AT THAT TIME. Between 25 and 30 years have passed since the end of _chapter 2._ JOHN THE BAPTIST CAME. Called the "Baptist" because he baptized. He was a reformer and preacher, who led the religious "revival" in preparation for the work of Jesus. Prophecy mentions him (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1). His... [ Continue Reading ]
TURN AWAY FROM YOUR SINS. To "repent" is to "turn away," Sorrow is not repentance (_see_ 2 Corinthians 7:10). John's baptism was "renewal" and pointed to Christ (Acts 19:4). KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. The Kingdom ruled by the Messiah, predicted by the prophets (_especially_ Daniel 2:44). This announcement t... [ Continue Reading ]
SOMEONE IS SHOUTING. John the Baptist was a _sermon!_ He didn't try to honor himself, he put his all into pointing to Christ. The prophecy is Isaiah 40:3. GET THE LORD'S ROAD READY. Kings of that day built straight roads for their chariots and armies. The "desert" was the spiritual condition of the... [ Continue Reading ]
CAMEL'S HAIR. See 2 Kings 1:8. Clothes made from the hair of a camel woven into a coarse cloth. The poor of the East have worn such for centuries. It was the uniform of a prophet (Zechariah 13:4). LEATHER BELT. Used to fasten the loose clothes of the East. ATE LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY. Not what we cal... [ Continue Reading ]
PEOPLE CAME TO HIM. Not everyone, but great crowds! Possibly the "thief was one of these (Luke 23:39-43), since he was certainly a "zealot." [_See notes on_ Mark 15:7.]... [ Continue Reading ]
HE BAPTIZED THEM. In the Jordan river (Mark 1:5). The Jordan is the important river of Palestine. It begins in the mountains of Lebanon, runs south into the Lake of Galilee, leaving it descends southward along Galilee, Samaria and Judea, to end in the Dead Sea. (Ferry-boats were used on this river 2... [ Continue Reading ]
PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES. The two main religious sects. The PHARISEES began about the time of the Maccabees after the return from captivity. They were a "renewal group," "Jewish Puritans," but they had degenerated into formalists who ignored the "inner life." They were meticulous in ritual, orthodox,... [ Continue Reading ]
DO THE THINGS THAT WILL SHOW. The change in life proves the change in heart. No change means no repentance (James 2:18-23).... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DON'T THINK YOU CAN EXCUSE YOURSELVES. They believed Abraham would keep them from being lost eternally, even in their sin. John destroys this. GOD CAN TAKE THESE ROCKS. Perhaps pointing to the rocks in the Jordan. In destroying the higher claims of Judaism, John points to the Gentiles who become... [ Continue Reading ]
THE AXE IS READY. A sign the tree is to be cut down. The tree is the Jewish Nation. EVERY TREE THAT DOES NOT BEAR. Jesus made a fruitless fig-tree represent the whole Jewish Nation (Luke 13:6), but John gives a universal law _what does not bear good fruit is cut down and destroyed._... [ Continue Reading ]
I BAPTIZE YOU WITH WATER. His baptism was with water only. Christian baptism (the baptism that makes Christians) is with both water and spirit (John 3:5; Acts 19:1-7). THE ONE WHO WILL COME. The King is greater than John. He can do what John can only promise. HOLY SPIRIT. Note how Jesus uses John's... [ Continue Reading ]
WINNOWING SHOVEL. In Palestine, grain was threshed on an outdoor threshing floor, either by being pounded, or being walked-on by cows. Then the winnowing shovel was used to throw it up into the air for the wind to blow away the chaff, and the threshed grain would fall back to the ground. The wheat w... [ Continue Reading ]
AT THAT TIME JESUS. Matthew does not speak about the time from Nazareth (Matthew 2:23) until now. Luke speaks of Jesus in the Temple at twelve years old (Luke 2:41-50). He had worked in Nazareth as a carpenter (Mark 6:3). GALILEE. Josephus (the Jewish historian) says this northern area of Palestine... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT JOHN TRIED. While there is not evidence that John had ever met Jesus before, he knew something about him, and tried to change his mind. [Their mothers were cousins.] I OUGHT TO BE BAPTIZED BY YOU. John may have believed Jesus to be the Messiah, but he _knew_ it after he had baptized Jesus (John... [ Continue Reading ]
LET IT BE SO FOR NOW. "Now" implies that the "time" required that he be baptized. True, baptism was for sinners; and Jesus was sinless (Hebrews 4:15), yet he had humbly accepted the obligation of human duties (Hebrews 2:14), and must set a perfect example. He obeyed the Jewish Law, and must also obe... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WAS BAPTIZED. The baptism took place in the river Jordan, and was certainly by immersion. Dr. Whitby of the Church of England said: "The observation of (conclusion reached by) the Greek Church is this, that he who ascended out of the water must first descend into it. Baptism is therefore to be pe... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEN A VOICE. Three times God speaks from heaven in connection with Christ's ministry: at his baptism; at his transfiguration; and in the temple just before his suffering. THIS IS MY OWN DEAR SON. The words of Psalms 2:7. Note the time chosen by God to speak this, It is just after he humbles him... [ Continue Reading ]