In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate was
governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother, Philip, tetrarch
of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, and
Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. In those days, the word of God came to
John, the son of Zechariah, in the desert, as it was written by the prophet,
Malachi (3:1):
“Behold, I send my messenger before you, who shall prepare
your way before you…”
John entered into the region around the Jordan, in the Judean desert, and
preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, saying “Repent!
For the realm of heaven is near!” This John the Baptist is the one spoken of by
the prophet Isaiah (40:3-5), who said:
“I am a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for our God. Make
straight pathways for our God!
Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill leveled; crooked paths
shall be straightened, and rough paths shall be made smooth; and all humankind
will see the Salvation of God!’”
Now, John wore clothes made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his hips.
He lived eating locusts and honey.
The people from everywhere went to him–from Jerusalem, all around Judea, and all
the region around the Jordan. They confessed their sins and were baptized by him
in the Jordan. But when he saw Pharisees and Sadducees in the crowds of the many
coming out to be baptized by him, he told them, “You children of snakes! Who
warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce evidence that you have
changed your ways. And don’t think that you can tell yourselves that ‘Abraham
and Sarah are our parents.’ Because I’m telling you that God can produce
children for Abraham and Sarah from these very stones! Even now, the ax is
already at the roots of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good
fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
So the crowds asked him, “What can we do, then?” And he answered them saying,
“You who have two garments, share with the one who has none; and let those who
have food do likewise.” Tax collectors came to be baptized, and asked, “Teacher,
what should we do?” He said to them, “Don’t collect any more than you are
required to.” Soldiers also asked him, “What shall we do?” He told them, “Don’t
extort money, don’t make false accusations; be happy with your salaries.”
The people, filled with anticipation, began wondering in their hearts whether
John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, proclaiming, “I baptize you
in water for repentance; but One is coming after me who is mightier than I,
whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down, untie and remove! He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The winnowing fork is in His Hand to
clean His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but the refuse
will be burned up with unquenchable fire!” With exhortations like this, John
preached the good news to the people.
(Matt. 3:1-12, Mark 1:2-8, Luke 3:1-18)
Several years have passed since Jesus’ recorded visit to the Temple. Scholars estimate that Jesus (and His relative, John) are both now around the age of thirty. Because John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest and his mother, Elizabeth, was a descendant of the first priest, Aaron, John’s early life would have revolved around the Temple. It is said he grew up in the hill country of Judea, near the area of Qumran. Luke tells us that growing up he lived in the desert (some translations use wilderness), where he grew strong and strong in spirit. (1:80). It was there that God called John to ministry (Luke 3:2). So John began preaching right there in the desert by the Jordan River, where he could be seen and heard by passersby on the roads.
John has been called the last of the Hebrew Testament prophets, and the first of the Christian Testament prophets. It had been some four hundred long years since the God called the prophet, Malachi. Four hundred years without a prophet at all! Now, finally, after all these years of waiting, God calls John to the task, which the gospel writers indicate fulfills both Isaiah’s and Malachi’s prophesies. But note that their prophesies not only foretell the appearance of John, but that John will precede and announce the Messiah (…the Salvation of God).
John’s attire reflects that worn by Elijah (1 Kings 1:8), as though John sees himself as Elijah returned. Indeed, the angel, Gabriel, when he foretold John’s birth to his father, Zechariah, told Zechariah that John would “…go before God, demonstrating the same spirit and power that Elijah had.” (Luke 1:17) Scripture tells us that Elijah did not die, but instead was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire and in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). Further, the prophet, Malachi, promised that Elijah would return someday (Mal. 4:5). Later we will see that Jesus, Himself, referred to John as “…the Elijah who was to come” (Matt. 11:14). In Jewish tradition, Elijah is the long-expected and awaited messenger of the final redemption from all oppression. As part of the Jewish Passover service to this day, a “Cup of Elijah” is set on the table, and at one point in the service the cup is filled, a door is opened, and an invitation is given to Elijah’s spirit to enter to renew hope and bring an end to war so that humanity can live in peace.
The clothes John wore and the food he ate–whatever he could scrounge up from the desert–reflected a life of self-denial. Some scholars believe the clothing was of camel’s hair and was worn skin-side out–that is, with the hair on the inside, so that it provided constant irritation. The clothing not only reflected poverty, but was a silent voice of austerity and the stern ministry he offered.
Though his appearance was considered that of a wild man, still he drew crowds into the desert. People came from far and near to hear him, confess their sins and be baptized by him. John called the people to repentance. In the original language the word for repent means to think differently, to reconsider, to turn around (as in you’re going the wrong way).
That John was calling all people to be baptized was a radical departure for them. Jewish people weren’t baptized. Baptism was a requirement only of Gentiles who were converting to Judaism, and symbolized a cleansing from all past wrongdoing. John is leveling the playing field by calling everyone to repent and be baptized and have their sins forgiven.
John spots some Pharisees and Sadducees in the crowd and gets quite vocal. Now, scholars differ on the role of the Pharisees of the first century, but they seemed to be scholars who accepted the written and oral law, and were highly regarded for their interpretation of the law. They emphasized ritual purity, food tithes and Sabbath observances, and believed in resurrection. As a group, they were very influential with the people.
Even less is known and agreed upon about the Sadducees. They did not believe in life after death, or in angels or spirits. They rejected the traditions of the Pharisees. As opposed to the Pharisees, the Sadducees were influential generally only with the wealthy. According to Josephus, they competed with the Pharisees and other groups for power and influence. Since they were political opponents, it might seem strange that they would have come together to witness John’s ministry. On the other hand, each group may have had their own reasons for coming, and came without awareness of the others’ intentions along the same vein.
I need to point out that while Matthew indicates that John’s verbal attack, “You children of snakes! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce evidence that you have changed your ways!” is directed at the Sadducees and Pharisees; Luke relates it to the whole crowd. If John meant to direct his oration to the leaders, scholars believe that John did so because he perceived that they had come to be baptized but had not repented. If directed at the whole crowd, some scholars believe that the language he used was just good rhetoric in the prophetic tradition. As if to emphasize that John has created a level playing field for both Jews and Gentiles, he now says, “And don’t think that you can tell yourselves that ‘Abraham and Sarah are our parents.’ Because I’m telling you that God can produce children for Abraham and Sarah from these very stones!” Jewish tradition taught that since all Jewish people descended from Abraham and Sarah, any special relationship Abraham and Sarah had with God also applied to all of their descendants. They believed that anything of merit accredited by God to Abraham and Sarah, automatically filtered down to all their descendants. They believed that God would judge them by a standard different from the rest of the world. John says, No! Not true. Each individual is responsible for his or her own actions! Those who are not righteous will be “…cut down and thrown into the fire,” regardless of their roots.
When the frightened crowd asks, “What can we do, then?” John begins to teach them the golden rule….Do unto others….share what you have….don’t take advantage of people, don’t steal, don’t bear false witness, don’t covet.
John’s preaching moved the people such that they began wondering if indeed he was the Messiah. No, John said. Whatever you think of me, there’s Someone else who is coming whose shoes I’m not even fit to untie. I baptize you in the water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John was telling them that he could immerse the people in water, but no spiritual change could occur in them unless they first had taken it upon themselves to repent. On the other hand, the One John was preparing the people for would come with the Holy Spirit and enter into their souls and the Spirit would bring about spiritual changes in them. The allusion to fire is that the spiritual changes would purify them. That One to come would perform spiritual house-cleaning–would separate the good from the bad.
John spoke to people of the land in language and symbolism they could understand. When they farmed the land, the valuable wheat was mixed up with and therefore gathered up along with the lighter-weighing but unusable chaff. The farmer would gather it all together, then with a kind of pitchfork would pick up a pile of the mixed wheat/chaff and toss it into the air. The lighter chaff would be blown away by the wind, while the heavier wheat would fall to the ground, thus separating the two. The refuse of the harvest would later be burned.
Though some might question whether we could call John’s preaching of “hellfire and damnation” good news, there was indeed a lot of good news in what he had to say. Most who came were simple, uneducated people who just tried to do the best they could. A good conscience didn’t need to worry about the coming wrath. Those whose consciences were being tweaked were being offered an opportunity to change their ways before it was too late. They could be thankful that they would be given another chance to make things right before it became too late.
Then there was the promise of the Holy Spirit. Many had believed that the Spirit would not be active in the world until the Messianic age. This announcement would have been greeted with excitement and anticipation. Good news indeed!
This ends today’s study.
Points to Ponder