Matthew 3

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“John... appears on the scene suddenly and mysteriously, much like Elijah, whose ministry John mirrored (cf. 1 Kings 17:1). [Note: See Edersheim, 2:706-9…]” (Dr. Thomas B Constable) “The OT ends with this admonition: ‘Remember the teaching of my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.’ (Malachi 4:4–6) “The jubilee year, the restoration of land and people outlined in Leviticus 25 and interpreted by Isaiah 61, the long-expected overturning of injustice that John said was coming—all these Jesus claims are accomplished in his ministry.” (Hauerwas)

“’In those days’— when the time of the seventy weeks was fulfilled.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) “While this phrase may be merely chronological, [16—John Broadus, Commentary on Matthew] it is so closely tied to eschatology in the prophets (E.g., Isa 4:2; Jer 30:8; Ezek 38:10; Hos 2:16; Joel 3:1; Amos 9:11; Obadiah 8; Mic 4:6; etc) that it is difficult not to hear such overtones here, especially because of what follows in the text.” (Mosaic Imagery In The Gospel Of Matthew by Wayne S. Baxter) “‘John the Baptist came preaching’— Κηρυσσων, is literally heralding (Gr. kerysso). ‘In the New Testament the verb does not mean ‘to give an informative or hortatory or edifying discourse expressed in beautifully arranged words with a melodious voice;' it means to proclaim an event. ..." [Note: A. M. Hunter, The Message of the New Testament, p24.]." (Dr. Thomas B. Constable)— “‘in the wilderness of Judea,’ (1) He is not in the temple in the midst of the learned and the great. There was no room for him there. He is outside of the camp, and the people too have to leave Jerusalem and go out to Him., Hebrews 13:13.” (Arno Gaebelein) John’s education was “without the breeding of the university, or court at Jerusalem.... David [the type of the greater King] passed much of his youth in the wilderness, 1 Samuel 17:28. (John Lightfoot)

“And saying, ‘repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! For this is He who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD;’. By implication the coming One was Jehovah— “‘make His paths straight.’ (Isaiah 40:2-3) As the harbingers of great princes are sent before them to call to persons to remove things out of the way which may hinder their free passage, so John was sent before this great King in Zion, now coming forth to show Himself, and to set up His kingdom in the world.” (Matthew Poole) — “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God… And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of LORD has spoken.’ (Isa 40:1–5) "For Isaiah, the immediate reference was to the Babylonian exile. But for Matthew, Israel was still in exile and awaiting a final exodus. Hence, for the evangelist, the time for this final exodus had come: ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (3:3; cf. 4:17; 10:7; 12:28).… while Isaiah commonly uses ‘in that day’ terminology (over forty times), only once does it occur after chap. 40. Obviously for Matthew,’ ‘that day’ of Isaiah 40 is now. The final deliverer for this great exodus would be none other than the true Son of God, the Son par excellence, Jesus (3:17; cf. 2:15 and 1:23).” (Mosaic Imagery In The Gospel Of Matthew by Wayne S. Baxter)

And the message of the forerunner is confirmed: "Cry out!" And he said, "What shall I cry?"—>"All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever. O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah: 'Behold your God!'" (Isa 40:6-9) So, the first lesson is that everything in this world will wither and die, including you and me…"but the Word of our God stands forever.” And the ultimate content of the message is about Jesus — "Behold your God."

“‘Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist,' worn by Jews “in time of sorrow and humiliation… The Nazarites did the same till they had fulfilled their vow. It was also a dress sometimes worn by the prophets; Zechariah 13:4. 2 Kings 1:8. Revelation 6:12; Revelation 11:3.” (Thomas Coke)— "'and his food was locusts and wild honey.’ (4)- food that can only be gathered. John, as Elijah, recapitulates the wilderness wanderings that Israel experienced after its exodus from Egypt.” (Brazos Theological Commentary) Thus it is said by man that he “‘came neither eating nor drinking,’—a Nazarite." (Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT)

“‘Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him; and were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." (56) "John selected this river as the scene of his many baptisms for a reason, and the reason is given in John 3:23, ‘because there was much water there.’” (Burton Coffman)“‘Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’ (7b) It was expected among the Jews (as the book of Enoch shows), that in connection with Messiah's appearance there would be an outburst of God's wrath upon his enemies, i. e., upon the Gentiles. But John, in accordance with the whole tenor of his teaching, describes 'the coming wrath' as threatening all God's enemies, including impenitent Jews; and this was already implied in Malachi 3-4. Similarly, Paul in 1 Thessalonians 1:10.” (Broadus)

“Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ The children of Abraham, according to the Covenant made with Abraham, were those of grace, and not counted after nature. The one decisive feature of this family is; if ye be Christ’s, then y e are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:29.” (Hawker's Poor Man's Comm)— “'For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.'(8-9) Stones here symbolize the flinty hearts of sin-ridden reprobates, which the Holy Ghost is abundantly competent to transform into the sanctified children of heaven, thus making them the spiritual children of Abraham.” (William Godbey) “They supposed themselves safe because they were the seed of Abraham to whom the promises of old had been truly certified. However, in this place John blasts their complacency and opens the door for the ‘spiritual sons’…” (Coffman Commentary)

“In the OT, God repeatedly cut off many Israelites and saved a remnant.” (D. A. Carson) The judgment will be universal. “‘Even now the axe lieth.’ etc. As if he had said, there is not a moment to spare - God is about to cut off every impenitent soul - you must therefore either turn to God immediately or be utterly and finally ruined. It was customary with the prophets to represent the kingdoms, nations, and individuals, whose ruin they predicted, under the notion of forests and trees, doomed to be cut down. See Jeremiah 46:22, 23; Ezekiel 31:3, 11, 12.” (Adam Clarke) Here: “The figure of Matthew 3:8 (‘fruit’) is carried out. The axe (Divine judgments) has not been applied as yet, but is ready for use, implying that ‘the trees’ were unfruitful, or of a bad kind. A striking declaration of imminent destruction. ‘Therefore,’ because of the position of the axe.—‘every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit.’ There may be blossoms, professions, and yet no fruit, or the fruit may be bad. — ‘if hewn down.’ Not ‘will be;’ the present tense represents a certain and immediate future action, or a general law of the ‘kingdom’ which John heralded. ‘into the fire,' (10) in continued figure, setting forth the effect, God’s wrath.” (Schaff's Popular Commentary) “…God’s axe is ready to start work… and that He is ready to start cutting at the root of all the trees which do not produce good fruit (cp. Matthew 13:7-9). And once He has cut them down He will cast them into the fire. Fire is a favorite description of judgment throughout Scripture (cp. Matthew 7:19; 13:30; 13:42; 18:8-9; 22:7; 25:41; John 15:6; Amos 2:5; Amos 5:6; and often in the OT). Its searing heat destroys until nothing is left.” (Peter Pett) “This thorough judgment will result in the preservation of the believing Israelites and the destruction of the unbelieving (cf. Matt 25:31-46).” (Dr. Thomas B. Constable)

Therefore: “‘I indeed baptize you with water unto 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.’ (11) Like Elijah, the pour the water on the sacrifice, but He gives the fire.” (G. Moberly) “The Holy Ghost is fire. Baptism with the Holy Ghost is not one thing and baptism with fire another… (Alexander MacLaren)

“‘His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn;’ By the wheat is evidently intended those whose characters are useful; by the chaff those who are worthless. Wheat is valuable because it answers the purpose of the cultivator.” (B. W. Noel.) They look alike. “And let me remind you how like the chaff is to the wheat, how like the mere professor is to the saint. Of what colour is the chaff? Precisely the same as that of the wheat. And what is its form? Exactly that of the wheat. And where is it found? Not blowing about the highway, but in close contact with the wheat.” (P. B. Power)— in the church.“‘But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’ (12) “To burn a corpse signified at times a thing utterly accursed or devoted to God for destruction (Josh 7:25). It also was an act of complete contempt (Amos 2:1)… The figure of ‘unquenchable’ fire appears frequently throughout Scripture and signifies a fire that cannot be resisted or put out until it has done what fire is intended to do. Because this fire is ‘not quenched’ or extinguished, it completely consumes what is put into it. Yet an ‘unquenchable’ fire eventually goes out, when it has consumed its fuel. ‘Unquenchable’ does not mean ever-burning, but irresistible. Because it cannot be thwarted in its intended purpose, or stopped short of accomplishing its goal, ‘unquenchable’ fire (‘irresistible fire’) fully consumes (Ezek 20:47–48), reduces to nothing (Amos 5:5–6) or burns up what is put into it (Matt 3:12). [See also 2 Kgs 22:17; Isa 1:31; Jer 4:4; 21:12; Mark 9:43, 48.].” (The Fire That Consumes by Edward Fudge)

“John stood amazed. ‘He forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?’ (14) In other words, I am the sinner, I need repentance, I deserve to go into that river of death, but Thou art holy— no evil in Thee, nothing worthy of death.” (Arno Gaebelein) "But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ (15) - that is, ‘every righteous ordinance.’” (Adam Clarke) “This was equivalent to saying, 'Yes, I know I have no sins to be repented of and that I might claim an exemption from this duty proclaimed by the authority of God and binding upon all men; but, since this is God's ordinance, I wish to honor it anyway and am delighted to do so by obeying the commandment now.’” (Coffman Commentary)

"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' (16-17) “When Israel leaves Egypt, her people go through the Red Sea. The apostle Paul says they were ‘baptized unto Moses … in the sea’ (1 Corinthians 10:2). Jesus is also baptized ‘to fulfill all righteousness,’ and immediately afterward God proclaims Him, ‘my beloved Son’ (Matt 3:15–17).” (Spiritual Israel by Doug Batchelor)