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Matthew 3

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The Preaching of John the Baptist 1–6

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. ​

John Warns the Religious Leaders 7–12

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. ​

The Baptism of Jesus 13–17

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 fulfil 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. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Matthew 3

Verse 1

John the Baptist — Baptistes, the baptizer. 'Preaching' is kerysso, to proclaim as a herald. The wilderness is where the child 'was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel' (Luke 1:80) and where Isaiah placed the crying voice (Isa 40:3, quoted in v.3).

Verse 2

Repent ye — Metanoeo, to change the mind. 'Is at hand' is eggizo, in the perfect tense: has drawn near. Jesus preaches the same words, 'Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (4:17); Mark adds 'and believe the gospel' (1:15). The kingdom is the one Daniel foretold, which 'the God of heaven' sets up (Dan 2:44).

Verse 3

Prepare ye the way of the Lord — Isa 40:3 reads 'Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God', so the one prepared for is the LORD himself. John answers for himself, 'I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness' (John 1:23), and Mal 3:1 gives the messenger who 'shall prepare the way before me'.

Verse 4

camel's hair, and a leathern girdle — The dress is that of Elijah, 'an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins' (2 Kgs 1:8). Christ says of John, 'this is Elias, which was for to come' (Matt 11:14), and the angel promised he would go 'in the spirit and power of Elias' (Luke 1:17). Locusts were permitted food (Lev 11:22).

Verse 6

confessing their sins — Exomologeo, to confess openly, a strengthened form of homologeo. The baptism was 'the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins' (Mark 1:4), received in the Jordan by those who owned their sins aloud. Mark says they 'were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan' (1:5).

Verse 7

O generation of vipers — Gennema, offspring, and echidna, a viper: the Pharisees and Sadducees are named the offspring of vipers. Christ uses the same words of Pharisees (12:34; 23:33). 'The wrath to come' is orge, God's coming judgment, from which believers are delivered (1 Thess 1:10; Rom 5:9).

Verse 9

of these stones… children unto Abraham — The claim 'We have Abraham to our father' is met with the sovereign power of God, who called Abraham 'alone' (Isa 51:1–2). Paul draws the same line: 'Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children' (Rom 9:7), and 'if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed' (Gal 3:29). Luke 3:8 is the parallel.

Verse 11

with the Holy Ghost, and with fire — John's baptism is 'with water unto repentance', and his successor is 'mightier' (ischyroteros). The fire is the purging of 'the spirit of judgment, and… the spirit of burning' (Isa 4:4) and of 'a refiner's fire' (Mal 3:2). At Pentecost 'cloven tongues like as of fire' sat on them, 'and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost' (Acts 2:3–4).

Verse 12

Whose fan is in his hand — Ptyon, the winnowing fork that tosses the threshed grain to the wind, and halon, the threshing floor. 'Garner' is the storehouse; the chaff, 'like the chaff which the wind driveth away' (Ps 1:4), goes to 'unquenchable' (asbestos) fire. The harvest parable ends, 'gather the wheat into my barn' (13:30).

Verse 13

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee — He 'began to be about thirty years of age' (Luke 3:23). The Baptist later says he came to know him by the sign of the Spirit: 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him… this is the Son of God' (John 1:32, 34). He comes 'to be baptized' with the rest: Luke 3:21 has 'when all the people were baptized… Jesus also being baptized'.

Verse 14

I have need to be baptized of thee — Diakoluo, to hinder utterly; it occurs only here, and its tense means John kept forbidding him. John's baptism was for confessed sin (v.6), and Christ was 'without sin' (Heb 4:15), 'who knew no sin' (2 Cor 5:21). John sees the greater one coming to the lesser.

Verse 15

fulfil all righteousness — 'Suffer' (aphiemi) is permit; 'becometh' (prepo) is what is fitting, and 'us' joins John and Jesus in it. Pleroo, 'fulfil', fills up to the full what God requires. The Son's stance is that of 'Lo, I come… to do thy will, O God' (Heb 10:7; Ps 40:7–8).

Verse 16

the Spirit of God descending like a dove — 'The heavens were opened' and the Spirit came 'upon him', as promised of the LORD's servant: 'the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him' (Isa 11:2) and 'I have put my spirit upon him' (Isa 42:1). John says it 'abode upon him' (John 1:32). Father, Son and Spirit are all present.

Verse 17

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased — The voice joins two Scriptures: 'Thou art my Son' (Ps 2:7) and 'mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth' (Isa 42:1), which Matthew cites at 12:18. Mark records it addressed to Jesus, 'Thou art my beloved Son' (1:11). The same words sound at the Transfiguration (17:5; 2 Pet 1:17).