Prepare The Way (Matthew 3:1-12)
October 27, 2019
We are studying the book of Matthew together and seeing how Matthew uses the Old Testament in the first part of his book. In the genealogy, he has shown the Jewish readers that Jesus has fulfilled what God has promised to Abraham, David, and all of Israel. Then, in the birth and childhood of Christ, we have seen how Jesus fulfilled five Old Testament statements unusually. Matthew points to a small part of the prophecies with a greater context in mind, and he says, "This took place to fulfill what the prophet said." These prophecies show that Jesus is God, king, rescuer, comforter, and yet he is also despised.
This morning, Matthew brings up another man whose coming was foretold. His name is John the Baptist. All four of the gospel accounts record John's message because he was a very well known figure in the first century. Some even believed that he was the Christ until Herod murdered him for making his adulterous wife angry. Today we are going to understand who John was in light of the Old Testament, what John taught, and then we are going to learn why Matthew wants us to know about John in his account of Jesus' life.
Who Was John? (3:1-6)
Matthew 3:1--6 (ESV) --- 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'" 4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Fulfilling The Prophets
Matthew says that John the Baptist came preaching in those days in the wilderness of Judea. This was just as Isaiah foretold in Isaiah 40:3. If you were here for the last sermon, you know what we have to do. We have to look at Isaiah 40 and understand the greater context. If you were to study the whole book of Isaiah, you would find that the first 39 chapters to be a mixture of judgment and promises. Many of the judgments are against the nations surrounding Judah, but chapter 39 contains judgment against Judah. Hezekiah, their king, has shown Babylonians the riches in the temple.
Isaiah 39:5--6 (ESV) --- 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.
Isaiah 40:1--5 (ESV) --- 1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.",
Isaiah 40:9--11 (ESV) --- 9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" 10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
In Isaiah, God is speaking of one who goes out before God to prepare the way and to proclaim God's arrival. This is typically what kings would do in those times. They would have one man go in front to make repairs to the road so that the king's chariot would not be damaged or overturned. Another man would go into the coming towns to proclaim the coming king's arrival and to prepare the people. Notice that this chapter points to the Lord's coming, and the glory of the Lord is being revealed. He says, "Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God comes with might." Matthew and all of the authors know that John has done this very thing. He has proclaimed the coming of the Lord, just as Isaiah foretold. The following chapters of Isaiah are primarily about the Lord's servant, who will come and save God's people.
But Matthew has something else in mind as well. He points out the clothing of John as being camel's hair and a leather belt. This is relatively unusual attire for anyone to wear, but it matches the attire of a prophet in the Old Testament named Elijah. In 2 Kings 1:8, King Ahaziah described a man in a hairy garment with a leather belt, and he knows that it is Elijah the Tishbite. Why does Matthew say that John is dressed like Elijah? Malachi also told of a messenger who would come to prepare the way of the Lord in the last book of the Old Testament.
Malachi 3:1 (ESV) --- 1 "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 4:5--6 (ESV) --- 5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."
Matthew also wanted to tie John the Baptist with the later prophets so that everyone could see that he was not the Christ, but he prepared the way for the Christ to come just as the Old Testament promised. Also, notice for later that this was to avoid the decree of utter destruction.
A Symbol of Holiness
John stood as a symbol for the people. He was a man who lived in the middle of the wilderness for most of his life, eating locusts and wild honey. Isn't that odd? Why would God send a prophet out in the desert instead of into the heart of a city? His life was spent outside the corruptible influences of Jewish teachers and outside of the love of money. He was a simple man who was devoted to the Lord. What an example of devotion and faith! Jesus would go on to say that among those born of women, there is none greater than John.
Can you imagine living this kind of life? He is giving up all of the comforts that he could enjoy to serve the Lord. How many of us are unwilling to let a few amenities go to be a little more devoted to the Lord. We add comforts to comforts in our lives, but John was willing to give it all up to fulfill his purpose in life. This serves as an example for us of one who loves God with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength.
What Did John Teach? (3:7-12)
John's message was a mixture of hope and "Hellfire and Brimstone." The core of his message was that people must "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." We see this as a fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy. He is trying to get the people to change before they are destroyed. Those who listened would receive the blessings of the kingdom, and those who refused would be punished. Throughout the prophets, we see a day of impending doom on all of God's people who fail to repent. The most vivid image is in Joel, where God displays his army coming in and destroying everything like a plague of locusts. The only way to be saved from this day of destruction is by rending or tearing open your hearts and calling on the name of the Lord before it is too late. The people heard John's message, and they were turning to the Lord to be baptized by him. They were confessing their sins and showing humility before the Lord just as God desired. But not everyone would respond in this way. Let's look at part of John's message that is recorded for us as he interacts with the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Matthew 3:7--12 (ESV) --- 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
We see that John responds to the religious leaders by rebuking them. He does not consider them to be righteous and holy. They are the evil shepherds of Israel who more resemble the serpent than Abraham. John even tells them that they are trying to rely on their ancestry to give a right standing with God, but God can raise up children for Abraham from ordinary stones. This would be a huge cut to the Jewish reader who wanted to rely on their heritage. John is trying to humble these leaders who think they know so much. If they're going to flee the wrath to come, they must bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Throughout Matthew's account, he will show us how these Pharisees and Sadducees are all about appearing righteous on the outside. Still, inside, they are filthy and horrible sinners who love money and hate everybody.
Beginning with verse 10, he describes judgment against them. He says, "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Fire is a common description of judgment throughout the Old Testament. If these Pharisees refuse to submit to John with humility, how will they avoid the judgment? Verse 11 says, "I baptize you with water for repentance." Then, he says that one greater than he is will "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." What does this mean, and why does he say this in this way? First, finish the reading by understanding verse 12. In verse 12, he says, "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Notice that verses 10, 11, and 12 promise fire. Verse 12 continues the discussion of judgment against those who refuse to repent by providing a picture of chaff and wheat being separated and the chaff being burned continually forever. John's message was full of judgment against these religious rulers. So, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire," may be all about judgment for those who rebel.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire is a difficult thing to understand. As I see John anticipating the coming of the Lord to be full of judgment based on the words of the prophets, I think the primary emphasis is on the fire of judgment. So what is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and why is it joined to fire in this way? It could be that John is referring to Isaiah 4:4, where "spirit of judgment and spirit of fire" are mentioned. But it could also refer to the blessings that the one greater than John would bring. Many times the spirit is spoken of in the Old Testament as being poured out to provide blessings (Isa 32:14-18, 44:3-5; Eze 37:13-14, 39:28-29; Amos 9:11-15; Joel 2:28-3:1). John would go on to say, "The wheat will be gathered into the barn," so there is a hint of the blessing. You can see the combination of these fire and blessing in Malachi as well.
Malachi 4:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.
Overall, John's message was one of great excitement as we see that the kingdom of heaven is at hand or near. To the Jews, that would mean that they are going to be restored and receive all the blessings promised by God. It would be even better than at any time in their history. But it was also intended to strike fear into the hearts of the people who believed that they could continue their idolatrous, sinful lives without repenting with all humility. His message comes on the heels of Malachi's message, breaking 400 years of silence. Men must fear the Lord to be saved from the wrath of God. Matthew wants that message to strike a chord with his readers.
What Does This Tell Us About Jesus?
In the next section, we will see how Jesus came to John to be baptized, but consider what Matthew has just revealed to us about Jesus through John's description and teaching. Some crazy guy wearing camel hair is out in the wilderness preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew says that this John is preparing the way for one who is more significant than him. He is trying to turn the hearts of the people to be faithful and avoid destruction. Those who refuse to repent with all their heart will be destroyed with unquenchable fire.
What does all of this tell us about Jesus? Jesus is not a fluffy little teddy bear. He did not come down to earth to pat everyone on the back and say, "You are doing a great job!" He came to complete what John has started. He came to solidify what John preached in the minds and hearts of the people. They must be transformed in their hearts and bear fruit in keeping with repentance before it is too late. In Isaiah 35, we see John's mission made clear. This is leading up to the Isaiah 40 description of John. Verse 1 talks about how the wilderness will be a place of gladness and rejoicing. Then verse 8 gives the main reason why.
Isaiah 35:8 (ESV) --- 8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
Here we see that the way of holiness is created in the wilderness. That means that those who go into the wilderness can find a way to become the holy people of God. They have found the way to walk and not go astray. What does this have to do with Jesus? He is the way!
Matthew is pointing out that those who submit to John's water baptism will be prepared to see the way of holiness that Christ is going to offer. They must humble themselves and not believe that their righteousness is good enough to make them holy. Those who refuse to submit will be the ones receiving the wrath of God. They will be unclean and unable to walk in the way of holiness. But those who bear fruit in keeping with repentance will find the transformation they are looking for through Jesus.
What About Us?
Have we submitted our lives to the total transformation that John and all the prophets commanded? The religious world around us likes to soften the call to repentance, but John required a complete transformation from the heart. Jesus will, as well. At the end of this book, we see Jesus commanding his disciples to do the same thing that John was commanding.
Matthew 28:18--20 (ESV) --- 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
The message to us should be clear. We must bear fruit in keeping with repentance and humbly submit by confessing our sins and being baptized. Have you prepared your heart to walk down the way Jesus created? It is a way of holy living, devotion, and faithfulness to God. Maybe you think that it's impossible to live a life like that, but Jesus came to make it possible. He provides the forgiveness needed to help us as we learn to be God's holy people on the earth. What hinders you from submitting to God and being forgiven as you repent and are baptized into Christ?