Last year, I began a study through the book of Matthew. After a few posts, I put that study on hold until I finished my run through Psalm 119. So this year, I’ll be picking that study up where we left off. Matthew 3 begins with an introduction of John the Baptist, and his involvement in preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry.
In Matthew 2, we read about Joseph taking the baby Jesus to Egypt and then returning. In Matthew 3, we see the ministry of John the Baptist, preaching a message of repentance. With the change to a new chapter, Matthew skips over a period of nearly thirty years. Only in Luke do we see any details of this period, with the description of Jesus visiting the temple at age 12 (Luke 2:41-51).
As you read through Matthew 3, take a look over at the parallel passages in Mark 1:1-11, and Luke 3:1-22. These will help you better understand the big picture of what is happening here.
Matthew 3:1 begins with the phrase ““Now in those days…” This is an expression in the Hebrew language that isn’t very time specific. It means “in that age” or “in that era,” much like our own phrase, “the good old days.” Matthew is referring back to a time when John was actively ministering, and the ministry of Jesus was just beginning.
This is our first introduction to John the Baptist. He was a cousin to Jesus, according to Luke 1:36. Their mothers were together for a period of three months just before either of them were born, and you can imagine, with the angelic announcements and special circumstances surrounding both of their births, these two women repeated the stories of their births often. John probably grew up with a solid sense of his mission, as revealed to his parents before he was even born.
As John grew up, he withdrew to become a hermit of the desert (Luke 3:2). It is possible that he didn’t see Jesus much, if at all, during these years, until the day Jesus showed up to be baptized by John. If this is so, then it’s possible that John didn’t recognize Jesus until God pointed him out.
As the time of Jesus’ ministry drew nearer, John’s preaching became more and more pronounced. This took place in the wilderness of Judea, along the banks of the Jordan River, probably AD 25 or 26, lasting for a period of several months. John’s ministry is recounted by all four of the gospels, but of his childhood and early life, we are told nothing. As a hermit, he left civilization, and lived in solitude in the bleak, desolate region west of the Dead Sea (Luke 1:80).
John’s ministry is unique. He was called the “Baptist” because God used him to establish the ordinance of baptism, although variations of this practice had been practiced even among the Jews for much longer. John’s use of baptism was different though. The Jewish practice of baptism was used to incorporate proselytes into Judaism, and they usually performed this act for themselves. John’s method was different: he baptized his converts, and did so for the sake of repentance. So, John the Baptist was a link between the Old and the New Testaments. He belonged to the Old, but he announced the New.
John’s Message Was Simple – Matthew 3:1-3
His message was simple. It wasn’t presented as a dry presentation of fact, but with the urgent cry of an important announcement. This is how the king’s herald would make an announcement, or how a person would yell out “Fire!” to wake a sleeping neighbor!
His message was simple. In a very plain, easy to understand fashion, John announced the fulfillment of 2,000 years of Jewish longing: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” an expression used by Matthew thirty-one different times.
His message was also summed up in the single word “repent.” To repent is to change your will regarding sin; it’s a resolve to sin no more, to willfully turn your back upon sin, and back to God. This dovetailed nicely with his message of the kingdom being at hand; only the repentant could enter the kingdom, only the repentant were completely ready.
Johns’ ministry was foretold in the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah, who prophesied from about 759 to 699 BC. John was called a “voice of one crying in the wildness,” because his whole life was a sermon. He refused to call attention to himself, but only to the Savior whose way he came to prepare. God gave him the words, and John offered the use of his voice to share them with the people who needed to hear the message.
And the message was simple. “Make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” In the ancient Middle East, messengers were sent before kings to prepare the way for the chariots and armies to come behind him. A king’s highway had to be opened up through the land. Often, a band of engineers and workmen prepared a new road for their king to travel on. In this manner, John’s message of repentance was meant to prepare the people to receive Jesus and his apostles, to listen to and obey. So when John cries, “Make his paths straight,” he means, “Stop your crooked ways!” This is a message we need to listen to still.
John’s Life Was Simple
John’s life was a simple one. He wore garments of camel’s hair. This wasn’t the camel’s skin with the hair on it, like the fur the trapper’s of the American Old West wore, but a garment made of the camel’s hair, woven into a rough cloth. He wore a leather belt around his waist. The camel hair robe was typically very loose-fitting, requiring a belt to hold things in place. This type of leather belt was typically worn by the common laborer, and was simple, plain leather.
John’s food was locusts. The Law permitted them to be eaten (Leviticus 11:22), and many people in the region still do. However, locusts were regarded as fit only for the poor. John also ate wild honey, deposited by wild swarms of bees in the rocks. It was abundant in the region, so much so that the Promised Land was described as “flowing with milk and honey” in Exodus 3:8-17 and other passages. John’s manner of dress and his diet fit nicely with his connection as the second Elijah (Luke 1:17).
Johns’ Ministry Was Simple
The purpose of John’s ministry was to point people to the One to come. His preaching drew crowds to hear the message of repentance, and it struck a chord with those who heard it. Matthew tells us that Jerusalem, and all of Judea were going out to the River to hear him. Some have estimated that close to a million people may have heard his message.
How many of his hearers followed through with baptism is unknown, but it is clear that many did. John baptized his listeners in the Jordan River itself. People came and confessed their sins, repentant. John’s baptism is differentiated from that of Jesus, although it was instituted by God (John 1:33), just as Christian baptism was instituted by Christ (Matthew 28:19).
The message is still this simple, and it’s still just as necessary. 1 John 1:9 tells us just how necessary confession is: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And Acts 2:38 reveals the importance of baptism: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
John was the forerunner of Jesus. His life, his ministry, and his message were simple, yet profound. And in Jesus, who’s ministry John foretold, we can see the same simple truths: we have been called to leave behind our sins, to repent of and confess those sins, and to be baptized so that we can receive the forgiveness that Jesus offers.
It really is that simple.
Question: The message of the Gospel is simple, yet profound. Have you responded to it? You can leave a comment by clicking here.