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NOTES for Mat 3:4-6

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4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
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The Gospel image of John the Baptist most of all resembles the early prophets, especially Elijah. The Savior Himself compares him precisely with Elijah. Historians connect John and his preaching with the Essenes, with the Qumran community, suggesting that he began his spiritual path there, on the shore of the Dead Sea.

And indeed, at first glance it may appear that John preaches almost the same thing as the Essenes. But precisely "almost." All the Essenes, including the members of the Qumran community, were sure of their own election. They believed that the Messiah would come only for their sake, simply because no one except them had managed to preserve the spiritual and ritual purity necessary for meeting the Messiah. The Essenes had no pity for the unclean: they were doomed in any case, and there was no point in saving them, not to mention that it was impossible. Salvation was available only to members of the "holy community"; the rest would perish. The Messiah would come in order to lead "His own" out of this world sunk in evil, while the world itself, with all its sins, would burn in a cosmic fire. Those whom He did not take with Him would perish.

John, however, speaks of conversion, which opens to the repentant the way into the Kingdom. Yes, people have things from which they need to be cleansed, and the cleansing will be harsh, fiery, not easy to pass through. And still the way into the Kingdom of the Messiah is closed to no one.

There are exceptions, however: the Pharisees and Sadducees, whom John directly calls a "brood of vipers" ("offspring of vipers" in the Synodal translation). And the point is not that some of them, the Pharisees, were spiritual leaders of the religious establishment, while others, the Sadducees, were connected with the priesthood and quite possibly even with the temple elite. The point is that neither group felt any need for repentance, cleansing, or new conversion. They were ready to perform one more cleansing washing, since this mysterious newly appeared prophet was insisting on it. After all, he could indeed turn out to be a man of God, and an extra washing would not hurt in any case. But deep down they were sure that even without it they were ready to meet the Messiah, and that even without it they were clean from sin and righteous. This, and nothing else, separated them from Christ coming into the world and from His Kingdom. And no washing by itself could help them, because Christ needs our heart, not our washings.

Other notes

 
For Mat 3:1-17
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
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When we read about the bewilderment and indignation of John the Baptist, who did not want to let Jesus be baptized in the Jordan, it becomes clear to us: John recognized Him. Participation in this baptism was supposed to testify that...  Read more

When we read about the bewilderment and indignation of John the Baptist, who did not want to let Jesus be baptized in the Jordan, it becomes clear to us: John recognized Him. Participation in this baptism was supposed to testify that a person confesses his sinfulness to God, admits that he is not right; and now in the river stands the One who is right before God.

Yet Jesus still receives baptism, which means that God has another righteousness besides rightness before Himself. This is the righteousness of love, which is "fulfilled" when the righteous One decides to share life with the unrighteous, the sinless One with sinners. This may be incomprehensible and unpleasant; it may contradict our ideas about justice, but Christ enters the water together with everyone, and it turns out that the Father's beloved Son is one of us.

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For Mat 3:1-12
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
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All the Evangelists tell of the ministry of John the Baptist...  Read more

All the Evangelists tell of the ministry of John the Baptist. Apparently, it is evident to them that his very appearance was the sign promised by God, preceding the coming of the Messiah. It is impossible to receive Christ without receiving the message of His forerunner. John's preaching has two parts: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near.” The Kingdom is near, but it can be seen and recognized only after one has first changed. Repentance means an inward turning, a refusal to accept the present state of one's soul, and an appeal to the One who can bring about this necessary change within us. Such a turning requires courage, and John helps people resolve to take this step both by offering washing in the waters of the Jordan as an outward expression of what is happening in the soul and by pointing to the approaching Messiah.

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For Mat 3:1-12
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Hide
If one listens closely, tension can be heard in John's call itself. After all, in order to call people to repentance...  Read more

If one listens closely, tension can be heard in John's call itself. After all, in order to call people to repentance, he had to remind them that the Kingdom of Heaven had drawn near. Alas, we too often have to be reminded of something requiring seriousness before we can remember what it would be good to do even without reminders. And if it is not possible not to sin at all, why not repent in time? But we drag it out to the limit.

John admits those who come to be baptized to baptism after they confess their sins. But from the Pharisees and Sadducees he demands that they produce fruit of repentance, that is, prove their faith by deeds. Moreover, he meets them very sternly. Meanwhile, one can reproach the Baptist for unfairness, since the other sinners also want to escape the coming wrath, and their sins are hardly blacker than those of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

But the Pharisees and Sadducees claim to be the elite, and therefore more is required of them. Yet that is not the only reason. These highly educated people no longer have the simple-heartedness of "ordinary" sinners, who habitually commit "customary" sins but are capable, after feeling revulsion, of turning away from them. But a mind inclined toward reflection and intellectual games too often tries to justify any actions of its educated owner. And therefore for those who have tasted the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees it is harder to grasp that repentance is not only a theoretical awareness that something is wrong, but also a decisive rejection of the former habitual way of life.

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For Mat 3:1-11
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Hide
When we read the evangelists' accounts of the preaching of John the Baptist, which preceded the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ, we easily miss the direct meaning contained in the narrative...  Read more

When we read the evangelists' accounts of the preaching of John the Baptist, which preceded the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ, we easily miss the direct meaning contained in the narrative. Thus the evangelist Matthew tells us about the preaching of the Forerunner by saying that "all Judea" was baptized by him. Of course, this is an exaggeration, and not all the residents of Judea were baptized without exception. Yet it is clear that there were very, very many of these people. That is the truly astonishing fact. To us, on the other hand, for understandable reasons, it looks natural.

John the Baptist, calling people to receive in repentance the Kingdom of Heaven that had drawn near, did not invent a new rite for repentance. He used the washing performed for "second-class" people coming to God: Gentiles and women underwent this procedure, while for Israelite men entrance into the covenant was circumcision. In essence, John's call was like someone calling modern Orthodox Christians to be baptized a second time. For those who came to John at the Jordan, this act meant confessing that they, as traitors and apostates, were unfaithful to God and were approaching Him in repentance not as full descendants of Abraham, but as Gentiles. This was exactly the kind of repentance Israel's prophets had spoken about earlier. Is it not astonishing that there were many people who repented with such humility?

The behavior of the Pharisees and Sadducees can more readily be called natural. Both groups thought that one more pious rite would do them no harm, thereby revealing their unbelief in pious rites in general. Both groups wanted to show off their piety before people; soon after His Baptism, the Lord Jesus Christ would expose them for this.

The fact that the evangelist Matthew emphasizes how many sincere penitents there were in the days of John the Baptist first of all reveals to us what the "fullness of time" is, in which, according to the apostle Paul, God sends His Son. It is the time when many hearts are ready to receive Christ in humility and repentance. Therefore the repentance of some and the hypocrisy of others are not the main point in the ministry of John the Baptist. The Forerunner preaches repentance and baptizes not in order to give people salvation, but so that Christ may be revealed to us.

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