This chapter is the handoff between the Old and New Covenants. John's baptism is the last of the Old Testament signs, the baptism of Jesus the first of the new (in this gospel).

Matthew begins to turn up the heat on Israel. In chapter 2 we saw the passive approach by the priests and scribes as to the location of the birthplace of the Messiah. We saw Herod, the non-Jew Jewish king trying to hold on to his throne, but now comes the first official volley from God saying "you've got to pay attention. Things are going to be different so get on board or get off the train!" That's John the Baptist, Jesus' distant cousin (Mary and Elizabeth were cousins).

John is the bridge between the Old and New Covenants. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets, who often came to preach repentance to a stubborn Israel. They also often used physical signs to signify a spiritual reality. So John used baptism to signify the sinful soul in need of cleansing.

1 - 3

John started his ministry, not in the crowded streets of Jerusalem, but in the deserts of Judea, west of the Dead Sea. Perhaps this too was a sign that the bounty of a nation blessed of God had fallen into barrenness in their rejection of a relationship in favor of rule and tradition.

The Jews had desired greatly for the kingdom of God to come. To them, though, that meant Israel being made prominent in world politics and power. They did not know that the coming of God's kingdom would be the coming of a man who would die before He would rule and that this kingdom was one of true righteousness by faith, not obedience (which is impossible anyway).

To cry out was to cry with great feeling. John really cared, as inspired by the Holy Spirit. God really cares that people wake up to the spiritual reality inside of them. This is no light matter. This isn't joining the club of the month-this is life and death stuff.

Just as servants would level the road ahead of a coming noble, so too the people needed to clear away old rubble from their minds and get ready for something new.

4 - 6

John dressed and ate differently. He dressed much like Elijah the prophet and his diet was that of a Nazirite and was considered "clean" or "kosher." Locusts were roasted and honey could be found in abundance. It set him apart. Some might have come just to see this wild man, much like people turned out in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries to see real "cowboys" from the old West perform. But many came out of curiosity and came forward out of repentance when they heard John speak. Sometimes the packaging of the gospel can be strange to people, but the words are powerful.

The response to John's message was repentance. The first thing we do when we realize we are accountable for the evil in us is that we repent. This is like plowing the ground of the heart, getting it ready for something new to be planted and grow. That "something new" was the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

7 - 10

The Pharisees and Sadducees were the two leading political/religious parties in Israel. The Sadducees were primarily the priests and the Pharisees were a class of lay people who ascribed to a very strict interpretation of the law. They were opposed to Roman rule, while the Sadducees were basically working within the Roman rule. The Pharisees believed in the entire Old Testament, plus the many oral traditions that had been handed down. The Sadducees only believed in the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch-and rejected anything supernatural except resurrection.

I love John's opening line-great way to win friends and influence people-call them a bunch of snake offspring!

Most likely the religious leaders were showing up to merely find out what was going on, not to repent. John, sarcastically, asks them about who warned them to flee the wrath to come. This is a reference to the "Day of the Lord" which the religious leaders applied to the Gentiles, but not to themselves.

John is saying "you are as filled with evil and sin as these people who are being baptized-you and they are just as liable and will face the Day of the Lord and the wrath of a holy God."

He called them snakes because in reality though they were highly religious they were actually agents of Satan, the serpent of old, in layering religion as a way of keeping people away from repentance and salvation.

He even anticipates their first answer: "We are Abraham's children and thus get a free ticket into heaven." It was perhaps the greatest mistake the Jews made. When Moses said (Lev 11:45) "You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy" it was a standard of character and behavior, not a birth right.

Isn't it interesting that John used the same illustration as Jesus would use on Palm Sunday (Luke 19:40)? Basically, humans: a few pennies of dust, but righteousness?  Priceless.

The change has started, John says. Judaism, which was supposed to carry the light of the gospel as foreshadowed by the sacrifices and the Law, is about to be replaced by the fulfillment: Jesus Christ. Knowing God and His Word should have made the transition possible. But they had supplanted God's word with their own traditions.

But being blind to something does not mean you are immune from it. I might not see the shark approaching in the murky water, but that won't stop him from chopping me in half.

John uses the idea of a tree being cut down that does not bear fruit. Jesus will pick up this same illustration in chapter 21 with the fig tree, and Paul will talk directly about how the non-believing Jews were "cut off" so that we Gentiles could be grafted in (Romans 11). So the Jews and Gentiles are treated the same-those that repent and rely on Jesus become part of the Abrahamic root stock. The others, well, you see how John puts it-complete destruction. The Jewish way of approaching God through works, tradition, and lineage would become completely ineffective in bringing about real life.

11 - 12

John hints that his baptism is merely the opening act, the preparation, for the coming of the Messiah. John's baptism signaled a willingness to change. The ability to be changed can only come when one is baptized with the Holy Spirit. The fire looks forward to Acts 2 and the coming of the Holy Spirit with "tongues of fire." Fire is a great cleanser for those who stand behind Jesus, who took the wrath of God for us, but on our own, fire is a destroyer.

13 - 17

Jesus had to become a man to die for man. To do that he had to identify with man. The first step was to submit to the same baptism that John was asking people to do. It wasn't that Jesus had anything to repent of, but it is a way for Him to show that He is indeed just like us in every respect, except for sin.

John knew that Jesus didn't need to repent so he balks at baptizing him. There is no requirement for baptism in the Law, but perhaps the "righteousness" Jesus refers to is His complete obedience to the Father. The Father said "go get baptized" and Jesus did.

There are actually many reasons why Jesus got baptized:

1.      To confess the need for repentance for sin for the people (like Isaiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah had done - Ezra 9:2, Neh 1:6, Isaiah 6:5).

2.      To inaugurate His public ministry

3.      To identify with the people

4.      To show his support for John's ministry

5.      To show us an example

6.      To enter into the office of mediator by special ceremony

7.      It looked forward to his own death

When the Spirit descended on Jesus it was more evidence that he was the Messiah.

The proclamation of God was to everyone present-Jesus, John, and the crowd. The saying conveys two Old Testament passages. Psalm 2:7, is a Psalm about the coronation of Christ as the eternal king, and Isaiah 42:1 is about the servant who would suffer and die. So even here we have Matthew's point that Jesus is both Messiah and king.

And of course we also have the trinity present here. The Son, the Spirit and the Father.

Conclusions

Watch for the signs (the baptism of John, the baptism of Jesus)

Don't judge a book by its cover (John)

Prepare your heart to receive God's Word (have a repentant attitude, a curious mind, and an open heart)