the Baptism of Jesus Matthew 3:17 | 1509
11 “ I bap tize you with a wa ter for re pentance . But af ter me comes one who is more pow er ful than I , whose san dals I am not wor thy to car ry . He will bap tize you with a the Holy Spir it x and fire . y 12 His win now ing fork is in his hand , and he will clear his thresh ing floor , gath er ing his wheat into the barn and burn ing up the chaff with un quench able fire .” z
The Baptism of Jesus 3:13 – 17pp // Mk 1:9 – 11 ; Lk 3:21,22 ; Jn 1:31 – 34
13 Then Jesus came from Gal i lee to the Jor dan to be bap tized by John . a 14 But John
3:11 x Mk 1:8 y Isa 4:4 ;
Ac 2:3 , 4 3:12 z Mt 13:30 3:13 a Mk 1:4
3:16 b Isa 11:2 ; 42:1
3:17 c Mt 17:5 ; Jn 12:28 d Ps 2:7 ;
2Pe 1:17 , 18 e Isa 42:1 ;
Mt 12:18 ; 17:5 ; Mk 1:11 ; 9:7 ; Lk 9:35 tried to de ter him , say ing , “ I need to be bap tized by you , and do you come to me ?”
15 Jesus re plied , “ Let it be so now ; it is prop er for us to do this to ful fill all righ teous ness .” Then John con sent ed .
16 As soon as Jesus was bap tized , he went up out of the wa ter . At that moment heav en was opened , and he saw the Spir it of God b de scend ing like a dove and alight ing on him . 17 And a voice from heav en c said , “ This is my Son , d whom I love ; with him I am well pleased .” e
a
11 Or in
3:11 John points ahead and beyond himself to another person . John especially emphasizes the contrast between himself and the Coming One . ( 1 ) John himself knows clearly the identity of the One to come . John is the herald ; the Coming One is the messianic deliverer . ( 2 ) John ’ s baptism was only preparatory . The Coming One will baptize with the blessing of the Holy Spirit . But the unrepentant he will baptize with the judgment of eternal fire . 3:12 At the end of a harvest , the farmer took a pitchfork and tossed the wheat into the air , where the wind blew the lighter chaff away . The wheat was then stored in the granary . The chaff was burned . 3:13 – 17 What does Jesus mean that in his baptism he and John will “ fulfill all righteousness ”? Jesus fulfills the hope of the Davidic king and righteous
Servant . But more important , he is also Immanuel , “ God with us ,” and Jesus , the one who will “ save his people from their sins ” ( 1:21 ).
Jesus experiences a threefold revelation : ( 1 ) “ Heaven was opened .” God himself is opening the gates to reveal something momentous . ( 2 ) Jesus ’ anointing by the Spirit is both the coronation of Israel ’ s Messiah and the commissioning of God ’ s righteous Servant for the work he will now carry out in the power and presence of the Spirit . ( 3 ) Jesus is heralded as the unique Son who is the triumphant messianic King ( Ps 2 ), yet the humble Servant ( Isa 42 ).
3:1 – 17 We don ’ t like to offend . But John does warn us , as will Jesus later , of the coming
PEOPLE TO KNOW // JOHN THE BAPTIST
MATTHEW 3:13 – 17 : John was the son of Elizabeth and her husband , Zechariah , who was a priest . When the angel Gabriel announced Elizabeth would have a child , he said the baby would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he was born . Furthermore , he would bring the people back to God , have the spirit of Elijah the prophet and prepare the way for the Lord ( Lk 1:15 – 17 ).
John became a fiery preacher . He lived in the wilderness , eating honey and locusts . His words of judgment were especially aimed those who believed that they were God ’ s chosen and thus didn ’ t have to be righteous . He called them a “ brood of vipers ” and said they must change their ways ( Lk 3:7 – 8 ). John attracted great crowds to the Jordan River where he taught and baptized . He instructed listeners to follow God and repent from their sin .
John said he came to prepare the way for One greater than himself who would baptize with the Holy Spirit ( Lk 3:16 ). John was pointing to Jesus , and he had the honor of baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River . After this , John encouraged his disciples to follow Jesus instead of himself ( Jn 1:35 – 37 ).
John was arrested by Herod Antipas after John had condemned Herod for marrying Herodias , the former wife of Philip , Herod ’ s own brother . Though Herod took an interest in John , Herodias plotted John ’ s death . Herod eventually had John beheaded ( Mk 6:17 – 28 ).
APPLICATION John ’ s prophetic task was to prepare the way for Jesus . Crowds of people , from the most pious to the most sinful , came to hear John speak . Rather than enjoying the fame and trying to amass crowds and honor for himself , John always pointed away from himself and toward Christ . John is an example for how each believer should live and a model and guide for Christian leadership . Our lives should be focused on bringing others to Christ . John spoke God ’ s message shamelessly , even to the point of his own death . May we also be unashamed of the gospel ( Ro 1:16 ).
UNCORRECTED PROOF