The Bible Study Thread!

[LisaLisa]

Ok, the first reading is Matthew chapters 1 & 2. We meet back here on Friday to discuss. There will be 2 readings per week, and we meet here on Tuesdays and Fridays at any time.


Basic rules........love, compassion, kindness and respect. Let's see how it goes! Southern Gent is going to lead the group. Everyone is welcome to join in at anytime!


Here is an online link to the first reading if you prefer to read it online.

Matthew 1,2 - Passage Lookup - New International Version - BibleGateway.com

 

[Southern Gent]

1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew has yet to prove that Jesus is the Christ. But he continues to build his case. Thus far he has shown that
(1) Jesus descended from Abraham;
(2) Jesus descended from David; and
(3) Jesus' genealogy is one that falls within the three grouping of 14 generations.
With the genealogy established, Matthew can now move on to further proofs of Jesus' Messiahship. His mother, Mary, was betrothed to Joseph, but before they came together (had sexual relations), she became pregnant. So the child is obviously not Joseph's. She was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Very few passages show what the Jews thought about the Holy Spirit, so at this point they would not really understand what the Holy Spirit is. Yet they would have certainly understood that there was a force that was the "spirit of God" which empowered Samson and Saul, etc.

1:19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly.

Disgrace her. In the Mishnah (Jewish traditions concerning the Laws of Moses) there is a Sotah (a discussion) on “the suspected adulterous.” In this Sotah it describes a certain rite to be followed to determine if a woman had been sexually unfaithful (like the bitter waters test in Num 5:11-31), where the belly would swell if guilty. The betrothal was a strong commitment. The Law of Moses gave the husband the right to have her stoned. But what Joseph could have done was to make a public spectacle of her and drive her out in shame. A righteous man like Joseph would be disgusted with the thought of a woman he was going to marry having premarital sex. Nevertheless, he did not want to disgrace her or publicly embarrass her but he could not in good conscience marry her. So, his best option was to divorce her. Joseph could have publicly embarrassed her and humiliated her. Put away secretly. Joseph did not want to openly disgrace (Num 5), but as a righteous man, he could go through with the marriage and thus stain his family name. As a merciful man he did not want to disgrace this woman he loved.

1:20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
Angel appeared = miraculous involvement - a divine plan being worked. What is significant about this is we have had incredible period of silence (about 400 years, from Malachi until now) and Matthew is going to emphasize dreams. We will be talking a lot about this in the first few chapters.

 

[Southern Gent]

ON THE SILENCE OF THE PROPHETS
During this intertestamental period they knew they did not have any prophets. Note:
1 Maccabees 4:46
"So they pulled down the altar and laid down the stones in the mountain of the house, in a convenient place, until a prophet should come and decide (as to what should be done) concerning them."
1 Maccabees 9:27
"And there was great tribulation in Israel, such as was not since the time that a Prophet appeared unto them."
1 Maccabees 14:41
"And the Jews and the priests were well pleased that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until a faithful prophet should arise."

"From Artaxerxes to our own time the complete history has been written but has not been deemed worthy of equal credit with the earlier records, because of the failure of the exact succession of the prophets." Josephus, Against Apion 1.8.

"This statement is both correct and in accordance with our books. For in the latter it is recorded that Nebuchadnezzar, in the18th year of his reign, devastated our temple, that for fifty years it ceased to exist, that in the second year of the reign of Cyrus the foundations were laid, and lastly, that the second year of the reign of Darius it was completed."
Josephus, Against Apion 1.21.

These passages show that the Jews knew the difference between a true prophet of God and the false prophet. They knew that there were no true prophets from the time of Malachi to the time of the New Testament. So, the appearances to Zacharias and Joseph are significant.

Note: Apparently Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was the first to have been spoken to by God over this 400-year period of silence. He was the one who was serving in the temple, and the one who tarried in the temple. It is somewhat unusual he would do this, because the people waited outside for a blessing. They believed that he was in the presence of God and those he blessed (immediately after coming out of the temple) would receive a special benefit. This is a good foundation for the fact that John the Baptist was so popular.

The Jews believed there were several mediums through which God spoke to men:
1. Casting lots (Prov 16:33).
2. Urim and Thummim (Ex 28:30). These stones, kept under the breastplate of the High Priest, were promises that God was going to communicate to his people. The Hebrew words mean "lights and illuminations," indicating that God was going to cast light on the question His people were asking him.
3. Dreams and visions. This was the most common. Dreams occur when a person is sleeping, visions when the person is awake.

By Matthew’s saying this took place in a dream shows that it was a recognized form of revelation from God. This is miraculous, God’s involving Himself in the lives of the people. Notice that Joseph is considering this, but has drifted in sleep and has a dream and the angel releases his anxiety. "Do not be afraid.” Afraid of what? There are two things Joseph might be afraid of:
1. The ridicule from without - by accepting a woman who is an adulteress.
2. By marrying a woman who might be untrue (again).

 

[Southern Gent]

1:21 And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.
Jesus = YEHOSUAH (also from same Hebrew root as the names “Joshua” and “Hosea”) - the Lord is Savior - (highly symbolic). He was to save the people from their sins. This was God’s plan from the very beginning.

1:22 Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
Fulfilled = one of the recurring ideas in Matthew. This is the first occurrence of this word which occurs thirteen times in the book of Matthew. The word means "fulfilled." What Matthew is saying is this is exactly what the Old Testament prophesies said would take place, and this has taken place so that what was said might be fulfilled. It was the Lord, who said it, He just happened to say it through the prophet. This is a common fact and we need to remind people of as we teach them in both the Old and New Testaments. Some believe this is just the opinion of the writer. So we must emphasize that it is the Lord who is saying these things.

 

[Southern Gent]

At this point we need to be perhaps or somewhat technical but needed nevertheless.
THE LEVELS OF MEANING IN SCRIPTURE
1* Literal, historical, contextual meaning: Basically this means that it was prophesied, and it would be fulfilled one time. For example, Ezek 26 and the prophecy of Tyre, or Isaiah 53 and the prophecy of Jesus. Examples of this type of prophecy is Mt 2:6 (Mic 5:2); Mt 3:3 (Isa 40:3); and Mt 10:10 (Mal 3:1)

2* The full or spiritual meaning – double fulfillment: This means that a passage from the Old Testament is going to find its greatest fulfillment or realization in the New Testament. Examples of this in Matthew are 2:15 (Hos 11:1) and 2:18 (Jer 31:15).

3* Allegorical meaning: Gal 4:21-31 (symbolic). Sarah = free woman, Hagar = Jews continued to remain enslaved to the Law. Isa 11:1 - branch or shoot.

4* Double fulfillment & type - double or antitype:
An example in the book of Hebrews is the tabernacle as the type, and the church as the antitype.

Question: If a Jew, without any outside help read, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”, how would he interpret it?
Answer: It would be a promise that God would once again deliver his people out of captivity or bondage.

Question: If a Jew, by himself, read Jer 31:15 in its context, how would he interpret it?
Answer: Babylonian captivity.
God recognized this but He always had a plan. God sent a revealer or teacher to teach man - Jesus was that teacher. Without His coming there would have been no realization of the full plan of God. The apostles did not understand the full meaning of
the scriptures until after the resurrection when Jesus opened their minds.

Question: How did Matthew know that Jer 31:15 was fulfilled?
Answer: His mind was opened, and Jesus explained to him its fulfillment.

 

[Southern Gent]

1:23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, "God with us."
This quotation comes from Isa 7:14. The historical context of Isa 7:14 is this: during the time of the divided kingdom (during the ministry of Isaiah), two kingdoms (Israel and its king, Pekah; and Syria and its king, Rezin) were warring against the kingdom of Judah and its king, Ahaz. Ahaz, showed a definite lack of faith in God, and decided to run to Assyria for help, even though God promised him protection if he would just trust. Isaiah tried to reassure him by telling him that the two smoldering firebrands are these two kings (Rezin and Pekah), and that they are about to “go out;” they will be gone, thus no longer a threat to Ahaz. Therefore, God says their plan will not come to pass. In order to reassure Ahaz of God's resolve to help him, he allowed Ahaz to ask for any sign he might like. Ahaz refused to "test the Lord," but in actuality he had already made up his mind, and it was not to do what Isaiah and the Lord wanted him to do. Therefore, Isaiah said the Lord would give him a sign anyway -
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken (Isa 7:14-16).
Jesus is, in a very special way, the fulfillment of this prophecy.
From Matthew’s use of this passage we can derive a number of Biblical truths:
1. Jesus was born of a virgin - Mt 1:25; Lk 1:34.
2. Jesus' birth was the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy - Isa 7:14
3. Jesus is our Immanuel Jn 1:1,14.

1:24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife,

Joseph believed what the angel said and does, in fact, marry her even though she is with child. We need to give this great man credit! He is demonstrated a tremendous amount of faith as well as courage. How much ridicule did he endure? Did he bring shame on his family? Those are questions that the Bible does not answer.

1:25 and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
This is the verse which proves that she was a virgin, and the scriptures plainly teach that Mary was a virgin. As the marginal reading will attest, the Greek literally reads "was not knowing her." The same is true in Lk 1:34 - "know no man." Why is the virgin birth so important?
(1) It demonstrates supernatural intervention into the affairs of man in order to save man (Jn 3:16);
(2) It explains how Jesus could be God, since He was conceived by the Holy Spirit; and
(3) It explains how Jesus could be man, having been born of a human mother (Heb 2:14).
As Joseph was instructed, he named the child Jesus. As noted in 1:21, the name Jesus means "savior."

 

[Southern Gent]

2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

Herod was made king of the Jews by a Roman Senate in 37 B.C. according to Josephus, Jewish Wars, pgs. 1, 282-285. He reconstructed the temple, and was a friend of Caesar.

LOCAL RULERS DURING THE TIME OF JESUS' BIRTH
1. Archelaus (4 B.C. - 6 B.C.). He received Judea, Samaria and Idumea. His rule was so oppressive that the Jews and Samaritans joined together in sending a delegation to Rome to request his reign be revoked. Augustus deposed him and banished him to Vienne in Gaul.
2. Herod Antipas (4 B.C. - 39 A.D.). He received Galilee and Perea. He was the one who stole his brother’s wife and later had John the Baptist beheaded. He was also the one before whom Jesus was tried. He was banished to Lyons in Gaul where he died.
3. Philip (4 B.C. - 34 A.D.). He received the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lk 3:1. His territory included the northeast corner of Palestine. On the north it bordered Abilene and on the south it bordered on Decapolis. It included the ancient Bashan and the Ilauran, and the country lying round the base of Hermon. Philip, unlike the rest of his family, was a very kind person and ruled his kingdom well. He built the city of Caesarea Philippi upon the ancient site of Panias and named it for the emperor and himself. He died in 34 A.D.
4. Lysanias. He received Abilene, so named from Abila, its chief city. He was not a member of the Herodian family. After his death, his domain was added to Philip’s. Then upon Philip’s death, Herod Agrippa received Philip’s expanded domain.

Roman Procurators 6 A.D. - 42 A.D.
1. Pontius Pilate was the sixth (some say the fifth) procurator of Judea and held office from 27-37 A.D. (some say 26-36A.D.).
2. Herod Agrippa I – 37-44 A.D.
3. Roman Procurators 44-66 A.D.

When Herod Agrippa I died, the government of Judea reverted to procurators among whom were Felix (Acts 24) and Festus (Acts 25).

Herod Agrippa II was only seventeen when his father, Herod Agrippa I died. Therefore, Judea was placed under the care of procurators until the Jewish rebellion of 66 A.D. Although Herod Agrippa II never ruled over Jewish territory, he did have a kingdom in the vicinity and figures in New Testament history (Acts 25: 26). In 48 he received the kingdom of his uncle, Herod of Chalcis, and in 53 Claudius gave him the old tetrarcies of Philip and Lysanias.

After Jewish envoys tried to persuade Caesar Augustus of the wickedness of Herod the Great and the subsequent wickedness of Archelaus who killed 3,000 Jews in the temple crusades, Necholus defended Herod and the right of Archelaus to be king. After hearing both sides, Caesar dismissed the council and a few days later appointed Archelaus not king indeed, but ethnarch of half of the territory that had been subject to Herod, and promised to reward him with the title of king if he really proved to be able to act in that capacity. The rest of the territory he divided into two parts and assigned them to Herod’s other two sons, Philip and Antipas, the latter of whom had disputed the right to the whole realm with his brother Archelaus.

Magi = magoi; priests - wise men - usually experts in astrology, interpretation of dreams, and various other arts. (See Arndt and Gingrich, Lexicon, pg. 486). Traditions from various early writers have them as three kings (wise men), yet scripture is silent in regards to their number or stature other than that of magi.
East - of Persia or Babylon.
Matthew is the only gospel to record the visit of the magi. This account fits well with the purpose of Matthew, because he wants to show how the Jews were skeptical that Jesus could be the Messiah, but others were not. These wise men, with all their training, were able to clearly see that this child was special.

 

[Southern Gent]

2:2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.”


Where is ... King. Herod was also called “king of the Jews” (v. 1) and he would not have been interested in sharing the title with another. The Old Testament clearly prophesied that the Messiah would be king (Jer 23:5; 30:9; Zech 9:9), although not the strong-armed military ruler that the Jews expected.

Worship = (proskuneo) - to kiss the feet of, or fall at the feet of - not necessarily worshipping although the context usually indicates clearly whether worship is intended (instead of an act of respect). This word occurs 11 times in Matthew - 1:8; 4:9; 4:10; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 18:26; 28:9; 28:18). Worship is a key concept in Matthew, with its major focus found in 4:10.
These magi priests are coming to worship Jesus and are not ashamed to say so! The magi seem to have expected all Jerusalem to be worshiping this newborn king. They must have been surprised that Jesus' own people did not recognize Him as being the Messiah.

 

[Southern Gent]

2:3 And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Herod...heard it. Herod was a man so full of suspicions that he kept Jerusalem filled with spies. Herod felt Jesus was going to take over his kingdom and throne. The Jews, on the other hand, would be very happy to see the Roman government destroyed by the powerful, militant Messiah, especially the Zealots. They were the militant sect of the Jews who were waiting for the militant Messiah to come.

Troubled. Since the people in Jerusalem knew what kind of man Herod was (he had a reputation of killing any who would oppose him), they feared what kind of response Herod might have to this news about a new king. From the first part of the 1st century, there were Jewish uprisings and Jewish revolts trying to throw off Roman oppression - much Jewish blood had been shed. All involved recognized that this talk of a new king was “Davidic Messiah language” which meant Jewish war - the like of which had never been seen and, in fact, came about in A.D. 68-70. Jerusalem (and Masada sometime later) was destroyed. So they were all very much afraid of what Herod might do.

2:4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born.

Chief priests used in its plural form it included: members of high priestly families who were members of the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Court) - including the ruling high priest, those who had been deposed, and adult male members of the most prominent priestly families.

Scribes = copiers of the Law, interpreters among Pharisees - had places in the Sanhedrin court. They would be most knowledgeable of the scriptures concerning the birth of the coming Messiah. They were thinking about the promise given to David in 2 Sam 7.
Christ = anointed one. Thinking of the promise to David, Herod knew that with the coming of these foreigners guided by a star, and from the teachings of the Old Testament, his only conclusion could be that this new king could be none other than the Christ (Messiah).

 

[Southern Gent]

2:5 And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet,

The Jewish leaders at least knew enough of the scriptures to know what they said about the birth of the Messiah. They knew that a little town a few miles from Jerusalem was going to be the birthplace of the Messiah. They also knew that what was written in scriptures by the prophets was inspired.

2:6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler, Who shall shepherd My people Israel.’”
The Old Testament specifically predicted the very town the Savior was going to be born in! This quotation is from Mic 5:2. Notice that he does not use the word "fulfilled" here. Why not? Because that would have been inconsistent with the way Matthew is using this particular Greek word.
Rulers = princes - governors - people in authority. In verb form this word is used to describe military leaders.

2:7 Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared.
Ascertained. He pressed the magi for the time when star appeared. If he had openly professed a desire to worship the new king, all Jerusalem would have been aware of his hypocrisy.

2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him."

There is no reason to think the magi doubted the sincerity of the king. However, it is possible that when they saw the lack of interest of the people in Jerusalem, they may have sensed that there was not widespread support for the Christ-child.

2:9 And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was.
Even though some speculate as to how God made this happen this is just another example of God doing what ever He wants to get His will accomplished.

1. THE STARS WERE NEVER CLOSER THAN TWICE THE APPARENT DIAMETER OF THE MOON.
2. MAGI USED THE WORD "ASTER" (SINGULAR) NOT "ASTRON" (PLURAL). STAR STUDIERS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FOOLED.
3. ACTION OF THE STAR RESTING OVER THE HOUSE IS UNUSUAL.
4. ANGLE OF THE STARS WOULD HAVE LED THEM TO EGYPT.

THE GREAT ASTRONOMER KEPLER, ASCERTAINING THAT THERE WAS A CONJUNCTION OF THE PLANETS JUPITER AND SATURN IN 747 A_U_C_, TO WHICH THE CONJUNCTION OF THE PLANET MARS WAS ALSO ADDED IN THE YEAR 748, SUGGESTED THAT THIS GROUPING OF STARS MAY HAVE FORMED THE SO-CALLED STAR OF "BETHLEHEM.

What is it? All I can say again is that it is just God being God.

 

[Southern Gent]

2:10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

The magi appreciated the workings of God in their lives. They rejoiced because of the direction they were receiving from God. They were also happy to have an opportunity to see this special child.

2:11 And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Gold. Precious metal - in raw form, coin, or finished into jewelry, etc.
Frankincense. A white gum with a very pleasant odor, obtained from several kinds of Arabian trees.
Myrrh = smurnan - same word as “Smyrna;” produced or traded in this city - was a resin gum from a bush, the “Balsam Odendron Myrrha;” aromatic and used for embalming - Rev 18:13; Jn 19:39; Song of Sol 3:6.

This showed their belief in Jesus as king, because only those of royalty received such fine gifts.

2:12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.

In a dream the magi are told what to do. Joseph had a dream also (1:20), showing again the miraculous intervention of God. His plan is being brought about.

2:13 The third dream.

2:14 And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt;
It was 100 miles to the Egyptian border; 200 to Nile River.

2:15 and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled saying, "Out of Egypt did I call My Son.”
Once again we see the word “fulfilled.” This tells us that this is a double prophecy. Hos 4:1 is another occurrence of the word “fulfilled” (pleroo). To Matthew the word fulfilled has within it the idea of God’s purposes coming to pass - His preordained plan is worked out that the spiritual meaning of these Old Testament words is coming to pass in the life of Jesus.

 

[Southern Gent]

2:16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in its environs, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi.
Time ascertained. Luke says the night Jesus was born shepherds came from the fields to the stable to see the child. Matthew gives no indication of shepherds. This could indicate that Jesus was two years old for 2:11 says they came into a house not a stable. The scholars estimate Herod killed 12-50 boys, considering the area's estimated population.

2:17 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
Fulfilled - eternal plan - Eph 3:11 (3 different types of prophecies):
v. 6 - direct,
v. 15 - symbolic (but with a dual fulfillment),
v. 18 - double or dual fulfillment.

2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Because they were no more.”
This is also a dual fulfillment prophecy. See notes under “Levels of Meaning in Scripture.” Ramah was a town in Benjamin. The original quote from Jer 31:15 refers to Babylonian captivity.

2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
Dream. This is the fourth time an angel of the Lord has appeared. These continue to demonstrate human events with supernatural intervention
Herod died at age 70 (37th year of his reign).

2:20 “Arise and take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”
2:21 And he arose and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he departed for the regions of Galilee.
This is the fifth time an angel of the Lord has appeared in a dream. This region was ruled by Archelaus from 4 B.C. to 6 A.D. Josephus, Wars 2, pgs. 94-97 says, "...he was a bad fellow with main stream of political action.”

2:23 Read/See Judges 13:5-7 - only place in the Old Testament where we see a parallel passage.
In the fullness of God’s plan it was to be a Nazarite who would save people from sin. It is also possible that the connection is to Isa 11:1, where the word for "branch" is the Hebrew NETZER, a word from which the name “Nazareth” comes.

That's it..2 chapters in...have at it.

 

[Southern Gent]

In Lk 3:1 we learn the date of when all this is taking place. If this is the 15th year of Tiberius, we are looking at approximately 28 years after the event in chapter 2. These years cover a long duration of time, which is worth mentioning.

3:1 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The word repent is a compound word made up of two words in the Greek - META and NOEITE - words meaning “to change their minds.” The preaching of John demanded change, just like the preaching of the prophets in the Old Testament, and that is what John is doing here. He is called "the Baptist" because God is the one who gave him the commission to baptize. (See Mt 21:23ff.) Jesus places the rulers in a dilemma about the authority of John’s baptizing. They chose not to answer because they would have indicted themselves. The answer which is correct is, “It is from God.” Although there were practices of baptism among the Jews before John, it took on new meanings with the teachings of the gospels.
John wants them to change - repent - because the kingdom of heaven is at hand. At Hand is "angiken." It means to “approach” or “to draw near." Those who were hearing John would understand this to mean several things. Is it near in time, or in location? Matthew is going to answer this question on the nearness of the kingdom. But these to whom he is preaching would not understand this. Never the less the fact that it is “at hand” is basis enough for people to start thinking about their lives.

3:3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.”
Isa 40:3 is what is quoted. John had a very specific work to do, and that was to prepare the people. This verse is quoted because John is coming and calling people to repent. But, this phrase is symbolic of those in ancient times who would prepare the road for their king, seeing to it that there would be no obstacles on the road to impede the king’s travel. John, in a spiritual sense, will prepare the hearts and minds of these people for the coming of Christ, and he did that beautifully!

3:4 Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair, and a leather belt about his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
Notice the comparison of John to Elijah - 2 Kgs 1:8; and he is, as we will see, a fulfillment of prophecy. One thing that has always been confusing is, that in Jn 1:21 where the people ask, "Are you Elijah?" and he replies, "I am not.” “Then why are you baptizing?” They did not understand his authority. John says he is not Elijah but in Mt 17:10, after Elijah and Moses have appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus says that John is Elijah. Now, they had anticipated a reincarnated Elijah, and John knew that is what they were expecting. In Mal 4:5 John was the spirit of Elijah the one to come and to restore the things before the coming of the Messiah. Because Elijah did not die but was taken up into heaven, they believed that he would actually come again, and that is why John says that he is not the one they are looking for. In Mt 11:14 Jesus says, if they care to accept it, he is the Elijah to come. Matthew is making a conscious effort to tie John with Elijah. John was an outdoors man who did not seek the comfort of an office. He was a sacrificial man who sought after souls.

 

[Southern Gent]

3:5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan;
The Greek word “pas” is used for all, but here does not mean every single one. It would not be correct to assume that every single person in all that area would be coming, but there were a great number of them that would have come to him. The problem is not in the Greek, but in the translation, because we understand "all" as being every single one. The context would determine whether it would mean “all." The Greek word used here would be used to mean “all,” but the context determines this. This particular word is often used in an exaggerated way to show a large number, not being technically precise meaning everyone. Lk 7:30 tells us lawyers and Pharisees rejected God’s purpose - some, but not all. Josephus tells us that the popularity of John was so great that Herod Antipas feared an uprising. (Antiquities 18.5.2.) They were baptized in the Jordan where there was much water. See Jn 3:23.

3:6 And they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
Difference in Baptisms
John
Jews only
Of repentance for forgiveness of sins Mk 1:4
Brought Jews back to old covenant
Looked forward to Christ Mt 3:11
Not followed by Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Not in the name of Christ
Not in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
The early church did baptize in the name of Jesus - Acts 2:38; 8:35,36; 10:48. Paul said that there is only one baptism - Eph 4:4. In Acts 18:25 Apollos knew only of the baptism of John even though Christ's baptism had already been taught and practiced. Therefore, he needed the "way of God taught to him more accurately." In Acts 19:1-7, which follows the teaching of Apollos, those baptized with John's baptism (that is after his death, and the teaching of Christ's baptism) were told to be baptized again - Acts 19:5.

And they confessed their sins.
This was not a new thing. In the Old Testament confession was done with a sin offering - Num 5:7. It was also necessary for salvation - Psa 32:5; 51:1ff.; Prov 28:13; Ezra 9:6ff.; Dan 9:5ff.; in the New Testament see 1 Jn 1:9; Rom 10:9, 10. In confessing their sins a public declaration was made that they had made a pact with the Lord. They declared publicly that they were no longer going to practice sin.

 

[Southern Gent]

3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them,, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
The Pharisees and the Sadducees were not going to change anything. John refers to Malachi 4:5, 6. This passage also announces the Christ to come, and the Elijah. It shows the coming of the Messiah was not going to be all blessings. The Jews thought that His wrath was for the Gentiles only.
Vipers = snakes. Scholars think this applied to a particular snake in Palestine; 2-5 feet in length, 1 inch thick, with a flat head, a yellowish color with long brown spots, and very poisonous. A wilderness boy would know all about these snakes. What John means is that these Jewish rulers were full of guile, malice, cunning, and venom. The phrase "wrath to come" is a very interesting topic to study. Paul, in Rom 2:4-5, talks about a day of wrath, and a revelation of wrath (the anger of God) coming against non-penitent hearts. Cf. Rom 1:18; 5:9; Eph 5:6; Jn 3:36; 1 Thess 1:10; Rev 6:16, 17.

3:8 Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance;
Baptism without repentance is worthless. People have to bring forth "fruit." Fruit is another way of saying acts of righteousness. There have been some who, whenever the Bible talks about fruit, believe it refers to winning others to Christ. But this is not necessarily accurate. People have to bring forth acts of righteousness - Isa 3:10; 10:12; Jer 17:10; Mt 7:16, 20; 12:33; 21:43. We know as Christians we must have the fruit of the Spirit, Gal 5:22, but Luke gives a better insight to what John taught. There are three groups who will ask the question, “What shall we do?”
1. The multitudes - Lk 3:10, 11 - let him who has share.
2. Tax gatherers - Lk 3:12, 13 - Do not collect more than ordered.
3. Soldiers - Lk 3:14 - Do not take money by force, accuse anyone falsely, be content with their wages.

A good parallel for this is James 2:14-26.

 

[Southern Gent]

3:9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
John is saying that it takes more than being descended from Abraham to be pleasing to God. As an indication of the way the Jews thought their relationship to Abraham benefitted them consider:
Quotations from the Talmud
"Abraham sits next to the gates of Hell, and doth not permit any wicked Israelite to go down to it."
It represents God as saying to Abraham:
"If thy children were like dead bodies without sinews or bones, thy merit would avail for them."
"A single Israelite is worth more before God than all the people who have been or shall be."
"The world was made for their (Israel's) sake."

The Merits of the Fathers, Mekilta Beshallah 4:30 (Cf. Justin, Dialogue with Trypho, 140:2).

3:10 And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Axe is at the root. This illustrates the fact that the judgment has begun and it is against every non-productive tree. John is saying their delay can bring about death. If one does not bring forth fruits for repentance, it could mean death. The axe represents God’s judgment upon men. The Pharisees and the Sadducees are so wrapped up in what they are doing, they were not doing God's will. They knew it, but were not doing it.

 

[Southern Gent]

3:11 As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John is going to talk about two things.
1. The purpose of his baptism - to get them to repent, and to prepare them for the coming kingdom;
2. To clear up the misunderstanding that he was the Christ. He was only preparing for “He who is coming” - Mal 3:1, a Messianic prophecy.
I am not fit to remove His sandals. In wealthy Jewish families slaves carried their owners’ sandals. John says the one coming is so much greater and mightier than himself that he is not even worthy to take off His sandals.
Holy Spirit and Fire. This is a passage that has brought much confusion.
1. Some have assumed that Jesus was not going to baptize with water. There are a number of passages that show this is not true, and that the baptism of Christ is not dealing with anything but water - Acts 8:36.
2. With the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 shows what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and in Acts 11:15 Peter shows that it occurred on Cornelius' household as it did on them in the beginning. The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurred twice.
3. Many have prayed for the baptism of Holy Spirit and fire, but that is not what they really desire. The Greek word for fire is "puri." In v. 11 we read of the baptism of Holy Spirit and fire. In v. 10 we read that the trees which did not bear good fruit, were cut down, and thrown into fire. That is judgment. In v . 12 "His winnowing fork is in His hand...and He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” This is judgment. We cannot make fire in vv. 10 and 12 mean one thing, and then in v. 11 mean something else. So he is talking about two aspects of the baptism of Jesus. This has nothing to do with the cloven tongues of fire in Acts.
Verse 12 is most likely talking about Rev 20:15, “thrown into the lake of fire.” The fire in Matthew in all three verses means the same thing - JUDGMENT. Jesus is going to have two aspects to His ministry; do that which saves men, or do that which causes them to be lost. The same action will cause some to repent, while causing others to harden their hearts and not repent. The idea of purification by fire is wrong, because that would be different from what is being talked about in this context.

3:12 And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Winnowing fork - like a leaf rake or pitchfork, used to throw the wheat up into the air after it was harvested and piled on the ground. The chaff, which is light, the breeze would blow away. The grain, being much heavier, would fall to the ground.
The phrase “unquenchable fire” lays to rest two false doctrines:
1. The doctrine of universal salvation - God will save everyone,
2. The doctrine of annihilation - one will no longer exist.
An “eternal fire” is not needed if punishment is going to last for only a little while, but this fire is going to be “unquenchable”, indicating that the judgment will last as long as the fire does. Compare this with Mt 25:46.

3:13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him.
3:14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”
John recognized and knew enough about Jesus that he, as a sinful man, needed forgiveness of sins that was associated with His (Jesus’) baptism.

3:15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.
This is a difficult verse for many to understand. What is meant by this is that Jesus, knowing that He was to be the sinless Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice, had to do what was required by God. Jesus needed to only because it was a commandment of God, and He would have sinned if He had failed to obey what God had commanded man to do. God is ushering in a new age. Baptism was not something that was commanded during the Old Testament. Jesus was baptized only because it was a command of God. People needed to obey what John taught, because it was God's law. Jesus did this to complete righteousness. Psa 119:172 is a good illustration of this, "Let my tongue sing of thy word, because all of thy commands are righteousness.” That is what is being done here by John the Baptist. Obviously God expected people to understand this because in Mt 22 Jesus asks if this baptism was from man or from God.

Then he permitted Him - thus showing that Jesus was baptized.

 

[Southern Gent]

3:16 And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him,
The Greek word used to illustrate that one thing is similar to another is "hos." It is like a dove, not literally a dove. Lk 3:22 resolves all doubt - the Holy Spirit took the “bodily form like a dove." It was not a dove, but it was the form of one.
We are compounding evidences that Jesus is the Messiah, and what we have found in 3:1-12 is the fulfillment of a forerunner to the Messiah. John was the fulfillment of the Elijah to come. It is almost as if Matthew were causing the reader to wonder about who this is. In chapters 11 and 17 he will tell us that John is this Elijah. The baptism of Jesus is so filled with Messianic prophecy the Jew would not misunderstand this.
Isa 11:2 says, “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him...” - a passage the Talmud clearly says is Messianic. All of these passages given in the O. T. are clearly stated in the Talmud as Messianic. So the Jew would understand Jesus’ baptism and the Spirit’s descending upon Him.
Luke, in Acts 10:38 says Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit, and Matthew tells us that Jesus did His miracles by the Spirit. This gospel is so full of references concerning these prophecies, and the Talmud say these passages are Messianic.

3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased. “
The fact that a voice came out of heaven is significant for us although the debate goes on whether anyone heard the voice or not. What is important in Matthew is when things happen in heaven. Later in Matthew the people will ask for a sign from heaven, because they believed the Satanic powers could do nothing in the sky - Mt 16:1. This verse would be one more evidence to a Jew. "My beloved Son."
There are three things stated here about Jesus:
1. He is a Son - Psa 2:7, clearly a Messianic passage. See Heb 1:5 and Acts 13:33.
2. He is beloved - Isa 42:1. "My chosen one in whom My soul delights...” The Son is going to be loved.
3. He is well pleasing - Isa 42:1; 44:2. Again, all Messianic fulfillment.
The three things said about the Son all have descriptions proving Jesus is the Messiah.
In Psa 2:1-7 David refers to God’s Son as “His Anointed." Jesus became the Messiah when He was baptized, and God’s Spirit fell upon Him. It was at this point He was anointed, and the fact that God says He is well-pleased means that Jesus has fulfilled all His expectations of Him and that He is sinless. It is not until Mt 28:18-20 that Jesus says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” When we talk about the anointing, we need to spend some time studying the Old Testament to understand this. 1 Sam 10:7 - Saul was anointed, but did not take the throne until later. 1 Sam 16:13 - the same thing takes place with David, who takes the throne much later.
First Jesus was anointed, the ministry followed, and the authority came after His resurrection. In Acts 10:38 Peter says, “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good..." Peter clearly ties this all together. It was after the resurrection that Jesus received all authority. It was all a part of God's plan. Jesus was one who was so anointed, and had a ministry yet to fulfill, and there was a time element to take care of first. Lk 3:23 tells us that Jesus was about thirty years old at this time. It is interesting that the Holy Spirit descended as a dove then led him to the wilderness to be tempted in chapter 4:1.

 

[Southern Gent]

4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
The fact that He is led by the Spirit indicates it is God's intention that Jesus undergo these trials, these temptations. He is led into a place where He knows He is going to be tempted. God will not do the tempting, but allows Him to be tempted.

SATAN
I. BIBLICAL TEACHINGS.
1) WAS A FALLEN ANGEL (JD 6; 2 PET 2:4).
2) WAS THE FIRST SINNER (I JN 3:8).
3) WAS THE ORIGINATOR OF SIN (JN 8:44).
4) PERPETUAL TEMPTER OF MANKIND (REV 20:2,8).
5) IS DANGEROUS (REV 2:10; 3:9; 1 PET 5:8,9).
6) SHALL BE CONQUERED BY JESUS (JN 12:31; REV 12:9; CF. HEB 2:14).
7) MAY BE CONQUERED BY US ALSO THROUGH THE GRACE OF CHRIST (1 PET 5:8,9; JAS 4:7).
8) JESUS TEACHES US TO PRAY FOR DELIVERANCE FROM HIM (MT 6:13).
9) JESUS WILL DESTROY THE WORKS OF SATAN (1 JN 8:8).
10) SATAN HIMSELF SHALL SUFFER ETERNAL PUNISHMENT (REV 20: 10).

BIBLICAL NAMES.
1) SATAN (HEBREW) - ADVERSARY (JOB 2:1).
2) DEVIL (GREEK) - FALSE ACCUSER OR SLANDERER BECAUSE HE SPEAKS AGAINST MEN (REV 12:10 -12) AND GOD (GEN 3:1-5).

3) BEELZEBUB (MT 12:24).
4) SERPENT (REV 12:9).
5) PRINCE OF THE POWERS OF THE AIR (EPH 2:2).
6) ABADDON (HEBREW) AND APOLLYON (GREEK) - DESTROYER (REV 9:11).
7) BELIAL - GOOD FOR NOTHING (2 COR 6:15).
8) MURDERER AND LIAR (JN 8:44).
9) PRINCE OF THIS WORLD (JN 12:31).
10) GOD OF THIS WORLD (2 COR 4:4).
11) THE DRAGON (REV 12:7).

THE TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS
WHAT DID THESE TEMPTATIONS INVOLVE?
THE DEVIL SOUGHT TO:
1. INDUCE HIM TO PROSTITUTE HIS DIVINE POWER FOR PERSONAL ENDS.
2. INFLUENCE HIM TO SEEK POPULARITY BY DECEPTION AND DARE GOD TO PERFORM AN UNNECESSARY MIRACLE.
3. TO PERSUADE HIM TO TURN ASIDE FROM HIS PURPOSE OF DYING FOR THE REDEMPTION OF SINNERS.
4. "GIVE" JESUS THE WORLD AS HIS KINGDOM IF HE WOULD COMPROMISE WITH EVIL.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST'S VICTORY OVER TEMPTATIONS?
1. IT WAS AN ASSURANCE OF HIS DETERMINATION TO SAVE US.
2. IT WAS AN ASSURANCE OF POWER FOR THE GREATER VICTORY IN THE RESURRECTION.
3. IT WAS AN ASSURANCE TO THE CHRISTIAN THAT HE ALSO CAN OVERCOME TEMPTATION.

 

[Southern Gent]

4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
It seems a little odd to most that Jesus would fast for so long and then become hungry. We need to understand that our bodies work a certain way to appreciate this. When our stomachs start growling we associate that with hunger, but that is just the emptying of the stomach of what food is left. The body does not need food at that point. Experienced fasters can easily fast for this long a period of time. When it says, “He then became hungry,” shows what happens during the fasting period. At first, the body uses its storehouses (fatty tissue) if not given food. Then, when this is all used, the body starts feeding off muscle. When this happens, true hunger pains begin and the body literally consumes itself and the pain is severe. This passage shows us that Jesus is an experienced faster, but after 40 days and nights, His body was entering into a stage where it was beginning to consume muscle. Since the body, at this point, craves food more than at any other time, it is a part of the evil plan of Satan to wait until this moment to tempt Jesus. Satan likes to tempt us during our weakest moments.

Note about fasting: While the New Covenant does not command fasting, Christians still see tremendous benefits in fasting. (Also note: Mt 6:16 Jesus says "And whenever you fast..." assuming that spiritual people will fast).

Note the benefits of fasting:
1. When we fast we still have bowel movements, because the body is cleansing itself. Fasting is good for a body. Our food is so full of chemicals, we store them up and they cause us problems. A cleansing fast is a way of processing all these things out of our systems.

2. In addition, fasting is a positive experience spiritually. Usually the faster devotes the mealtime to spiritual activities, thus aiding his spirituality.

3. Also, there is the benefit of self-discipline. Fasters have to learn to deny themselves one of the most basic human needs - food. When they are able to accomplish this successfully, they are able to see just how strong they can be in controlling their desires.