Matthew 3

The history of the Old Testament prophets is an ancient one. It begins even before Moses, when God told Abimelech in a dream that the patriarch Abraham was a prophet. We usually expect the prophet to be the one receiving the dream from God. What made Abraham the true prophetic figure of these two men was that he, and not Abimelech, was the authoritative spokesperson of the Word of God. Prophets do not always predict things, and they do not always have dreams from the Lord, but they do always speak for God.

After several hundred years of prophetic silence, God sent John the Baptist as the final Old Testament prophet. His ministry as a spokesman for God was a ministry of preparation. In both Isaiah and in Malachi we hear of one who will prepare the way for the coming of the Son of God. At just the right time, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. His message was a call to repentance in light of the coming of the kingdom of heaven.

To repent is to turn away from evil and to turn toward God. In every generation there is a great need for repentance. The Law has revealed to us something of the character of God. If we have that Law, we should not need any messenger to remind us to stop sinning and to turn to God. Yet our sinful natures are so set upon evil and so insensitive of the way of righteousness. We need to be roused from our sinful stupor and be shown the way out of wickedness toward God.

After so many years without a true prophet of the Lord, God raised up John the Baptist for this task. He was not a man of power or influence. He was simply the one chosen by God to give the message that needed to be preached at the close of the Old Covenant era just before the dawning of a new day. His ministry was not by itself surprising. What was amazing was that so many people were made to respond to a man who did not appear to be personally appealing or to have something to say that would attract a large crowd. Yet he demanded that many take stock of their dangerous condition and change their ways, and they did. The fact that so many people were willing to come out to the wilderness and to hear John, and then to confess their sins and be baptized, can only be explained by the power of God. The time had come for the gift of the Messiah. Therefore God moved within the hearts of some to prepare the way for His arrival with a surprising movement of repentance and an expectation of the arrival of a new kingdom.

Not everyone who came to hear John was truly sincere. There were many leading religious figures who apparently came out to see the cause of the commotion, having no intention of actually turning away from sin. Some went so far as to present themselves for baptism. John spoke to them frankly about their need for a true change of life that would be displayed in the fruit of real obedience to the revealed will of God. It would not do to try to cling to their positions of influence or to their descent as children of Abraham. John identified these men as those who were in great danger, as the new King would come with the power of His kingdom.

His expectation seems to be that judgment from the new Messiah King would be swift and sure against unrepentant sinners. He knew that he was unworthy to even be the lowest servant of this great and holy King who would separate the wicked from the righteous. Imagine how surprised he was when Jesus came to be baptized by him. Our Lord insisted on the necessity of His baptism, which would fulfill all righteousness.

John would need to stand back as a perplexed Old Testament prophet and make way for a Man and a message that were well beyond his understanding. Yet there was a voice from heaven that day, representing One who did understand. This voice from the realms of heaven said what only He could say. This One Man who had presented Himself as united to sinners in His baptism by John was the true, sinless Son of God. This Jesus was announced to the assembled host as one who was well-pleasing to the Lord God Almighty.

This display from the heavens was as wonderfully impressive as John’s message could objectively be evaluated as unattractive or repellent. Why would anyone come out to the wilderness to hear that they were sinners? But to hear the voice of God and to see the manifestation of the Spirit of God come down upon the Messiah Son of God would have been an amazing thing for anyone who was permitted to see and hear such an display of glory.

We should, however, be more impressed by the facts concerning Jesus than by any spectacle that could have captured our attention that day. This One Israelite chosen by God was truly pleasing to Him. Here was one who was far above Abraham, Moses, or John the Baptist. Here was the one Man who did not need to repent of sin. Yet He came to identify Himself with those who were full of sin, as He prepared to be revealed as the sin-bearing Lamb of God and the Hope of the coming kingdom of heaven. Here is one that all of heaven and earth should rightly worship. He is more than a prophet. John was an authoritative and courageous spokesman of God’s Word, but Jesus is the Word of God incarnate and the hope of all who would repent and believe. He is our righteous Savior and our loving Lord.