January
4th Matthew
3 B. The Preparation of the King The preaching of John the Baptist
1:
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. 4: 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. 7: 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.
Christ
is baptised by John
13:
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of
him. 14: But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of
thee, and comest thou to me? 15: And Jesus answering said unto him,
Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16: And Jesus, when he was
baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon him: 17: And lo a voice from heaven, saying,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Suddenly
Israel’s greatest prophet appears in the wilderness of Judea. He
comes with a Divine commission. He comes to call Israel to return to
the LORD their God. His message is practical, spiritual and
prophetic. He comes dressed in the coarsest of outdoor-wear and he
has a leather belt, which like his character is strong and
unyielding. He feasts on the symbols of judgment (locusts) and
blessing (honey). It was an old fashioned religious revival. There
was no advertising campaign, no literature, no newspaper
announcements. No TV appearances, He prayed and God sent the people
led by the Holy Spirit. People came in their thousands to hear this
man call them in the name of God to return to the God of their
Fathers. And he baptised them - a Jewish symbolic ritual of how men
are to purify themselves in preparation of presenting themselves
before the LORD. His preaching tone was forthright and shocking. He
called on his converts to show the truth of the Work of God in their
hearts in living righteously according to the Mosaic Law. And he told
of the Messiah that was to come. Who would be so far greater than
himself, that he was to be unworthy to be his lowest servant. He
said, he will baptise you in the Holy Spirit and fire. He is thinking
of a time in the future when the Messiah will have throughly purged
his floor he will gather the wheat into the garner and he will burn
up the chaff with unquenchable fire. When Christ came to be baptised
of John, John initially refused, because he recognised Jesus as a
more righteous man than himself. But Christ insisted and in the act
of baptism Christ is empowered by the Holy Spirit for the ministry he
is to fulfil. The voice from heaven confirms Christ as the beloved
Son in whom the Father delights.
- What was John like?
- What did he eat and what did he wear?
- What was Johns message and what did it mean?
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