The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 3 Part 2 Common People Believed John's Preaching

Matthew 3:1-3  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2)  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3)  For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 

After 400 silent years, God sent what many say, is the last Old Testament prophet.

Matthew showed us that John's ministry is connected to prophecies of Daniel, Isaiah and others.

John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah in order to prepare the people for their Messiah.

We noted that John's message is one of repentance and faith. 

It is a call to action for a sinful people to realize that God is coming to them with judgment and righteousness.

A humble prophet preaching in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Matthew 3:4-6  And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5)  Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6)  And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

John wore a garment of coarse material which was common to the prophets, fastened by a leather belt (See Zechariah 13:4). 

This connects with the prophet Elijah wearing apparel because John's ministry was designed by God to be like Elijah's (See 2 Kings 1:8, Malachi 4:5).

Thus, John the Baptist lived a simple, humble life marked by a lack of luxury and self denial so that he could serve God.

His clothing shows that he was ready to roll up his sleeves and work for the LORD.

John's diet was also very simple. He ate locusts and honey.

His diet was plain, his meat was locusts and wild honey. It does not mean that he never ate anything else. It simply means that he frequently fed ate them for sustenance.  

Locusts often infest eastern countries, stripping fields and trees. 

Great swarms of them in spring are carried by the wind from Arabia into Palestine.  

In ancient times people were accustomed to feed upon locusts and the Israelites were permitted to eat them (See Leviticus 11:22).

Jacob's family used honey and he instructed his sons to take some to Egypt when they sought to buy some corn (See Genesis 43:11).

The land God promised to give to Abraham and his seed was a land flowing with milk and honey (See Exodus 3:8; 3:17; 13:5; 33"3; Leviticus 20:24 and many more).

Such food was enough for John to survive until the day that the Lord commanded him to begin preaching.

Multitudes of common people responded to John's preaching.

Matthew 3:5-6  Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 ) And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 

Matthew tells us how multitudes of people came to John in response to his message of judgment, repentance and baptism (See Mark 1:5; Luke 3:7).

We must see this through the lens of faith and acknowledge that God was at work.

His Spirit was preparing people for John the Baptist's ministry as Christ's forerunner. 

God's Spirit moved in people's hearts to attend to John's preaching and He prompted them to seek out John.

They were people who lived in Jerusalem and the surrounding country known as Judea. Some came from the region of Jordan.

God was at work and people were responding to John's preaching.

They confessed their sins and were baptized by John in the Jordan river.

The multitudes came publicly, and openly acknowledged that they were sinners and stood in need of mercy. 

This alerts us to the fact that there is always a remnant of those who are faithful to Jehovah. 

Religious hypocrites and political opportunists received condemnation.

Matthew 3:7-12  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8)  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9)  And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10)  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11)  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12)  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 

Remember the origins of the religious and political groups that we previously studied?

News of an Elijah like prophet reached the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jerusalem and they came out to investigate.

This is noteworthy, because these two groups had a strong dislike for each other and normally had limited interactions.

That they came out together to investigate John the Baptist, is a picture of their united opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bitter rivalry was put aside in order to focus on a common enemy, namely Christ and His disciples. 

Pharisees had a pattern of spying on people they thought did not align with their man made doctrines.

Their goal was to force the offenders to conform or to drive them away.

Notice the strong, Spirit inspired language of John the Baptist when he saw the Pharisees coming.

He called them a "generation of vipers" which is a very strong condemnation of their moral character.

Non conformist (like a Puritan) scholar and pastor Matthew Henry has one of the best comments about this text.

"The title he gives them is, O generation of vipers. Christ gave them the same title; (see Matthew 12:34;23:33)."

"They were as vipers, venomous and poisonous, and full of malice and enmity to everything that was good." 

"They were a viperous brood, the seed and offspring of such as had been of the same spirit. It was bred in the bone with them." 

"They gloried in it, that they were the seed of Abraham; but John showed them that they were the serpent's seed (compare Genesis 3:15) and of their father the Devil, (See John 8:44)."

"They were a viperous gang, they were all alike; though enemies to one another, yet confederate in mischief."  

"A wicked generation is a generation of vipers, and they ought to be told so.  The ministers of Christ should be bold in showing sinners their true character."

What did John tell the vipers to do? He commanded that they bring forth the fruits of repentance.

People can show remorse for sin and claim faith in Christ, but true repentance bears fruit in a life that is changed by the power of the gospel.

True fruits of repentance conforms to God's holy standards.

Isaiah 1:16-17  Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17)  Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 

Pharisees and Sadducees were notorious for taking advantage of the poor like widows and fatherless.

They often bribed judges to rule in their favor so that they could take their property and God condemned them for such vile practices. 

Isaiah provides a list of what would be fruits of real repentance. 

Stop doing evil by doing things that God's law forbids.

Instead, learn to do good according to God's definition of good.

Relieve the poor instead of taking advantage of them.

Be an advocate for those who are oppressed and unable to receive right judgment.

Especially provide care for the fatherless children and for widows.

God commanded all of these things to be done in His law. 

Pharisees and Sadducees ignored His law or followed man made rules such that God's law was made void (See Mark 7:1-13).

Pharisees trusted their ancestry instead of by faith trusting God.

Matthew 3:9  And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Pharisees and Sadducees believed that they were righteous with God because they were the offspring of Abraham.

Just because you are biologically connected with Abraham does not make you right with God.

God could take stones to raise up offspring for Abraham is because He wanted to.

This is strong condemnation of the Pharisee because they trusted that they were righteous by birth, instead of sinners by birth.

John, and later, Jesus and the apostles exposed this faulty thinking.

Romans 4:13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 

Paul was a Pharisee and knew Judaism as well as anyone. He also exposed the problem with their religious view.

The covenant promises God gave Abraham were by faith and imputed righteousness. 

God's promise was not automatically given to each Jew because of their biological connection to Abraham.

Strong judgment will come. God's Spirit will purify and purge all things.

Matthew 3:10-12  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11)  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12)  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 

God is about to cut off every sinful soul. They must either turn to God immediately, or be utterly ruined. 

Prophets often pictured people upon whom judgment was coming, as forests and trees to be cut down (See Jeremiah 46:22-23; Ezekiel 31:3; 31:11-12). 

John the Baptist uses the same metaphor.  The Jewish nation is the tree and the Romans are the axe which by the just judgment of God, would speedily cut it down.

"But he that cometh after me" is John's way of pointing people to Messiah.

Jesus began his ministry when he was thirty years of age which was the age appointed by the law, See Luke 3:23; Numbers 4:3. 

John the Baptist was born about six months before Christ; and  began his public ministry when thirty years of age. 

6 months after the commencement of John’s public preaching is when Jesus Christ began His public ministry.

Of Christ, John says "Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear."  

This saying is expressive of the most profound humility and reverence. 

To put on, take off, and carry the shoes of their masters was the work of the lowest slaves.

John's preaching reminds us that Christ is to be preeminent in all things and the focus of all preaching.

We see the preeminence of Christ above John as he magnified the Lord. 

“I indeed baptize you with water, that is the utmost I can do. But he that comes after me is mightier than I." 

Though John had much power in the spirit and power of Elias, Christ has more. 

Though John was truly great in the sight of the Lord, yet he sees himself unworthy to bear Christ's sandals.

Jesus came to baptize the people with the Holy Ghost and with fire. 

This foreshadows Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came, the church was birthed and He appeared as cloven tongues of fire upon the heads of the disciples (see Acts 2).

Christ's kingdom is going to be a mighty spiritual work where hearts are transformed by the Spirit of God. 

Unquenchable fire represents coming judgment. Fire will utterly consume all unbelievers. 

As in Matthew 13, the wheat pictures the children of God. 

Chaff represents the wicked who will be driven away like chaff before the wind, (See Job 21:18; Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; Hosea 13:13). 

The wicked are also represented as chaff which the fire consumes, (See Isaiah 5:24). 

This image is often used to express judgments,  “Thou shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff”  Isaiah 41:15. 

An unquenchable fire describes the eternal suffering of the wicked in hell, (See 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Mark 9:48; Matthew 25:41).

Bob