Matthew 3:3 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Matthew 3:3

Comments

These words are quoted from Isaiah 40:3. It is unusual for one prophet to speak of another prophet, but in this case, John the Baptist was no ordinary prophet. He was the forerunner to the Messiah and everything connected with the Messiah receives special attention in Scripture. These are the words by which John the Baptist defines his ministry in John’s Gospel, when he is questioned about it by the Jewish leaders. Before the Messiah appeared to public view, God sent a prophet tasked with preparing the hearts of the people for such a great coming, the coming which the whole of their Scripture had taught them to anticipate. In yet another prophetic reference to John’s ministry, Malachi, who figuratively describes John as Elijah of old, tells us that God did this lest the response from the people was so lacking in repentance that he would be obliged to smite the earth with a curse (Malachi 4:5-6). These are the very last words in our English Old Testament, which prime the world with expectancy for the coming of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. John is sent to prepare the way, and that need for preparation determines his message: ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ The preparation which God requires is not the laying down of a red carpet, or the setting up of festivities, or the pomp and ceremony associated with the induction of a new monarch, but the humbling of hearts, the acknowledgement of sins, the turning away from selfishness, and lies, and violence, and cruelty, and lack of due respect for the Son of God, which characterises the unbelieving world. Without this preparation, we cannot come to Christ. But note that it is God who prepares the heart himself. It is his intention that the Messiah should not come in vain, and it would be in vain if men and women did not profoundly humble themselves at his coming. Man deserves to be completely abandoned by God, and why should God visit him? Of course many did not believe, and of Israel Isaiah said, ‘Who has believed our report?’ God insists on honour for his own Son, but the majority did not honour the Son when he came, nevertheless the elect did, and for their sake Christ came into the world. But they too need to repent and for their sakes John the Baptist came preaching a message of repentance.

Application

Questions

Why was John in a near desert place? The greatest revelations to the Jews came from those situations. John deliberately separates from the leaders of the Jews. They are wrong and he has come to bring in a new order. He must not be connected with establishment in Jerusalem. He has come to shake them, speaking like Elijah. John no doubt expounded these very words from Isaiah 40. He was telling them that for the Jews there was about to be a great separation. In the Old Testament there had been a mixture of believers and unbelievers; the majority were not converted. Now however, believers will be extracted and the Jewish Gentile church will be disestablished; the rest are to be set aside. Imagine how inflammatory this would be to the leaders of the Jews. Matthew gives a summary, and Luke quoting the same passage goes a little further (Luke 3:5). ‘Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low’: the humble and lowly will be raised up and the proud thrown down. Those who realise unworthiness will be lifted up. Isaiah prophesied that many times, and all this fell to John to preach.

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Matthew 3:3 Commentary and Bible Study