism took place not at, but in, in the Jordan. Mark says, "in the river Jordan." The Jordan, the principal stream of Palestine, rises in the mountains of Lebanon, runs south into the sea of Galilee, leaves it and descends southward along Galilee, Samaria and Judea, to the Dead Sea. In many places the streams is fordable, and furnishes good facilities for baptizing. Confessing their sins. Baptism itself, a burial in water, a "baptism into death," a symbol of the burial of one who dies to the old life, is a confession of sins. There was, perhaps, also a verbal confession. The acknowledgment of sin, repentance and baptism are prescribed as conditions of pardon.
7. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The two principal religious sects. The first originated in the time of the Maccabees, and were a kind of Jewish Puritans, but had in the Savior's time degenerated into a set of formalists, who paid far more attention to outward forms than to inner life. They were scrupulous in observing ceremonies, very orthodox, but were filled with spiritual pride. From an early period of Christ's ministry they opposed him. The other principal sect of the Jews, the Sadducees, derived their name from Sadduc, the founder of the sect; were irreligious, sensual and skeptical. They were materialists, and denied "angel, spirit, or the resurrection of the dead." Annas and Caiaphas, the high priests, were Sadducees. Generation of vipers. The guilty, corrupted race had become a generation of vipers; not only poisoned, but poisonous, hateful to God, hating one another. The viper is hateful, full of hate, and dangerous. Who hath warned you? Malachi ( Malachi 3:2Malachi 4:5 ) had predicted the wrath to come. John's question expresses doubt of their sincerity.
8. Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance. There is no repentance whatever unless there is a change of life as the result. The change of life is the proof of the change of heart.
9. Think not to say . . . We have Abraham to our father. They believed that Abraham's race was to be saved, if all else were destroyed. John destroys this refuge of sin. Of these stones. Pointing, perhaps, to the stones of the Jordan. In thus sinking the higher claims of Judaism, John points to the Gentiles, who were to become Abraham's children by faith. (See Gal. 3:29 .)
10. The axe laid at the root of the trees. A sign that the tree is to be cut down. The tree meant is the Jewish nation. Every tree. A fruitless fig-tree was afterward made by our Lord the representative of the whole Jewish nation ( Luke 13:6 ), but here John declares a universal law. What does not bear good fruit shall finally be destroyed. Cast into the fire. When the tree is not fruitful, or bears useless fruit, it is fit for nothing but to be burned.
11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. His baptism was only a water baptism. The King could send the Holy Spirit, and give a mightier baptism, in addition to the outward baptism. Mightier than I. In that he can perform all that I only promise. Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. The duty of a slave, or one greatly inferior in rank. In the Orient sandals are generally removed on entering a house, and left in charge of a servant, who brings them again when needed. So humble was John, compared with the King, that he was hardly worthy to be his servant. He shall baptize with the Holy Spirit. In order to know what is meant we must refer to the fulfillment. On the day of Pentecost occurred such a baptism, the first so recognized in the New Testament. Then the spirits of the apostles were overwhelmed by the Divine Spirit, so that they spoke as he gave them utterance. It was Christ who "shed forth" the baptism of that occasion. This would be plainer had the Greek en, here rendered "with," has been rendered "in," after the word baptize. Of the 2,600 occurrences of en in the Greek New Testament, it is rendered "in" in the Common Version 2,045 times. The American Committee of Revisers in the Revised Version (see margin) so render it in connection with the word baptize, and are doubtless right. These great scholars, mostly learned Pedo-baptists, would say, "Baptize in water," "Baptize in the Holy Spirit." And with fire. The term fire is used in verse 10 , and there means a destroying agency; it is used again in verse 12 in the same sense; it is used in verse 11 , also, the intervening verse, and must be used in exactly the same sense as in the other two verses. It cannot mean a curse in Matthew 3:10Matthew 3:12 , and a blessing in verse 11 , without a word of explanation. It is strange, therefore, that all commentators should not agree that the baptism of fire is a baptism of trial and suffering. There were two classes before John. Some would repent and be baptized finally in the Holy Spirit; there were others who would remain impenitent, and be baptized in the awful trials that would come upon Israel. The next verse explains this. John says in it that there is the wheat and the chaff; one shall be gathered into the garner and the other burned.
12. Fan is in his hand. Rather the winnowing shovel, by which the wheat and chaff were tossed together into the air, so that the wind would blow the chaff away. In Palestine grain was threshed on an outdoor threshing floor, either by hand or the treading of cattle, and winnowed by casting it up to the wind. Gather his wheat into the garner. Granary, or grain depository. Unquenchable fire. A reference is here made to the practice of burning the chaff under process of winnowing. The wheat is the righteous, the chaff is the wicked, and Christ is the winnower; the granary is heaven, the unquenchable fire is hell.
13. Then cometh Jesus. Not named by Matthew since he was taken to Nazareth in childhood. From Luke Luke 2:46Luke 2:47Luke 2:51Luke 3:23 we learn that he was subject to his parents, at twelve years of age astonished the doctors in the temple by his wisdom, and was now thirty years of age. He had worked in Nazareth as a carpenter. Galilee. The northern part of Palestine, containing at this time, according at this time, according to Josephus, 240 towns and villages and an immense population. To be baptized. He came for this purpose. He sought the rite.
14. John forbade him. The objection that John made to the baptism of Christ implies some knowledge of him. Their mothers were cousins, but there is no evidence that Jesus and John had ever met. The Spirit had told John to proclaim the Redeemer and had given him a sign by which he should know him. When Jesus came before him, he perhaps knew, by the Spirit, his purity, and may have believed that he was the Messiah, but as yet he "knew him not" (see John 1:33 ). He could not be certain until he saw the divine sign. I have need to be baptized of thee. These words were uttered under the conviction, not certainty, that Jesus was the Christ.
15. Suffer it to be so now. The term "now" implies that the relation of Jesus to his work made it proper that now he should be baptized. It is true that baptism was for sinners; Jesus was sinless; but he humbled himself, accepted the burden of human duties, and must set a perfect example to men. He obeyed the Jewish law, and it was needful also that he obey the Divine rite that John had inaugurated. Thus it becometh us. In order to fulfill all righteousness, show forth a perfect obedience, set a perfect example, it became him to submit to the institution of baptism, and it became John to administer it to him. "Us" refers to Jesus and John.
16. And Jesus, when he was baptized. The baptism took place in the river Jordan, and was doubtless by immersion. Dr. Whitby, of the Church of England, on this passage, says: "The observation of the Greek Church is this, that he who ascended out of the water must first descend into it. Baptism is therefore to be performed, not by sprinkling, but by washing the body." Dr. Schaff, the great Pedo-baptist scholar, says: "While the validity of baptism does not depend on the quantity or quality of water, or the mode of its application, yet immersion and emersion is the primitive and expressive mode to symbolize the idea of entire spiritual purification and renovation." Dr. Schaff also says: "The Greek word baptize is derived from a root that means 'to dip,' 'to immerse.'" These views are endorsed by all the great Pedo-baptist scholars. Went up straightway out of the water. The Revision says "from the water," which is correct, as the preposition is apo; yet Mark uses ek in giving the same account, which the Revision correctly renders "out of." He went up, praying, as we learn from Luke 3:21 . Lo, the heavens were opened unto him. The skies were parted, rolled back, so as to reveal, as it were, the throne of God. Spirit . . . descending like a dove. In form, and not, as some suppose, in motion merely, which would convey no definite idea. It descended to anoint him to be Christ.
17. A voice from heaven. Three times God speaks from heaven in connection with the ministry of Christ--at his baptism, his transfiguration, and in the temple just before his suffering. Thou art my beloved Son. The very words addressed to the Messiah in Psalm 2:7 ; and from which the Son of God became one of his standing appellations. Thus the baptism of Christ was the occasion of his public recognition. No reader should fail to observe the significance of the time chosen by God for the acknowledgment of the Son. It is just after he has humbled himself in an act of obedience, in baptism, that the Holy Spirit anoints him as the Christ, and God formally acknowledges him as his Son. No more forcible expression of the estimate set by God on this institution could be given. This example and the New Testament harmonizes in teaching--1. That we must be baptized if we would follow Christ. 2. That it is when we repent and are baptized that we receive the Holy Spirit ( Acts 2:38 ). 3. That when we have obeyed the Lord he will recognize us as his children.
God sent John the Baptist to prepare Israel for his climactic revelation in history. Just as God revealed his purposes in advance to his prophets in ancient Israel (Amos 3:7; compare Issaiah 41:22-29; 42:9; 43:9, 19; 44:7-8, 24-26; 45:21; 46:10; 48:6),
John was a wilderness prophet proclaiming impending judgment; for him repentance (Mt 3:2, 6, 8) was the only appropriate response to the coming kingdom (3:2), its fiery judgment (3:7, 10-12) and its final judge, who would prove to be more than a merely political Messiah (3:11-12). Although most Jewish traditions acknowledged that all people need some repentance, John's call to his people (Mt 3:5-6, 8-9) is more radical. John's "repentance" refers not to a regular turning from sin after a specific act but to a once-for-all repentance, the kind of turning from an old way of life to a new life; that Judaism associated with Gentiles' converting to Judaism. True repentance is costly: the kingdom "demands a response, a radical decision".
Most Jewish people in Palestine expected a time of impending judgment against the wicked and deliverance for the righteous. But most expected judgment on other peoples and on only the most wicked in Israel. Oppressed by surrounding nations, Israel had good reason to long for deliverance, but many people within the nation, including its political leaders, needed to look first to themselves.
3:7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8"Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham." Jewish people had long believed they were chosen in Abraham. This meant that they were not sinful like the Gentiles. It would be this attitude, a hard heart, that Jesus would harshly confront them with.
John spoke about Jesus as having a much greater baptism.
To make application to the souls of the hearers, is the life of preaching; so it was of John's preaching. The Pharisees laid their chief stress on outward observances, neglecting the weightier matters of the moral law, and the spiritual meaning of their legal ceremonies. Others of them were detestable hypocrites, making their pretences to holiness a cloak for iniquity. The Sadducees ran into the opposite extreme, denying the existence of spirits, and a future state. They were the scornful infidels of that time and country. There is a wrath to come. It is the great concern of every one to flee from that wrath. God, who delights not in our ruin, has warned us; he warns by the written word, by ministers, by conscience. And those are not worthy of the name of penitents, or their privileges, who say they are sorry for their sins, yet persist in them. It becomes penitents to be humble and low in their own eyes, to be thankful for the least mercy, patient under the greatest affliction, to be watchful against all appearances of sin, to abound in every duty, and to be charitable in judging others. Here is a word of caution, not to trust in outward privileges. There is a great deal which carnal hearts are apt to say within themselves, to put aside the convincing, commanding power of the word of God. Multitudes, by resting in the honours and mere advantages of their being members of an outward church, come short of heaven. Here is a word of terror to the careless and secure. Our corrupt hearts cannot be made to produce good fruit, unless the regenerating Spirit of Christ graft the good word of God upon them. And every tree, however high in gifts and honours, however green in outward professions and performances, if it bring not forth good fruit, the fruits meet for repentance, is hewn down and cast into the fire of God's wrath, the fittest place for barren trees: what else are they good for? If not fit for fruit, they are fit for fuel. John shows the design and intention of Christ's appearing, which they were now speedily to expect. No outward forms can make us clean. No ordinances, by whomsoever administered, or after whatever mode, can supply the want of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire. The purifying and cleansing power of the Holy Spirit alone can produce that purity of heart, and those holy affections, which accompany salvation. It is Christ who baptizes with the Holy Ghost. This he did in the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit sent upon the apostles, Acts 2:4. This he does in the graces and comforts of the Spirit, given to those that ask him, Luke 11:13; John 7:38, 39; see Ac 11:16. Observe here, the outward church is Christ's floor, Isa 21:10. True believers are as wheat, substantial, useful, and valuable; hypocrites are as chaff, light and empty, useless and worthless, carried about with every wind; these are mixed, good and bad, in the same outward communion. There is a day coming when the wheat and chaff shall be separated. The last judgment will be the distinguishing day, when saints and sinners shall be parted for ever. In heaven the saints are brought together, and no longer scattered; they are safe, and no longer exposed; separated from corrupt neighbours without, and corrupt affections within, and there is no chaff among them. Hell is the unquenchable fire, which will certainly be the portion and punishment of hypocrites and unbelievers. Here life and death, good and evil, are set before us: according as we now are in the field, we shall be then in the floor.
Christ's gracious condescensions are so surprising, that even the strongest believers at first can hardly believe them; so deep and mysterious, that even those who know his mind well, are apt to start objections against the will of Christ. And those who have much of the Spirit of God while here, see that they need to apply to Christ for more. Christ does not deny that John had need to be baptized of him, yet declares he will now be baptized of John. Christ is now in a state of humiliation. Our Lord Jesus looked upon it as well becoming him to fulfil all righteousness, to own every Divine institution, and to show his readiness to comply with all God's righteous precepts. In and through Christ, the heavens are opened to the children of men. This descent of the Spirit upon Christ, showed that he was endued with his sacred influences without measure. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. At Christ's baptism there was a manifestation of the three Persons in the sacred Trinity. The Father confirming the Son to be Mediator; the Son solemnly entering upon the work; the Holy Spirit descending on him, to be through his mediation communicated to his people. In Him our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable, for He is the altar that sanctifies every gift, 1Pe 2:5. Out of Christ, God is a consuming fire, but in Christ, a reconciled Father. This is the sum of the gospel, which we must by faith cheerfully embrace.
—Matthew Henry Concise
John the Baptist Is Presented (3:1-12) The "Judean wilderness" (3:1) was a barren desert region west of the Dead Sea. John's message was "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (3:1-2). For years, people had been saying the kingdom of heaven was coming. John announced that it was at hand. John was identified as the one who would "Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming" (3:3; cf. Isa. 40:3). See the context of Matthew's quote in the book of Isaiah (Isa. 40:1-11). John the Baptist came as a prelude to the messianic age. John's appearance (3:4) was similar to that of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and this was the only explicit connection made between John the Baptist and Elijah in the Matthew account. John was in the wilderness to "prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming." He had to be sought out (3:5) because his ministry was to a separated people who were willing to come away from society to confess their sins.
John's message had a twofold thrust (3:2). First, he wanted people to repent and be saved. This directed listeners to acknowledge their guilt (3:6) and change the attitudes of their hearts. Second, his end-time message, "the Kingdom of Heaven is near," had to do with the fulfillment of God's promise to David of a messianic kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12-16). Through his ministry, John the Baptist became the "voice shouting in the wilderness" (3:3) foreseen in Isaiah 40:3. He came as the messianic forerunner, the one sent ahead to announce the Messiah's coming.
The "coming judgment" (3:7) was related to the coming of the messianic kingdom. According to Josephus, the "Pharisees" (3:7) were "a body of Jews with the reputation of excelling the rest of their nation in the observances of religion, and as exact exponents of the laws." They were middle- class Jews, primarily associated with the synagogue. The "Sadducees" (3:7) were the priestly aristocracy associated with the Jewish temple. Unlike the Pharisees, they did not believe in the bodily resurrection, since they did not believe this doctrine was taught in the Mosaic Scriptures. They did not accept anything except the Mosaic Scriptures (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) as authoritative.
The expression "brood of snakes" (3:7) characterized the religious leaders as evil and deceitful. These leaders had misunderstood the significance of the original international scope of the Abrahamic covenant. John the Baptist anticipated judgment on the unrepentant and corrupt Jewish religious establishment (3:10; cf. 23:37-38; John 15:1-2, 6). John the Baptist's mission was to call Israel to repent and be changed at the level of the heart and character, not on the level of outward religious ritual.
The word "baptized" (3:11) was a transliteration of the Greek word baptizo, meaning "to dip" or "to immerse." The Greek root bapto was used by those in the dye trade to describe the "dipping" of cloth. As a result of this "dipping," the cloth would be identified with a new color. The word was used here of a religious act of baptism that would result in one becoming identified as a follower of John and his movement. The baptism "with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (3:11) foreseen by John suggested the work of Christ at Pentecost (Acts 2) and the final judgment (3:12; 13:40-42). The "winnowing fork" (3:12) was an instrument used for tossing threshed grain into the air to separate the wheat from the broken bits of straw (chaff). In the judgment, God would separate the repentant (grain) from the unrepentant (chaff) (cf. 25:31-46).
Jesus Is Baptized (3:13-17) John misunderstood Jesus' intentions at his baptism. John understood baptism to represent an act of repentance, and thus, protested Jesus' baptism. But Jesus did not come to repent of sin. He came to identify with his people in righteous alignment with God's purposes. He came to "do everything that is right" (3:15) by identifying himself with the righteous remnant of God's chosen people—the people he had come to represent and save (cf. 12:18-21). The righteousness Jesus sought to fulfill included God's plans and demands for his people and John the Baptist. It also included Jesus' identification with the righteous remnant in Israel.
God's announcement (3:17) was the first of three times when God spoke from heaven regarding his Son (cf. 17:5; John 12:28). There were two titles given here: (1) "Son" (cf. Exod. 4:22, where God spoke of the nation of Israel as his son) and (2) "beloved" (cf. Gen. 22:2, where Abraham called his only son, Isaac, "beloved"). Jesus was both the Messiah and the representative of the covenant people before God. That representation would become the basis for the mediating role he would take in God's ongoing work of redemption.
—Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary
Chapter 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,‘People do not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,‘He will order his angels to protect you.And they will hold you up with their handsso you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ”7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ”8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world and all their glory.9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,‘You must worship the Lord your Godand serve only him.’ ”11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. The Ministry of Jesus Begins
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee.13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,16 the people who sat in darknesshave seen a great light.And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,a light has shined.”
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ” The First Disciples
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too.22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.Crowds Follow Jesus
23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon-possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River. Matt 4:1-25 (NLT)
Jesus couldn't prove his obedience until he was tempted. If he had given in his mission would have been lost. We too, when we are ready to give in to temptation, must consider whether Satan is trying to block God's purposes for our life or for someone else's life. Satan didn't tempt Jesus in the temple. We too must beware, for the enemy is not always going to attack us where we think he is, and that he will attack whether we are feeling strong, capable, or when we are lonely, week, and tired. Temptaion comes to test us, it is not a sin, but it leads to sin if it is not overcome The more we resist the temptation that comes our way, the stronger we become against the next one. When we are tempted, we may turn to God for help or we may run away from Him. The Holy Spirit is available anytime we feel too weak to go on. Trying to resist the lure of temptation on our own is dangerous. God is not a magician or a jeannie, but He is able to provide the strength we need to overcome temptation before it gets a strong hold on us . Don't ask God for a miracle just to make Him prove His existence. He comes to teach you, strengthen you, and grow you to maturity. The temptation Jesus faced is similar to is what we face. He is able to sympathize with us. He knows our weakness.
Jesus Is Tempted: Identity with Israel's Testing (4:1-11) Satan's intent in the temptations was to cause Jesus to sin by taking shortcuts to the accomplishment of his kingdom purposes. God's purpose was to demonstrate Jesus' sinlessness (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15) through his obedience to the Father's will. Jesus responded to the temptations by quoting Scripture (Matt. 4:4, cf. Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:7, cf. Deut. 6:16; and Matt. 4:10, cf. Deut. 6:13) and refusing to fall into sin.
During Jesus' temptations in the wilderness, he quoted from the Old Testament Scriptures connected with Israel's own wilderness experience. But where Israel had failed to obey God during its wilderness experience, Jesus succeeded in perfect obedience during his. God was "fully pleased" (Matt. 3:17) with Jesus' righteousness (3:15). His baptism and subsequent temptation in the wilderness was compared to Israel's passing through the Red Sea into the wilderness. Israel was tested for forty years and Jesus for forty days.
The first temptation (4:3-4) was with regard to food. It was a test of Jesus' dependence on and trust in the Father to provide for everyday needs. In his defense against Satan, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 8:1-3, where Moses was reminding the people of Israel of God's provision of manna in the wilderness. Satan was tempting Jesus to make his own manna and not trust in God's provision. In Deuteronomy 8, the people were reminded that the purpose of manna was to test the heart's devotion to God. The Israelites had to depend on God's provision since there was no other food supply available. This first temptation was intended to thwart Jesus' dependence upon his Father by causing him to use his own resources to meet his need. The words of Satan, "the Devil" (Matt. 4:3), could be translated, "Since you are the Son of God."
The second temptation (4:5-7) was with regard to safety. Satan hoped to tempt Jesus into trying or testing the power and ability of God. This would have been a rash self-assertion to prove a point that did not need proving. Such an act would have shown a lack of faith in the power of the Father. Compare the commandment "Do not test the Lord your God" (4:7; Deut. 6:16) with the time Israel put the Lord to the test in the wilderness because they were angry and lacked faith (Exod. 17:1-7). This test would prove whether or not God was with the nation of Israel in the Sinai wilderness or with Jesus in the Judean wilderness. But the people of Israel and Jesus needed no such proof. To test God again would prove only a lack of faith. Thus, this second temptation tested Jesus' faith in God's presence and control over life's events. The "highest point" (4:5) referred to the southeast corner of the temple that overlooked the deep Kidron Valley. The second temptation was intended to cause Jesus to put God to the test by placing himself in a precarious situation that would require divine intervention (4:6).
The third temptation (4:8-9) was with regard to power and wealth. It was a temptation to short-circuit God's plan for salvation that required the redemptive suffering of Jesus. Satan offered Jesus immediate glory and riches, while God's plan would take Jesus down a road of suffering and death. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13 in his defense against Satan. In Deuteronomy 6:10-15, Moses had warned the people of Israel as they entered the Promised Land to avoid the temptation to fall into idolatry. He warned Israel not to forget that God had given them all that they owned in the Promised Land. Similarly, Jesus had to avoid the temptation to embrace riches and forget God. Jesus was offered all of this world's kingdoms under Satan's authority (cf. John 12:30-32; Eph. 2:1-2) for just one little act of worship. But such sin would have disqualified Jesus as God's means of redemption to the world.
During his own wilderness experience, Jesus, the perfect Israelite, was identified with his people in the wilderness of Sinai. All his quotations of Old Testament Scripture reflected similar temptations experienced by the nation of Israel in the wilderness. But where Israel had failed, Jesus succeeded. Jesus' use of the Old Testament pointed to his temptations being the fulfillment and summation of Israel's wilderness temptations. Jesus, who would represent the people as a perfect sacrifice, had proved worthy of the task by conquering the temptations that had overcome Israel centuries before. Jesus banished Satan and as a result enjoyed God's provision (4:10-11).
The Location of Jesus' Ministry: Light Dawns on the Gentiles (4:12-16) Jesus identified with the nation of Israel through his ancestry and birth, as well as through his parallel experiences. The events of Jesus' youth summed up the major events of Israel's history. His temptations paralleled Israel's failures in the wilderness. He further identified with Israel by the locale of his ministry. But his work of salvation would not be for Israel alone. He also came to bring light to the Gentiles (4:12-16). Leaving Nazareth, he moved directly into the territory of Herod Antipas, the one who had imprisoned John the Baptist (4:12-13). For more on John the Baptist's arrest and execution (4:12), see Matthew 14:1-12.
"Zebulun and Naphtali" (4:13) were Israelite tribes that occupied the region of Galilee. Luke recorded that after his rejection, Jesus left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, a fishing village and tax collection station along the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew did not mention Jesus' one-year Judean ministry noted in John 1-3.
The location of Zebulun and Naphtali related to the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah (4:14-16; cf. Isa. 9:1-7). Although Galilee was occupied by the descendants of these tribes, a variety of Gentile people groups lived in the area as well. Jesus was beginning a major new movement; he was bringing a new light to the Gentiles. Matthew saw in Jesus' arrival in Galilee a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2. A new era had dawned for a region that once lay in spiritual darkness. Jesus' ministry had started with Israel but would extend to all the nations.
MESSIANIC IDENTITY: FULL AUTHORITY AS SERVANT AND SON OF GOD TO INAUGURATE HIS NEW COMMUNITY (4:17-16:20) Overview: This section of the book of Matthew (4:17-16:20) is introduced by the phrase "From then on" (4:17). The events of this section elaborate the meaning of the simple message: "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (4:17). The phrase "from then on" also introduces the final major section of the book (cf. 16:21). In that section, the passion or suffering of Jesus will be the primary focus.
The kingdom proclaimed by Jesus would come at God's own time and in God's own way. In section 4:17-16:20, that "time" and "way" were greatly illuminated and defined by the Lord's words and actions. The problem of man's sin was especially significant for the coming of the kingdom (cf. Isa. 51:1-8; 62:1-2; Dan. 9:24). Jesus' new covenant was based on a complete forgiveness of sins (cf. Jer. 31:33). The very name "Jesus" meant that he would save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). Therefore, whether people rejected or accepted Jesus, his death as the substitute for mankind's punishment was indispensable. The resolution of the sin problem was the only way to open the "gates" to the kingdom of God. The cross and the kingdom were inseparably linked.
This section presents four major events in the life of Jesus: (1) the calling of his new community of disciples (4:18-22); (2) the authority of his words in fulfillment of the law (5:1-7:29); (3) the authority of his deeds as his identity is questioned (8:1-16:12); and (4) the revelation of his identity, supernaturally revealed to his community of disciples, along with his gift of authority to "lock" and "open" (16:13-20).
The Community Is Called (4:17-25) Jesus' message was precisely the same as John the Baptist's (4:17; cf. 3:2). Jesus started where John left off, but he would soon go far beyond all that John had said and done (cf., for example, 4:23-25; 5:1-7:29). The call of the first disciples in 4:18-22 chronologically follows the events of John 1:35-51. This was not the first contact that these men had had with Jesus. They had heard John the Baptist identify him as the Lamb of God and had traveled with Jesus to Cana where they had seen his first miracle (John 2:1-11). But now at Jesus' invitation, they left their fishing to become fishers of men by proclaiming the gospel. The gospel was the "good news" of forgiveness for those who would repent and align themselves with the righteous remnant (cf. Isa. 1:19-20; 25:6-9; 51:1-8; Mal. 4:1-2).
Jesus was teaching in the synagogues (Matt. 4:23; cf. Luke 4:16-22), announcing the kingdom (cf. Matt. 4:17), and authenticating his message by miracles (12:28; cf. John 20:30-31). The stress on healing was leading up to the Matthew 8:17 quote of Isaiah 53:4. Healing was a picture or outward sign of a greater restoration based on the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 9:6). Many interesting things happened during this part of Jesus' ministry, but Matthew rushed through the events to give the reader a sense of the general impact and growing ministry of Jesus.
"Ten Towns" (4:25, Greek "Decapolis") was a Gentile district east of the Jordan River known for its splendid Greek cities. This section (4:17-25) gave a quick summary of Jesus' teaching, preaching, and healing ministries as a contextual background for Jesus' well-known Sermon on the Mount in the following chapters (Matt. 5-7).
—Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary