JOHN THE BAPTIST ANNONCES CHRIST
1In those days
John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2“Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
3For this is he
who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice
of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare
the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
4Now John wore a
garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was
locusts and wild honey.
5Then Jerusalem
and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6and they
were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7But when he saw
many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,
“You brood of
vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8Bear fruit in
keeping with repentance.
9And do not
presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you,
God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
10Even now the
axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear
good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.
He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12His winnowing
fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat
into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
MATTHEW
3:1-12
COMMENTARY
John the Baptist
was a relative of Jesus, presumed to be his cousin, since his mother, Elizabeth,
was also a relative of Mary the mother of our Lord (Luke 1:36).
He was elected
to be the precursor of Lord JESUS in his public ministry, that way, our Lord being
announced for a few years before his public appearance and finally openly pointed
out by John, would not have to start his own ministry from nothing, but people
would be already aware of his coming.
Matthew applies
to John the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3 which is part of a prophecy of restauration
for Judea after the Babylonian captivity, announcing that the land should be
prepared before the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, and this is exactly what
John was doing, but not regarding the return of the people to the holy land,
but before the coming of the Messiah to Judea.
Matthew also
gives a brief description of the life style of John in the desert, wearing uncomfortable
clothing and eating unpleasant food. It is a description of John’s devotion to
God by performing his ministry in hard conditions, not as a deliberate act of
ascetism, but as proof of the tenacity of his own faith in the performance of
his divinely given mission despite the odds.
John announced the
coming of the Messiah, and baptized the people in water by immersion, in a
public performance of TEVILAH, or ritual full body immersion, which generally was
done in a MIKVAH or ritually constructed pool, but in this occasion, by divine
will, and as a prelude of the future departing from institutional Judaism, it
was done in open air in the Jordan river. This shows unmistakably, that
Christian baptism, inspired in the Jewish Tevilah, must be of full body
immersion, done by responsible adults, and as a sign of repentance, as John’s
baptism was, PLUS, the representing of the NEW BIRTH in Christ Jesus, which
seals solemnly our pledge to God in Jesus for eternity.
(1Peter 3:21;
Acts 22:16; Colossians 2:12).
John also warns
those coming to receive baptism, to not just ‘profess’ repentance, but SHOW
SIGNS OF REPENTANCE, which constitutes a true change of life. The same way, today’s
profession of faith and repentance in Christ, mut be followed by true signs of
conversion, otherwise it is invalid and the ‘profession of faith’ amounts to nothing
(Matthew 7:21).
Finally, John
announces the soon coming of the Messiah, whom he himself proclaims to be
higher than him in everything, so much, that John does not considers himself to
be worthy to touch HIS feet.
He announced
that this Messiah, whom he later pointed openly to be JESUS OF NAZARETH (John
1:29), was coming with God’s power to distribute the HOLY SPIRIT on the people
who will receive Him, as well as to condemn to eternal damnation those who refuse
to listen to his call of repentance
(Matthew 3:12;
Luke 2:34; 3:17).
Omar Flores.
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