TEXT [Commentary]

II. The Early Days of Jesus’ Kingdom Ministry (3:1–7:29)

A. Ministry of John the Baptist (3:1-12; cf. Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-14)

1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[*]” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming!

Clear the road for him!’”[*]

4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize,[*] he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize with[*] water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.[*] 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

NOTES

3:1 In those days. This is intentionally somewhat vague (cf. 13:1; 24:22, 29, 36; 26:29). Unlike Luke, Matthew did not mention the circumstances surrounding the birth of John the Baptist.

Judean wilderness. John’s ministry was carried out in the desert (cf. 3:3; 4:1; 11:7; 15:33) of Judea, the barren area just west of the Dead Sea. This largely uninhabited area is characterized by a dry climate and a topography featuring valleys (wadis) running from the hills in the west to the geological Rift Valley of the Jordan River and Dead Sea in the east. During the rainy season, these wadis become swift streams, but they are largely dry the rest of the year (cf. 7:26-27). Therefore, the NLT’s translation “wilderness” should not be understood as a forest or jungle. The role of the wilderness in redemptive history as the place of refuge, testing, the Exodus, and the giving of the law may be significant here.

began preaching. Though he is known as “the baptizer,” John commenced his ministry with preaching (cf. 4:17; 10:7; 24:14).

3:2 Repent . . . the Kingdom of Heaven is near. John’s message is characterized as having two aspects, (1) an ethical imperative (“Repent”), based on (2) an eschatological reality (“the Kingdom of Heaven is near”). This is the first occurrence of the message that echoes throughout Matthew’s gospel (cf. 4:17, 23; 9:35; 10:7; 13:19; 16:19; 21:43; 24:14). Repentance is the turning of the whole person from sin to God in obedience to the message of the Kingdom. This involves cognition of need, sorrow for sin, a decision to turn from sin to God, and subsequent obedient lifestyle. The “Kingdom of Heaven” is a distinctively Matthean expression for the Kingdom of God. Matthew probably used it in order to avoid mentioning the name of God, which was held in awe by pious Jews. “Heaven” stands for “God” by metonymy (cf. Dan 4:26; Matt 21:25; Luke 15:18, 21), which is the substitution of one word for another with which it is readily associated. Instead of thinking of the Kingdom as a concrete entity, which is either present or future, one should view it as gradually and dynamically exerting its power through the words and works of God’s messengers. God’s reign has drawn near in redemptive history; it is imminent. Matthew portrays John, Jesus, the first disciples, and subsequent Christians as proclaiming this message. (3:2; 4:17; 10:7; 24:14). For a more extended discussion of Matthew’s use of the phrase “Kingdom of Heaven,” see the discussion of Major Themes in the Introduction.

3:3 The prophet Isaiah. Having summarized John’s message (3:1-2), Matthew now turns to his characteristic motif of OT support. John’s origins in the obscurity of the desert as well as Jesus’ origins in the small village of Bethlehem are both grounded in the OT. Although the characteristic fulfillment formula is not present here, Matthew’s “the prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, . . .” clearly points to John as the eschatological fulfillment of Isa 40:3.

Prepare the way . . . Clear the road. The topographical changes mentioned here allude to the ancient custom of building or repairing roads to honor the visit of a king. John used them to picture the need for moral change. In its immediate context, Isa 40:3 comforted the exiles in Babylon with the hope of return to the land. But in the larger context of Isa 40–66 the prophecy of Isaiah describes the eschatological restoration of Israel with worldwide consequences experienced by all mankind (Isa 40:5). The overall perspective of Isa 40–66 involves the Spirit-endowed Messiah (Isa 42:1-4; see Matt 12:18-21), who is the suffering servant (Isa 52:15; see Matt 28:19; Isa 53:4; see Matt 8:17; Isa 53:7; see Matt 26:63; 27:14), envisioning nothing less than a new heavens and new earth (Isa 65:17; 66:22; see Matt 19:28).

3:4 clothes were woven from coarse camel hair . . . he ate locusts. According to Davies and Allison (1988:295-296), modern Bedouin still wear camel hair garments and eat locusts (grasshoppers). A camel hair garment bound with a leather belt might suggest poverty in another context, but here it is suggestive of John’s prophetic role and stern message of repentance. In fact, John was much like Elijah in this respect (2 Kgs 1:8; Zech 13:4; cf. Mal 4:5; Matt 11:7-9, 14; 17:10-13). Eating locusts was permitted by the OT (Lev. 11:20-23), and wild honey is mentioned several times there (Gen 43:11; Exod 3:8; Deut 32:13; Judg 14:8; 1 Sam 14:25; Ps 81:16; Ezek 27:17). All in all, John’s clothing and diet modeled the message he preached. He was unconcerned with the niceties of wardrobe and food (11:8, 18), and he called Israel away from preoccupation with such things and toward the Kingdom.

3:5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan valley went out. Actually, the tense of the Gr. verb (imperfect) implies that there was a steady stream of people regularly going out to John. The three place names and the words “all” and “all over” add to the impression that the response to John was truly sensational. This is corroborated by Josephus (Antiquities 18.5.2).

3:6 when they confessed their sins, he baptized them. The meaning of the word “baptize” (to immerse), along with the fact that the baptisms were being done in the Jordan River, probably indicates that John immersed those who had repented. Their confession of sins probably occurred at the same time as their baptism. In light of 3:7-8, there is the additional implication that John did not baptize those whom he deemed unrepentant. Thus, Matthew evidently did not mean to imply that baptism itself effected repentance. Rather, baptism was a confirmation of repentance and a seal of forgiveness. Perhaps the custom was for repentant baptismal candidates to confess their sins publicly as they were being baptized. The implications of 3:6 for a theology of John’s baptism must be compared with the similar statements of 3:11. John’s baptism evidently had some connections with OT ritual cleansings, Jewish proselyte baptism, and the cleansing rituals of the Qumran community (see Taylor 1997).

3:7 many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize. Though the popular response to John’s ministry was sensational, Matthew here indicates the contrasting response of the religious establishment. But it is difficult to know exactly why the Pharisees and Sadducees came to John’s baptism. The Gr. phrase translated by the NLT as “coming to watch him baptize” is ambiguous. It is doubtful that it was simply a matter of curiosity. Possibly they had come to be baptized (see NLT mg), or they were there in an official capacity to investigate the furor in the desert. At any rate, John did not view their motivation as genuine.

brood of snakes! His vivid accusatory description of the Pharisees and Sadducees as an evil “brood of snakes” is twice echoed by Jesus (12:34; 23:33, cf. Gen 3:1; Ps 58:4). They viewed themselves as children of Abraham (3:9), but John had a very different idea of their spiritual ancestry.

Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? John’s sarcastic question indicates that he did not believe that the Pharisees and Sadducees were genuine converts. If the emphasis is placed on “who,” John was disclaiming any connection with their pilgrimage to the Jordan. He certainly hadn’t warned them to flee the coming judgment. If the emphasis is placed on “you,” the implication is that they were unrepentant and thus were not fit candidates for baptism. Those who do not repent when they hear the message of God’s eschatological rule will face imminent judgment, “the coming wrath.”

3:8-9 Prove by the way you live. Lit., “produce fruit.” John’s observation of the Pharisees and Sadducees led him to believe they were unrepentant, so he demanded that they produce fruit (3:8) and then responded to an anticipated objection (3:9). Producing fruit as a metaphor for a repentant lifestyle occurs elsewhere in Matthew (3:10; 7:16-20; 12:33; 13:8, 23, 26; 21:19) and is common in the OT (Ps 1:3; Isa 3:10; 5:1-7; Hos 10:1). John now and Jesus later both affirm that the lifestyle of converts must fit or correspond to their profession of repentance. Such a change in lifestyle will never occur if confidence is placed in descent from Abraham.

3:10 chopped down and thrown into the fire. John’s demand for proof of repentance (3:8) is underlined with a vivid picture of judgment. Unrepentant hearers of the Kingdom message are likened to trees that do not bear fruit—they are cut down and thrown into the fire. A similar picture of false prophets as unfruitful trees is found in 7:19 (cf. Isa 10:15-19; Jer 11:16), and 13:24-30 pictures the weeds among the wheat being thrown into the fire at the harvest (cf. the chaff in 3:12). Jesus’ cursing the unfruitful fig tree in 21:19 is another similar image. The burning of unfruitful trees is also related to the punishment of evildoers in the fires of hell (5:22; 13:42, 50; 18:8-9; 25:41). The vividness of the picture is heightened by the words “even now,” which depict the chopping down of unfruitful trees as a process that is presently occurring. As the Kingdom message is preached, those who reject it are already being marked out for judgment, even though the full force of that awful judgment has not yet been felt.

3:11 I baptize with water . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John contrasts his ministry with that of the one who is coming after him. John’s water baptism for repentance prepares Israel for the more powerful “Spirit and fire” baptism of Jesus. John is not even fit to perform the menial task of carrying Jesus’ shoes. Jesus’ powerful ministry is likened to a harvest in which the grain is gathered (cf. 6:26; 13:30) and the chaff is burnt. Jesus, the mighty one who comes after John, is the eschatological harvester who saves and judges. The imagery of 3:12 is similar to that of such OT texts as Ps 1:4; Isa 5:24; Dan 2:35; and Hos 13:3.

There is no little controversy over the relationship of John’s baptism to repentance. The NLT’s “I baptize with water those who repent . . .” interpretively translates a clause that is more lit. rendered “I baptize you with water for repentance” (see NASB, NIV, NJB, and NRSV). But this might be taken to mean that baptism in water somehow accomplishes repentance, which seems contrary to the contextual call for repentance, evidently as a prerequisite for baptism (3:7-9). Perhaps the meaning is simply that the baptism is in reference or connection to repentance. This connection is twofold in that baptism both assumes and expresses repentance.

John’s baptism uses water, but Jesus’ baptism will involve the Holy Spirit and fire. Though some (e.g., Bruner 1987:79-80; Luz 1989:171; Ridderbos 1987:55) see two baptisms here, one in the Spirit indicating salvation and the other in fire indicating judgment, it is preferable to see only one purifying baptism (Davies and Allison 1988:317). In this understanding the phrase, “Spirit and fire,” is understood as a hendiadys, a figure of speech in which one idea is expressed by two words. This seems to be indicated also by OT texts that associate the eschatological outpouring of the Spirit with both cleansing water (Isa 32:15; 44:3; Ezek 36:25-27; Joel 2:28-29; cf. 1QS 4:20-22) and refining fire (Isa 1:25; 4:4; 30:27-30; Zech 13:9; Mal 3:1-3; 4:1; cf. Acts 2:3; 4 Ezra 13:8-11). So it is best to conclude that the one eschatological outpouring of the Spirit through Jesus will purify and judge. The Holy Spirit has been mentioned as the miraculous agent behind Jesus’ conception (1:18, 20). Now as John speaks of the future, he asserts that Jesus will baptize in the Holy Spirit. Though he would eventually dispense the Spirit to others (3:11), Jesus presently needs the empowerment of the Spirit for his own mission (4:1; 12:18, 28). For a perceptive study of the ministry of the Spirit to Jesus see Hawthorne 1991.

3:12 separate the chaff from the wheat. The purifying judgment of Jesus is pictured here as a harvest in which the threshing process separates the wheat from the chaff (cf. Ps 1:4; Prov 20:26; Isa 41:14-16; Jer 15:7; 51:33; Dan 2:35; Hos 6:11; 13:3; Joel 3:13; Mic 4:12-13; Rev 14:14-20). The fork or shovel was used to toss the harvested and threshed grain in the air, and the wind dispersed the chaff while the heavier grain fell to the floor. The grain was gathered, but the chaff was swept up and burnt. Matthew’s capsulized portrayal of John’s Kingdom message stresses the judgment of God upon the unrepentant.

never-ending fire. The image of “never-ending” (lit. “unquenchable”) fire underlines the severity of the punishment in a way that is tantamount to the Christian doctrine of eternal punishment.

COMMENTARY [Text]

Matthew 3 is the first section in Matthew with synoptic parallels (Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:1-14, 21-22). The chapter naturally divides into three sections: (1) John’s ministry in the desert (3:1-6), (2) John’s conflict with the Pharisees and Sadducees (3:7-12), and (3) John’s baptism of Jesus (3:13-17). Nearly thirty years (Luke 3:23) had evidently transpired between the events of Matthew 2:23 and 3:1. Though the apocryphal Gospels contain many fanciful stories about Jesus’ childhood, the New Testament is largely silent. What little scriptural knowledge that is available for this period is found in the Gospel of Luke. According to Luke, Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth amazed at the revelations given about Jesus in the Temple (2:25-38). Jesus’ childhood and early adolescence are described in Luke 2:40, 52. But Matthew says nothing directly about the years between Jesus’ coming to live in Nazareth as a small child and his coming to John for baptism as an adult (2:22; 3:13). One can draw a few inferences from Matthew 13:54-58 about Jesus’ upbringing in Nazareth, but the fact is that Matthew’s theological purposes are not furthered by biographical details of this period. Matthew is interested in telling the story of Jesus’ origins (chs 1–2) and his preparation for ministry (3:1–4:16).

The story of Jesus’ preparation for ministry begins with the ministry of John the Baptist and ends with John’s imprisonment. John’s ministry in the desert of Judea, predicted in Isaiah 40:3, results in many Judeans coming to him for baptism (3:1-6). It seems best to see John’s baptism against a broad background of similar activities in Second Temple Judaism rather than to attempt an explanation that draws from only one of the possible backgrounds, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Old Testament itself frequently alludes to water cleansing as a picture of forgiveness, spiritual purity, and eschatological blessing (Ps 51:6-9; Isa 4:4; 44:3; Jer 4:11-14; Ezek 36:24-27; Zech 13:1). But there are three important contrasts between John’s baptism and these possible backgrounds. First, John insisted on repentance and baptism for Jews, not Gentile proselytes. This would counter the current view that Israel’s problems were due only to Gentile oppression, and that the Messiah’s mission was merely to set Israel free from this oppression. Descent from Abraham was no guarantee of God’s favor (3:9). Second, John’s baptism was a single act of confession, not a repeated ritual as in the Old Testament and in the Qumran community. Third, John’s ministry and baptism were directed toward the nation of Israel as a whole, not toward a sectarian monastic community as at Qumran. Therefore, Davies and Allison (1988:299) seem to be correct in viewing John’s baptism as a creative reapplication of biblical and cultural motifs.

When John’s ministry attracted Pharisees and Sadducees, he rebuffed them and warned them of judgment (3:7-12). Matthew speaks of the Pharisees often—nearly 30 times. On eleven occasions, they are mentioned alone (9:11, 14, 34; 12:2, 14, 24; 15:12; 19:3; 22:15, 41; 23:36). They are linked with the teachers of the law (scribes) ten times (5:20; 12:38; 15:1; 23:2, 13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29). Five times they appear (as here) with the Sadducees, although the other four times occur in one pericope (3:7; 16:1, 6, 11, 12). The Pharisees also appear with the chief priests, who were Sadducees, in 21:45 and 27:62. In 22:34-35 one of the Pharisees is described as a lawyer. According to Josephus (Antiquities 17.2.4) there were over 6,000 Pharisees. Their roots are most likely traced to the Hasidim who rebelled against the Seleucid king Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) in the 160s BC. The name “Pharisee” may be derived from a word meaning “separatist.” Their chief characteristic was rigorous adherence to the law, which in their view encompassed both the written Old Testament and the oral traditions that had grown up as a “fence around the law” (Pirke Avoth 1:1). In Matthew their preoccupation with the “traditions of the elders” as rules of conduct put them at loggerheads with Jesus. Their views of such matters as Sabbath observance and ritual washings were determined by the oral law. But these were viewed by Jesus as pedantic and burdensome additions to the genuine (written) law of God (cf., e.g., 15:1-20; 23). Blomberg (1992: 77) rightly points out that not all Pharisees were hypocrites.

The Sadducees are mentioned much less frequently in Matthew, seven times in three pericopes. They appear with the Pharisees in the context of John’s ministry (3:7) and later join with them in an attempt to put Jesus to the test by asking for a heavenly sign (16:1, 6, 11, 12). Once Jesus entered Jerusalem, they unsuccessfully attempted to question him on the resurrection (22:23, 34). Less is known about the Sadducees. Josephus spent some time describing them in Wars 2.8.14, Antiquities 13.5.9; 13.10.6; and 18.1.1, 4. A smaller group than the Pharisees, they evidently were made up of wealthy priests who had no use for the oral law of the Pharisees. They were evidently more pro-Roman than the Pharisees, and they stressed human freedom more than the Pharisees did. Their denial of the resurrection and the afterlife is well known (cf. 22:23-33). Perhaps this was due to preoccupation with the five books of Moses and neglect of the rest of the Old Testament, though Davies and Allison (1988:302-303) doubt this. Pharisaic Judaism lived on after the AD 70 destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, but this event evidently marked the end of the Sadducees.

Just as Matthew 2 presents Herod and the Jewish teachers as a foil to the wise men, so here John’s baptism of the repentant masses is contrasted with his denunciation of the religious leaders who have come only to watch the baptisms. The linkage of the Pharisees and Sadducees, two entrenched groups that were theologically and socially disparate, shows that both “establishment” movements were unified in opposition to the mass appeal of the charismatic prophet John. This anticipates their later unified opposition to Jesus (cf. 16:1, 6, 11, 12).

John pronounced judgment on them in no uncertain terms. His message of repentance and fruitbearing, winnowing and eternal fire are poignant. The images of 3:7-12 present a very different picture of God and his rule than is often presented in pulpits today, where the stress is on God’s provision of goods and services to meet people’s felt needs. One wonders whether John would even recognize this “gospel” of self-actualization as an authentic interpretation of the message of God’s Kingdom.