The Preaching of John the Baptist
August 30, 2022
Commentary
In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life here on earth he skips over the next 30 years or so and picks up with an introduction of John the Baptist (vv. 1-6). John is presented as the prophet sent in the spirit of Elijah “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Mal. 4:5). He was preaching in the Judean wilderness, along the western shore of the Dead Sea. He was a son of Zacharias and Elizabeth and a cousin of the Lord. Jesus said that there was none greater than John (Matt. 11:11). For over 400 years, the nation had not heard the voice of a prophet. The fact John is preaching a message of repentance, is a fulfillment of (Isa. 40:3), “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (v. 3). John is considered the last of the prophets of Israel.
The word repent means a change of mind that leads to a change of action. Repentance is not just sorrow but involves a complete change of attitude toward God and sin and is accompanied by a sense of sorrow and a corresponding change in conduct. John’s message of repentance was necessary to prepare people for the kingdom of heaven which was at hand.
John rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees were the most influential of the Jewish sects of that day. They were usually orthodox in doctrine and followed good qualities: (1) they knew the Scriptures (Matt. 23:2), (2) they tithed (Luke 18:12), (3) they fasted (Matt. 9:14), and (4) they prayed (Mark 12:40. But they were also (1) hypocritical (Matt. 23:15), (2) Self-righteous (Luke 18:9), and (3) persecutors of the Lord (Matt. 9:3). The Sadducees came largely from the priesthood and upper class. They denied the bodily resurrection, the future punishment and reward, and the existence of angels (Acts 23:8). These two groups usually fought each other, but they joined forces to oppose Jesus. They believed they were already qualified for the Messiah’s kingdom.
Application
What people have been like John the Baptist in my life? How did they prepare me to meet Jesus? It would be good to write them a note!
Matthew 3:1– 12 (NET)
1 In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3 For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah had spoken: “The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him, 6 and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, 9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 10 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am—I am not worthy to carry his sandals! He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire!”