Matthew 3:1-2 NASB
Now in those days John the Baptist *[a]came, [b]preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven [c]is at hand.”
In two thousand years, this simple message has not lost its importance, nor its impact. It denotes the attitude one should assume when Eminence is imminent. When Royalty is at hand. When the Herald of the King would arrive ahead of the royal procession, his news was to be received with joy, mixed with trepidation. It was truly cause for concern and quietude. John was one such Herald. His call to the people of God, the Hebrews was ‘to repent’, from the Greek word, metanoeo, meaning, to examine their hearts, and then to turn, in contrition, from their sin to God. The word repent, (Middle English / King James) is two parts: the prefix being, ‘re’, meaning ‘again’ or ‘anew’ combined with the word, ‘pent’, which serves as the root word for penthouse. So then, it could also be viewed as an invitation, if you will. An invitation to ‘re’ + ‘pent’, to return to a place of prominence and glory. A personal invitation from the King to return to His side. John’s message then was both a warning and a blessing. A warning that the King was coming and a herald the King was coming.
Matthew 3:3 NASB
3 For this is the one referred to [d]by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“The voice of one [e]calling [f]out in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’”
Matthew informs his readers that John’s message is not new, but was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah that heralded the coming of the King of Glory. A prophecy that brought comfort, that promised peace, a cessation of God’s wrath against His people.
Isaiah 40:1-5 (The Message)
1-2 “Comfort, oh comfort my people,”
says your God.
“Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem,
but also make it very clear
That she has served her sentence,
that her sin is taken care of—forgiven!
She’s been punished enough and more than enough,
and now it’s over and done with.”
3-5
Thunder in the desert!
“Prepare for God’s arrival!
Make the road straight and smooth,
a highway fit for our God.
Fill in the valleys,
level off the hills,
Smooth out the ruts,
clear out the rocks.
Then God’s bright glory will shine
and everyone will see it.
Yes. Just as God has said.”
Matthew 3:4-6 NASB
4 Now John himself had [g]a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 At that time Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan; 6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
John’s apparel and manner do not cause us to think of him as a herald of royalty, but his followers and Matthews listeners would have easily identified him as such. Why? Because his manner and clothing identified him as Nazarite: in the Hebraic tradition, one who consecrated himself to God, not cutting his hair, abstaining from wine, etc,. John reminded his followers… of Elijah, the prophet. They responded accordingly.
Matthew 3:7-8 NASB
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for [h]baptism, he said to them, “You [i]offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance;
John’s message of comfort, of peace, came with preconditions. It came with the condition that upon hearing his message, the hearer would have a heart change. When the religious leaders of the day began to show up for baptism, John’s message became a demand. John demanded that the religious leaders demonstrate that they’d had a change of heart. Baptism was just an outward sign of an inner change. Without real repentance, baptism was meaningless. What were John’s expectations?
Luke 3: 10-14 NASB
10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what are we to do?” 11 And he would answer and say to them, “The one who has two [f]tunics is to share with the one who has none, and the one who has food is to do likewise.” 12 Now even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what are we to do?” 13 And he said to them, “[g]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” 14 And soldiers also were questioning him, saying, “What are we to do, we as well?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone, nor [h]harass anyone, and be content with your wages.”
John’s message elicited similar responses from different groups of people. In essence, their question was, “God is coming!” “What do we do?” To the commoner, his message was simple: whether in food or clothing, share with those in your community who are in need. You didn’t need to hang a sign on your door or start a ministry. Just help when a need arose. Be a good neighbor. To the tax collectors, those who held power over the means and wages of the common folk, his message was, ‘Take no more than required.’ This was due to the fact that, while Israel was under Roman rule, the taxes were collected by Jewish authorities. With Rome’s backing, a tax collector could collect Rome’s required tax and collect additional tax to keep for themselves. After all, who could do anything about it? Jewish tax collectors were despised by their countrymen because they took financial advantage of them with impunity, with no fear of retribution. To the soldier, John’s message was simple. They were not to use their to extort or terrorize the community.
Focus. There is a modern-day equivalence to the societal ills that John was preaching to in his day. Especially in America. Under the capitalistic system in place in America since its inception, America has always been a society of the very, very poor, and the very, very rich. America’s economy has always required cheap labor. That was the reason for the subordination of the Native American and the African. The premium feature of capitalism then and now was… greed.
Thus, we witness a societal upheaval in the country and throughout the world that reflects the angst of peoples being economically and socially oppressed by a power structure that only takes and never gives. Additionally, that same power structure divides us by our differences, whether ethnic, economic, cultural, or sexual. All of this in contradiction to the creed stated in the Declaration of independence that, “All men (and women) are created equal.” The similarities between modern-day America and ancient Israel are real… and tragic.
As if to accentuate the stark inequities in our country and in the world, we are all being affected by a pandemic, COVID19, literally a modern-day plague of biblical proportions. In America, COVID19 is responsible for the death of over 300,000 Americans as of the time of this writing. It has driven this country and its people to their knees. But not all of them to repentance. Rather, it has caused more fear and division, thus reflecting the iniquity in our hearts. John’s message still carries weight today, “Produce fruit consistent with repentance!” America must show a willingness to correct the social, economic, and environmental injustice endemic in our country and in our world.
Matthew 3:9 NASB
9 and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham.
But in order for this kind of repentance to occur, the church must play a part. We can’t, like the religious leaders of John’s day, try to rest on our laurels. Yes, we are saved by Grace, but for what purpose? A casual glance at the American Evangelical community reveals two groups: those believing God that they are somehow immune to the COVID virus, and another prominent group that somehow believes that, in the midst of a sinking economy, they somehow, are blessed to be above the economic turmoil that others are experiencing, that those that are suffering physically and economically deserve it. When you consider the political and racial overtones that have plagued America as part of the formula, the casual observer wonders, ‘do these people really believe in the Jesus of scripture? John demanded fruit aligned with a repentant heart. Fruit that understands that All Lives Matter is just an empty retort unless Black and Brown Lives Matter. A heart that believes that every person has a right to affordable health care. A clear understanding that a healthy environment is a must for future generations. A soul so full of love that it cares for every child, every widow, every immigrant. Beloved, the Bible is about justice: social, economic, and environmental justice from cover to cover. The church must reflect the will of God in these areas.
Matthew 3:10 NASB
10 And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.
John warns that every fruit tree not bearing that fruit indicative of repentance was already under threat of the axe, of being cut off from the purpose of Heaven. Jesus would later, warn His disciples of greed in this manner:
Luke 12:15-21 NASB
15 But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I will say to [l]myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night [m]your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ 21 Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”
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Matthew 3:11-12 NASB
11 “As for me, I baptize you [j]with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you [k]with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
John restates his original message, “The King is coming”. John reveals that His baptism, this baptism of water for repentance won’t be enough to fulfill God’s purpose in the earth or His individual plan for each of us. John promised that the ‘King’ would come, baptizing with Holy Spirit and fire. Fire serves two purposes: to purify or to destroy. In regards to the church, it should purify, but it will also serve to burn up all that must not be redeemed.
When Martin Luther King Jr. closed his speech in Memphis, with the words, “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”, he was quoting from the Battle Hymn of the Republic. The Hymn promises the revelation of God’s Glory in conjunction with His judgment. John’s words in verse 12 reflect the same sentiment. When the King comes, He will come with both Glory and Judgement. He is coming for a church without spot or wrinkle. A church that reflects the heart of its King. A church full of Mercy, Grace, and Love. A church that is bringing healing in the midst of a plague. A church that stands for the justice of every citizen, not just the frozen chosen. Are you ready?
My grandmother used to regularly paraphrase the thought from Luke, chapter 21, to pay attention to the times that we live in and the signs in the heavens. She would warn, “Child, when you see wars and rumors of wars, look up because your redemption is drawing nigh!” Beloved, I’ve been looking up a lot lately. Looking up… in anticipation of the return of our beloved Saviour, Jesus Christ. What about you? Are you ready? Let he who has ears hear what the Spirit is saying. John would have you respond in like manner.
Selah
wb
Luke 21:25-28 NASB
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
