Lessons from Matthew 3: Message of John the Baptist

We are told in Matthew 3:1 that the message of John the Baptist was preached in the desert of Judea.

There was almost a 30 year span of time between the close of Matthew 2 and the opening of chapter 3. Thirty years since the miraculous events of Jesus’s birth. And it had been some 400 years since Israel had heard from a prophet of God.

Message of John the Baptist

And here in chapter 3 of Matthew, John the Baptist bursts forth onto the scene. John, we are told, came preaching and teaching in the power and spirit of Elijah, God’s prophet in the OT. John’s presence and proclamation was foretold in Isaiah 40:3 where Isaiah talks about a voice of one calling in the desert to prepare a way for the Lord and make straight paths for Him.

The years of silence are over and John would be all that God had called him to be. He was God’s messenger. And even though the message would be a hard one for many to swallow, John did not let that deter him from fulfilling God’s purpose in his life.

John lived a meager life and was quite unique. He wore odd clothes and ate strange food. But that didn’t stop the people from coming out to the desert and listening to the truth of what he had to say. His words were not his own. They were straight from heaven and the throne of God, telling the people to confess their sins, repent, and be baptized.

And the people were doing just that!

What is confession?

Confession is the acknowledgement that indeed I am a sinner and have disobeyed God and His commandments. God tells us in His Word that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of this sin is death. We deserve death both physically and eternally as a result of our sin.

But the good news is that God, through His Son, didn’t leave us this way. That’s the purpose and fulfillment of the life of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Son of Man.

The other good news about confession is that we don’t have to go through anyone except Christ Himself. He is our mediator, interceding before the throne of God our Father on our behalf. He opened the way for us to go directly to God and not through man.

What does it mean to repent?

To repent means to turn away from the evil and wrongdoing that we are so inclined to follow and go in the exact opposite direction. That direction is of no good unless it leads us right into the Savior’s arms.

You see, plenty of people are sorry for their sins or wrongdoing and they know they should try and do better. But without Christ, this way of life is meaningless and it will not spare that person from the ultimate judgment or wrath of God. Repentance means to turn away from doing evil, or to flee from sin and turn to God through Jesus Christ and live as He desires for us to live.

Repentance is not just saying we are sorry, it’s proving by our actions that we mean what we say!

God had sent John to give forth His words to convict the people of their sins. This was so they might turn away and then run right into the arms of Jesus. That they might receive forgiveness for their sins and new life that can only come through Him.

And the people, except for the religious leaders, were eager and accepting of God’s message through John. It appears that when the Pharisees and Sadducees got wind of what was going on they too went out into the desert to see what was happening!

Now let’s stop for just a minute and gather a little insight on who the Pharisees and Sadducees were. The Pharisees were a group of leaders who separated themselves from anything that was non-Jewish. They carefully followed the Old Testament laws and the oral traditions that were handed down to them through the centuries.

The Sadducees, on the other hand, only believed in the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Old Testament (Genesis through Deuteronomy). These men were descended mainly from priestly nobility, but came from all classes of people.

What’s interesting is that both groups had a great dislike for each other, yet later they came together to oppose Jesus, His words, works, and workers. Here they arrive upon the scene and immediately John the Baptist begins by welcoming them as a brood of vipers! And he asks them who told them to come in order that they might flee from God’s coming wrath!

Now this would have truly caught these men off guard. They took pride in fact that they were God’s chosen race, His chosen possession, His treasure. They were Jews and they had been given God’s holy words, His ten commandments, and more.

They prided themselves on these things, so what did they have to fear? What sin would they have to confess?

Before they could answer, John zings another statement at them, telling them that they too were to produce fruit in keeping with repentance, turning away from their sinful behavior, their pride and ego.

And as if John knew what they were thinking, and before they could say it, he nails them by telling them not say to themselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” “I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.”

What John is saying is that being born in the line of Abraham is not enough to be a child of God. True children of God not only know what their Father says but they also do what He desires. This means their behavior should reflect their beliefs.

Because the religious leaders had veered so far from God’s truths, John says that an ax, God’s judgment, is aimed at them because their actions do not match their words.

This same message rings true for us today. God’s message hasn’t changed. He still calls all men, women and children to confess their sins and repent!

Terri Hamman

Faith & Fitness Coach