MATTHEW
Study Notes—Chapter 3
John: The English equivalent of the Hebrew name Jehohanan or Johanan, meaning “Jehovah Has Shown Favor; Jehovah Has Been Gracious.”
the Baptist: Or “the Immerser; the Dipper”; referred to as “the Baptizer” at Mr 1:4; 6:14, 24. Evidently used as a sort of surname, indicating that baptizing by immersing in water was distinctive of John. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote of “John, surnamed the Baptist.”
preaching: The Greek word basically means “to make proclamation as a public messenger.” It stresses the manner of the proclamation: usually an open, public declaration rather than a sermon to a group.
wilderness of Judea: The generally uninhabited, barren eastern slope of the Judean mountains stretching down—a drop of some 1,200 m (3,900 ft)—toward the western bank of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. John begins his ministry in a section of this region N of the Dead Sea.
Repent: The Greek word used here could literally be rendered “to change one’s mind,” signifying a change in thinking, attitude, or purpose. In this context, “repent” refers to a person’s relationship with God.—See study notes on Mt 3:8, 11 and Glossary, “Repentance.”
Kingdom: First occurrence of the Greek word ba·si·leiʹa, which refers to a royal government as well as to the territory and peoples under the rule of a king. Of the 162 occurrences of this Greek word in the Christian Greek Scriptures, 55 can be found in Matthew’s account and most of them refer to God’s heavenly rule. Matthew uses the term so frequently that his Gospel might be called the Kingdom Gospel.—See Glossary, “God’s Kingdom.”
Kingdom of the heavens: This expression occurs some 30 times and only in the Gospel of Matthew. In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, the parallel phrase “the Kingdom of God” is used, indicating that “the Kingdom of God” is based in and rules from the spiritual heavens.—Mt 21:43; Mr 1:15; Lu 4:43; Da 2:44; 2Ti 4:18.
has drawn near: Here in the sense that the future Ruler of the heavenly Kingdom was about to appear.
Jehovah: In this quote from Isa 40:3, the divine name, represented by four Hebrew consonants (transliterated YHWH), occurs in the original Hebrew text. (See App. C.) Matthew applies this prophecy to what John the Baptist did in preparing the way for Jesus. In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist applies this prophecy to himself.—Joh 1:23.
Make his roads straight: May allude to the custom of ancient rulers to have men prepare the way before the royal chariot by removing large stones and even building causeways and leveling hills.
clothed with camel’s hair: John’s garment of woven camel’s hair and his leather belt are reminiscent of the dress of the prophet Elijah.—2Ki 1:8; Joh 1:21.
locusts: Rich in protein, these insects are designated by the Law as clean for food.—Le 11:21, 22.
wild honey: That is, honey from natural beehives found in the wilderness, not from beehives kept by people. Eating locusts and wild honey was not unusual for people living in the wilderness.
baptized: Or “immersed; dipped.”—See study note on Mt 3:11.
openly confessing their sins: Refers to people who admitted publicly or acknowledged openly their sins against the Law covenant.
Pharisees: See Glossary.
Sadducees: See Glossary.
You offspring of vipers: So called because their wickedness and deadly spiritual harm was like poison to unsuspecting people.
fruit that befits repentance: Refers to evidence and actions that would indicate a change of mind or attitude on the part of those listening to John.—Lu 3:8; Ac 26:20; see study notes on Mt 3:2, 11 and Glossary, “Repentance.”
baptize you: Or “immerse you.” The Greek word ba·ptiʹzo means “to dip; to plunge.” Other Biblical references indicate that baptism involves complete immersion. On one occasion, John was baptizing at a location in the Jordan Valley near Salim “because there was a great quantity of water there.” (Joh 3:23) When Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, they both “went down into the water.” (Ac 8:38) The same Greek word is used in the Septuagint at 2Ki 5:14 when describing that Naaman “plunged into the Jordan seven times.”
repentance: Lit., “change of mind.”—See study notes on Mt 3:2, 8 and Glossary.
stronger: Signifies having “more authority.”
sandals: To remove and carry another’s sandals or to untie another’s sandal laces (Mr 1:7; Lu 3:16; Joh 1:27) was considered a menial task that was often done by a slave.
baptize . . . with holy spirit and with fire: Refers to anointing with holy spirit and destroying by fire. The baptism with holy spirit began at Pentecost 33 C.E. The baptism with fire occurred in 70 C.E. when the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and burned its temple.
winnowing shovel: Probably made of wood and used for tossing threshed grain into the air so that the wind would blow the straw and chaff away.
chaff: The thin protective covering or husk on the kernels of cereal grains, such as barley and wheat. The chaff was often gathered and burned to prevent it from blowing into the piles of grain and contaminating them. John uses the winnowing process to illustrate how the Messiah would separate symbolic wheat from chaff.
fire that cannot be put out: Indicates that the complete end of the Jewish system of things was due.
to carry out all that is righteous: Jesus was not baptized in symbol of repentance, for he was sinless and had kept God’s righteous laws faultlessly; nor did his baptism symbolize dedication, for he was already a member of a dedicated nation. His baptism was a symbol of his presenting himself to do Jehovah’s righteous will in connection with his role as the Messiah, including offering himself as a ransom. Jesus acted in harmony with the prophecy concerning him at Ps 40:7, 8 and explained at Heb 10:5-9.
look!: See study note on Mt 1:20.
the heavens: Can refer to the physical heavens, that is, the sky, or to the spiritual heavens.
the heavens were opened up: God evidently caused Jesus to perceive and understand heavenly matters, which may well have included the memory of his prehuman life in heaven.
like a dove: Doves had both a sacred use and a symbolic meaning. They were offered as sacrifices. (Mr 11:15; Joh 2:14-16) They symbolized innocence and purity. (Mt 10:16) A dove released by Noah brought an olive leaf back to the ark, indicating that the floodwaters were receding (Ge 8:11) and that a time of rest and peace was at hand (Ge 5:29). Thus, at Jesus’ baptism, Jehovah may have used the dove to call attention to the role of Jesus as the Messiah, the pure and sinless Son of God who would sacrifice his life for mankind and lay the basis for a period of rest and peace during his rule as King. As God’s spirit, or active force, descended upon Jesus at his baptism, it may have looked like the fluttering of a dove as it nears its perch.
Look!: See study note on Mt 1:20.
a voice from the heavens: The first of three instances in the Gospel accounts where Jehovah is reported as speaking audibly to humans.—See study notes on Mt 17:5; Joh 12:28.
This is my Son: As a spirit creature, Jesus was God’s Son. (Joh 3:16) From the time of his birth as a human, Jesus was a “son of God,” just as perfect Adam had been. (Lu 1:35; 3:38) However, it seems reasonable that God’s words here go beyond a mere statement of Jesus’ identity. By this declaration accompanied by the outpouring of holy spirit, God evidently indicated that the man Jesus was His spirit-begotten Son, “born again” with the hope of returning to life in heaven and anointed by spirit to be God’s appointed King and High Priest.—Joh 3:3-6; 6:51; compare Lu 1:31-33; Heb 2:17; 5:1, 4-10; 7:1-3.
whom I have approved: Or “with whom I am well-pleased; in whom I take great delight.” The same expression is used at Mt 12:18, which is a quotation from Isa 42:1 regarding the promised Messiah, or Christ. The outpouring of holy spirit and God’s declaration concerning his Son were a clear identification of Jesus as the promised Messiah.—See study note on Mt 12:18.