What on Earth is Jesus Doing? Part 1Matt 3:1-10: John the BaptizerThe Story in which We Find Ourselves When our Creator God made this earth, it was beautiful, it was good. All was as it should be: we were in harmony with our Maker, with each other, and with the earth that we as stewards were to tend. When in grave folly we stepped outside of God’s wise parameters for living, all of our relationships became disjointed, strangely out of sync. With the one who most adored us and had our best interests in mind, we became estranged. Discord contaminated the community in which we were designed to thrive. And the earth that once gladly yielded its bounty now bred thorns and thistles. To repair his broken creation God called to himself a couple named Sarah and Abraham to whom he gave a wild and wonderful promise. He would see to it that through their descendants, the ancient people Israel, restoration would come, healing all these severed relationships. In sync with her God, Israel was to serve as the vanguard of the world’s recovery. These children of Abraham, however, found themselves recapitulating the folly of their Edenic ancestors, landing themselves in trouble and exacerbating humanity’s problems, not resolving them. But God will keep his word. He will make things right and somehow use Abraham’s descendants in the process. During the time of Israel’s prophets, God promised that the Day was coming when he would reclaim the world for himself by first fixing his people, then, through the restored community, extending his blessings to all the nations, and eventually, to the earth itself. Relational harmony at all levels again would prevail. It is when this expectation was at its peak that a prophet named John stepped into Israel’s story. John told the people that the Day about which the ancient prophets had spoken finally had arrived. God was coming to reclaim his people, to deliver them from their willful submission to wrongdoing, to renew their hearts, to empower them with his own Spirit of holiness, and to help them resume their role of being his agents of blessing to the world. But not everyone is Israel was eager to participate. For many, this ‘new’ vision for Israel was not the way they thought God should be doing things. It is in this heated climate of expectation and controversy about the restoration of Israel that we first encounter Jesus, inaugurating his public ministry in the waters of John’s baptism. We need to understand what this scene is all about so we can know what on earth Jesus is doing, both in the first century and the twenty first century. And knowing what Jesus is doing is critical if we want to find our place in this story of harmony lost and found. OutlineIn this first of two lectures on Matt 3 we will examine: A. John’s Role as a Prophet
B. John’s Proclamation of Repentance to Israel C. John’s Baptism in Light of Two OT Analogies
D. Reflections for Us Today _______________________________ A1. John’s General Role as a ProphetIn those days John the Baptist began preaching in the Judean wilderness. His message was, “Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare a pathway for the Lord’s coming! Make a straight road for him!’” John’s clothes were woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey. People from Jerusalem and from every section of Judea and from all over the Jordan Valley went out to the wilderness to hear him preach. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River (Matt 3:1-6). How are we to understand what John is doing?We must first see that John is taking on the role of an Old Testament (OT) prophet of Yhwh, Israel’s God. Jesus himself tells us that John is a prophet.
What is an OT Jewish Prophet?Contrary to some contemporary notions, an OT prophet was not a star-gazing, sooth-saying, fortune-telling, incense-burning mystic, who read palms, interpreted astrology, and predicted the end of the space-time continuum. Rather, a prophet was one commissioned by Israel’s God to speak his message to his people. He was Yhwh’s spokesman, as noted by his frequent qualification of his proclamations with the statement, “Thus says the LORD!”
Prophets were sent to the nation often at times of moral and social crisis. When the nation’s disloyalty was taking it straight to destruction, the prophet’s message was one of merciful warning: “Watch out! Come back!” We hear the prophets review God’s gracious provisions, pronounce a diagnosis of waywardness, warn of their certain destruction if the nation’s rebellious pursuits are not abandoned, summon the rebels to repentance, and promise of blessing for those who return to God. But when the nation felt crushed in despair, grasping for some glimmer of hope, the prophet brought a needed word of consolation and comfort.
In both of these situations, the prophet could provide glimpses into the near and distant future, either warning of certain disaster or bringing assurance to Israel that God’s promise of restoration for the nation and for the whole world was sure to come. Much of their words of "prediction" were but socio-political applications of the truths of Deuteronomy 28 to the nation as a whole. "You will reap what you sow!" Faithfulness brings bounty and blessing. Unfaithfulness results in judgment.
Short-term Options
Listen to a prophet’s timely word to a people in crisis, a message that could have been spoken by John in the first century.
Long-term Certainties Israel’s prophets also sought to instill confidence in God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that one day he would create for himself a loyal people through whom he will restore harmony in the world, however recalcitrant Israel at the present may appear. This text from Isaiah (4:4-2) looks ahead to such a day.
The Long-awaiting Hinge of History Had Arrived
With the arrival of John and Jesus, that day had come in which God finally would liberate his people from their sin and reconstitute for himself a holy people, set apart to participate in his saving purposes. This was to be the Day of purging. John was announcing, “Now is the time for the judgment and restoration of Israel.” John caused a great disturbance among the people when he audaciously claimed that this long-awaited future event had broken into contemporary history, right there, and right then, without the assent of the self-proclaimed leaders of Israel, and quite apart from the Temple. (Can you see why ‘the establishment’ in Israel had a hard time with John?) “Repent,” he said, “for the promised arrival of God’s Kingdom is at hand!”
Though John’s summons to repentance could be heard from the lips of many an ancient prophet, his claim that “Today is the Day” was unique. John asserted that the re-creation of Israel was dawning, the new exodus from Israel’s perpetual captivity was beginning to materialize. This was the hinge of Israel’s history. The door to the highly anticipated ‘last days’ was beginning to swing open. John knew his unique identity and the monumental, historic assignment to which he had been called. He was baptizing people to prepare them for the golden age of Israel (what is referred to in scholarship as the eschatological age, from the Greek word eschaton, which means ‘last.’) The enormous significance of his ministry did not escape his contemporaries. John’s location, dress, message, and activities let Israel know that he was taking on the unique roles of two prophets known in Jewish tradition for their critical part in introducing the coming eschatological age: Isaiah’s herald and Malachi’s Elijah.
A2. John’s Unique Role as a Propheta. John’s Role as Isaiah’s HeraldIn the middle section of the collected oracles of Isaiah (chapter 40-55, known as Second Isaiah), we find the nation of Israel once again in captivity to foreign powers, a tragic fate she had brought on herself for her adultery against God. Though once compared to a flourishing vineyard, Israel’s current condition was described as a desert wilderness—dry, barren, and lifeless, decimated by years of drought and destruction. Here the promise is made of the coming day of restoration: The Lord in mercy would return to the wilderness, to overthrow Israel’s enemies and restore his downtrodden people to a state of growth and vitality.
When the Kingdom comes, “the wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus…Behold your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:1-4). Note the dual effects—vengeance for his opponents and salvation for his faithful. On the verge of the Lord’s return, a herald will come in the wilderness announcing good news (a.k.a. ‘the gospel’). The historical prophet in Isaiah 40 in the sixth century BC served as the herald of God’s coming deliverance, announcing the King’s return for his captive people who were then exiled in Babylon. Though that liberation returned the nation Israel to her land in Palestine, it failed to restore to the people a spirit of loyalty and a spirit of holiness. Theirs was only a geographic return from exile. What was needed was a transformative ‘return’ from their on-going ‘spiritual exile,’ in which Israel would gain a new heart of loyalty to her Lord and a hands-on compassion for others. This would be the day when ‘the sons of God’ finally would reflect their Father’s image, in character and conduct, and advance his cause in the world. In the centuries leading up to the days of John and Jesus, the Jewish people read from this passage in Isaiah a promise of this greater exodus, the grand return of God to his people in order to transform them and set them back in sync with him and his agenda for reclaiming his creation.
Just as Isaiah was the herald for the exodus from Babylon in the sixth century BC, John felt he was functioning as the new herald for the greater exodus, which was beginning in the first century AD. He was called of God to announce, “The King is coming! The ultimate deliverance from captivity is near. Liberation is at hand.” How was John’s audience to know that he was this long-awaited herald and that their day was the dawn of the new day? John made it clear by bearing the identifying marks of Isaiah’s herald. Matthew, not wanting us to miss these tell-tale signs, starts this section by noting John’s location: “John the Baptizer came preaching in the wilderness” (Matt 3:1). The location was telling. To make the connection unmistakable, Matthew follows with an explanation of John’s prophetic role from Isaiah 40. “This is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight’ [Isaiah 40:3]” (Matt 3:3). John and his disciples were not the only Jewish restoration movement that was expecting that God’s eschatological return for his people would occur in the wilderness. The Qumran community, the preservers of the Dead Sea Scrolls, saw themselves as the true Israel, the people of God for the last days. Denouncing established Israel as irreparably apostate, this community separated themselves in practice and location. In preparation for the Lord’s soon return, they situated their sectarian community in the wilderness, not far, in fact, from where John’s was preaching. b. John’s Role as Malachi’s ElijahJohn’s significance as the promised prophet preparing Israel for the last days is also seen in his association with Malachi’s Elijah. Malachi, like Isaiah, was an OT prophet of Yhwh, commissioned to speak God’s message to his wayward people. Speaking of long-term certainties, Malachi promised that God would restore Israel to a state of purity at a time Malachi describes as “the great and awesome day of the Lord” (4:5). Israel as a whole could not be affirmed as she was, for there was much injustice and corruption in her ranks. Before God would lead his people into the new age, he would come in wrath and mercy to purge them. He will destroy those who have given their affection and loyalty to other ‘gods,’ who have abused the helpless and neglected the poor, and who have hoarded blessing for themselves rather than served as agents of blessing to others. But those who have remained faithful to God will be strengthened and renewed. Listen to how Malachi describes the separating effects of the Lord’s return.
Yhwh is long-suffering, gracious and eager for Israel’s recovery. So, in advance of this day of purging, God will send a prophet like Elijah-of-old to warn the people and prepare them for this day. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord” (Mal 4.5). Israel of John’s time was expecting a prophet like Malachi’s Elijah in association with ‘the last days.’ Some, like Jesus, thought of this figure as a harbinger of that great day, a forerunner preparing for the Kingdom. Others, however, assigned this figure an exceedingly prominent role, along the lines of the messiah himself or the prophet-like-Moses from Deut 18:15 (a role Luke assigned to Jesus, cf. Acts 3:22-26). This grandiose understanding of Elijah can be seen in the opening chapter of the Fourth Gospel. When John was asked, “Are you this kind of Elijah?” he replied, “I am not” (John 1:19-21), after which he goes on to describe his role in far more humble categories, as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” (cf. John 1:22-23). How are we to know that God had assigned John the role of Elijah-as-forerunner? You’ve heard it said that clothes make the man? Here this is true—clothes make the messenger. “Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist” (Matt 3:4). Why tell us that bit of detail? Because a uniform tells others about your line of work. A woman clad in a white lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck is recognized as a physician. A person with a dark blue uniform, a blue hat, a handgun and a badge is recognized as a police officer. Though the significance of John’s outfit may be lost on us, it was not lost on his first-century Jewish contemporaries. John’s uniform was vocation-defining. In what way? This is the very outfit worn by Elijah, God’s prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (circa 850 BC): “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist” (2 Kings 1:8). John is functioning as Elijah, but not just Elijah as seen in the OT book of Kings, but Elijah as anticipated by Malachi (circa 500 BC). What John’s clothing told his audience, Jesus makes explicit. “This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you’ [Malachi 3:1]” (Matt 11:10). How do other gospel writers convey this information? Mark integrates these two roles of John at the outset of his narrative by combining the texts that speak of Malachi’s Elijah and Isaiah’s herald (cf. Mark 1:2-3). Luke lets his readers in on John’s vocation through Zechariah, John’s priestly father, who cites Malachi 3:1 in describing his son’s future role (cf. Luke 1:76). Note how Jesus’ description of John hits on both the Baptizer’s roles (cf. Matt 11:7-10).
John is that messenger. And what is his message? John made it clear that the Lord’s return was just around the corner. Israel was soon to be purged, and liberated, and re-commissioned for her assignment in the world. In preparation for “the great and awesome” day, what must Israel do? One word says it all—repent. B. John’s Proclamation of RepentanceJohn warns that severe judgment for the nation is on the horizon, a judgment later described by Jesus as one of bloody swords and collapsing masonry (Luke 13:1-5). Having rejected God as her King, first-century Israel would find herself subject to rulers far less patient and kind that Yhwh and far less interested in her ultimate welfare. John pleads with Israel to return to God that they might be spared the coming deluge. ‘Return to God’ is another way of saying… Repent. “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 3:2).
The message of repentance goes something like this: “Abandon your destructive attachments and self-serving ways. Resume your appointed identity as children of Abraham, the Lord’s representatives in the world. Take up your vocation again as his agents of blessing. Recommit yourselves to loving loyalty to God (the Shema from Deut 6:4-9) and loving service to others.” (This ‘love for God and others’ is the sum of our calling as followers of Christ. For more on this, see the lectures notes from the two-part series “Life in a Nutshell.”) Elsewhere John explains that this repentance expresses itself in quite tangible ways, including generosity to those in need and a cessation of greedy, exploitive practices (Luke 3:10-14). John knew that not everybody in Israel would sense a need for such a radical reorientation (especially Israel’s self-appointed leaders who were not a little offended by this ‘unauthorized’ up-start who claimed to speak for God, and against them!). Some felt that they were doing just fine, thank you very much. They were children of Abraham, after all, and guaranteed God’s favor.
Who are the True Children of Abraham?
But when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to [inspect? criticize?] the baptism, he denounced them. “You children of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming judgment? Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say, ‘We’re safe—we’re the children of Abraham.’ That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham. What counts is your life. Is it green and fruitful? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees (Matt 3:7-10). John is saying, in essence, “Don’t claim the privilege of being children of Abraham when you have failed to demonstrate behavior characteristic of Abraham’s children!” Where in their tradition did this idea of being Abraham’s children originate and what does it mean? The horrible consequences of human rebellion in the garden had been played out in human history (recorded in Gen 3-11). Fortunately, wrongdoing is never the last word in God’s dealings with humanity. In Gen 12 we see the beginning of Yhwh’s recovery program. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’” (Gen 12:1-3).
The children of Abraham were to be God’s people for God’s purpose of setting the world aright. They were ‘blessed to be a blessing.’ This concept is a controlling motif throughout the biblical narrative and holds a prominent place in Paul’s theology of the NT people of God (cf. Rom 4 and Gal 3; see also our notes on the OT Overview, part 1). Unfortunately, wayward humans can take a calling from God to serve others and twist it around for personal advantage. Though called to “to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God” (Micah 6:8), many Israelites of John’s day trafficked in injustice, withheld mercy, and walked in pride, snubbing the ‘sinners’ in Israel they despised. By their arrogant and heartless behavior, these Pharisees and Sadducees revealed they were children of snakes, not children of Abraham, advancing the serpent’s curse in the world, not Abraham’s blessing. Part of what John and Jesus are doing is inviting the Israel of their day to sign on to this ancient, but unfulfilled, task. Included in the call to repentance is this invitation, “Who will turn away from Israel’s self-wrought plight and embrace the call to be Abraham’s real children?”
John warns the self-assured of their presumption. Though bereft of the character and practices that were to characterize the real children of Abraham, these offspring of vipers presumed they stood in good favor with God. These ‘fruitless’ Israelites felt that their badge of membership was sufficient. “Why, we’re descendants of Abraham. We’re immune to God’s judgment—safe from harm. We have no need of repentance. Preach that to the sinners!” This illusion of security blinded their eyes to their flagrant shortcomings and inspired them to dig in their heels in opposition against the summons to repentance issued by John and Jesus. One’s religious heritage, and one’s church membership, as well as one’s prior commitments mean nothing if not accompanied by evidence of on-going loyalty to God. There are no exemptions to the requirement for whole-hearted loyalty and lifelong devotion to God and his Kingdom agenda. God is not partial (cf. Rom 2:6-11). The Grace of Preaching Repentance
How gracious of God to send Malachi’s Elijah to warn Israel that the axe-bearer is soon coming through the orchard. How gracious of God to provide yet another opportunity for the wayward to turn their lives around before judgment falls and all opportunity for recovery is forfeited. This summons to repentance is not just for ‘the lost and the sinners,’ for John preaches repentance to the people of God. Might this be a word we need to hear?
C. John’s Baptism in Light of Two OT AnalogiesJohn is styled the Baptizer (a descriptor found in Mark 6:14,24, which I prefer over the common nickname ‘Baptist,’ because the latter can be confused with the denomination of the same name). What is baptism? To baptize = to plunge or immerse into something. John’s was a plunging into water. It finds its meaning, in part, from OT analogies. Were there times in Israel’s prior history where she had been plunged into water, particularly in a context that parallels the ministry of John, that is, one of both judgment and deliverance? Yes, the flood in Genesis and the exodus from Egyptian bondage are two analogous ‘baptisms’ that influenced the significance of John’s baptism. C1. The Flood in GenesisNow the Lord [Yhwh] observed the extent of the people’s wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart. And the Lord said, “I will completely wipe out this human race that I have created. Yes, and I will destroy all the animals and birds, too. I am sorry I ever made them.” But Noah found favor with the Lord (Gen 6:5-8). Notice how Yhwh’s mercy tempers his wrath. “I will completely wipe out this human race… But Noah found favor with the Lord” (Gen 6:5-8). When God makes himself known, wickedness experiences his wrath. But because of his great mercy the entire race is not consumed. He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). The characteristic approach of God to humankind is aptly summarized as follows: “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Psalm 138:6; Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). The proud are the autonomous opponents of God’s ways. The humble are the grateful participants in God’s ways. In the water God demonstrates his opposition to the proud and his grace to the humble. Peter employs this imagery of the flood in his description of Christian baptism. “God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Baptism corresponds to this…” (1 Peter 3:20-21). He says they were “saved from the water by the water,” that is, they were saved from the water’s destroying capacity by the water’s preserving capacity. The Flood teaches us that water can be God’s agent of both destruction and preservation. C2. The Red Sea of the ExodusA mixed population of the proud and the humble lived in Egypt in the second millennium BC during the days of Moses. Some were opponents of God’s ways, while others were crying out to the God of Abraham for deliverance. The waters of the Red Sea, under God’s hand, would distinguish these two groups. Moses’ song, composed on the far side of this phenomenal plunging, helps us understand God’s use of the water. “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has thrown both horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” (Exodus 15:1-2). The following excerpts from that song demonstrate that the Red Sea divides. One group is thrown down into the waters, whereas another is brought safely through the waters. The Waters of Destruction Pharaoh’s chariots and armies, he has thrown into the sea. The very best of Pharaoh’s officers have been drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the bottom like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power. Your right hand, O Yhwh, dashes the enemy to pieces. In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrew those who rose against you. Your anger flashed forth; it consumed them as fire burns straw. At the blast of your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall; in the middle of the sea the waters became hard. The enemy said, “I will chase them, catch up with them, and destroy them. I will divide the plunder, avenging myself against them. I will unsheath my sword; my power will destroy them.” But with a blast of your breath, the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who else among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is glorious in holiness like you—so awesome in splendor, performing such wonders? You raised up your hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies” (Exodus 15:4-12). The Waters of Preservation When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea, the Lord brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through on dry land!... With unfailing love you will lead this people whom you have ransomed. You will guide them in your strength to the place where your holiness dwells… Yhwh will reign forever and ever! (Exodus 15:19,13,18). As you can see, baptism has a rich symbolic heritage. First-century Jews interpreted water baptism of their day according to the analogies of their sacred history. For Peter the waters of the Flood functioned as a prototypic baptism by which he understood later Christian baptism. For Paul the waters of the Red Sea worked in a similar fashion. He explains to the church in Corinth (a non-Jewish audience, in fact) how the passage through the Red Sea was a type of baptism: “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor 10:1-2). Perhaps the baptism of John was interpreted along these lines, to signify destruction deserved, as well as deliverance gained. As in the Red Sea, where opponents were drowned and the liberated people of God emerged alive from the waters, the baptized might have understood their immersion as a symbol of the drowning of their opposition to God, and their emergence from the water as their participation in the new people of God, his liberated sons and daughters. This interpretation accords well with the meaning of repentance as well as with many first-century water rituals in which the water was used to symbolize moral cleansing. The dividing function of the water in Israel’s past history parallels the separating effect that John’s teaching and immersion had on Israel. In his day ancient Israel was a wayward nation that stood under God’s judgment for her long-lived rebellion. She was to sow what she had reaped. Responses to the nation’s plight were mixed.
To participate in John’s baptism meant several things: forsaking any presumption of immunity to God’s judgment; facing God’s wrath, realizing that destruction was deserved; “confessing their sins” (Matt 3:6); and turning around one’s loyalties “with water for repentance” (Matt 3:11). Those baptized constituted a people ready for the Lord’s arrival. By undergoing John’s repentance-baptism this portion of Israel signified their (re)new(ed) allegiance to God’s salvific purposes for the nation. By refusing John’s repentance-baptism another sector of Israel was (unwittingly perhaps) aligning itself against God, however righteous this group may have esteemed itself.
In Sum
What on earth is John doing?
As a Jewish prophet, John served as God’s spokesman, summoning the people of God to repentance, to turn from disobedience and to devote themselves in loving loyalty to God, his people, and his agenda for restoring the world. Dressed as Malachi’s Elijah, he warned that the purging Day of the Lord was at hand. God was coming to reconstitute his people, by cutting down “all the arrogant and all the evildoers” (Mal 4:1). But those who feared God’s name would be healed (Mal 4:2). As Isaiah’s herald in the wilderness, John brought Israel’s expectations to life, preparing the people for the in-breaking Kingdom of God, in which the Lord’s opponents would be overthrown and the faithful in bondage would be mightily delivered. In his teaching John spoke of Israel as an orchard of trees both fruitless and fruitful, both barren and bountiful. The axe of judgment was laid at the roots. Those not demonstrating a lifestyle consistent with a God-oriented redirection would find themselves cut down and thrown into the fire. Presumptions of security were of no avail. In his plunging into water John drew on rich ancient history which portrayed the water as a means of drowning God’s opponents and delivering God’s people. John’s repentance-baptism signified their (re)new(ed) allegiance to God’s restorative purposes.
D. Reflections for Us Today1. What do we learn of God?“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” God is just. Wickedness destroys God’s good creation and wreaks havoc on the people God loves. It is a good God that destroys the destroyers who refuse to turn to him in trust and faithfulness. God also is merciful. Though judgment is in order, he is eager to draw the rebel to himself and incorporate him into his saving plan. He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). Here is cause for rejoicing! 2. What do we learn of ourselves?Are we not more like ancient Israel than we’d like to admit? We can see ourselves in the Israel of John’s day. We too are “prone to wander…” just like our forefathers in the OT. We too are:
A summons to repent may be in order for us, as well. When we turn from our sin back to the Lord, we will find ourselves privileged participants in his plan of bringing harmony back to his world. 3. What do we learn about the prophets?They speak for God when they warn us that we will reap what we sow, when they plead with us to return to God, when they summon us to obey. Can you hear God’s voice in the words of the prophets? God has much to say to us today in these ancient texts…if we have “ears to hear.” Cf. the dynamics of Scripture. 4. What do we learn about reading the New Testament (NT)?We learn that the NT is best read with OT eyes. Look at all the rich OT material in Matt 3: prophets, clothes, wilderness, Isaiah, Malachi, the Day of the Lord, the reconstitution of Israel, the coming Kingdom, the new exodus. The NT comes alive when we hear it as its first audience heard it, as a sequel to the OT, chock full of OT allusions and imagery (something we call “inner-biblical intertextuality”). Later writers frequently draw on former parts of the biblical story to bring significance and meaning to contemporary characters and events in their world. Because the Old and New Testaments fit together as one coherent story, each is incomplete without the other (cf. Scripture as Story).
Here are two books I recommend that can help us read the NT with greater sensitivity to its historical and literary contexts:
5. What do we learn of Jesus?From this lesson in Matthew 3 we learn that knowledge of Jesus’ historical context is important if we hope to understand who he is and what on earth he is doing. Matthew anchors Jesus securely in the world of first-century Palestine and guards us from the worst of idolatries—abstracting Jesus from his native soil and refashioning him however we please, thinking we are following Jesus when in truth we are serving a Jesus of our own devising (the Jesus of The Da Vinci Code is one well-known example—those who would like to engage historically with Dan Brown’s book might be interested in the handouts that accompanied my lectures on this topic).
Here's the second part to this series on Matthew 3.
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