Text: Matthew 3:13-15 – “ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.”
We will begin today by making some observations regarding John the Baptist.
John the Baptist was a unique individual, a man who definitely stood apart from the crowd. It was God’s will that John not be contaminated by the corrupt religious system of his day. He was a Nazarite from birth and was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in the womb. As we have mentioned, his dress and diet were “off the charts” as well.
From his childhood, he lived in the desert or wilderness regions of Judea. While he was born into a priestly family, he did not take his father’s name, nor his work. And although John was a prophet, he did not perform any miraculous signs:
Matthew’s gospel shows us a distinct side of his ministry. Matthew was a Jew, writing to a Jewish audience. He makes a point of the fact that the Jewish leaders receive a strong word of rebuke from John the Baptist. He does not receive them as those who are truly repentant but as hypocrites. We have already seen that the religious scholars in Jerusalem seemed oblivious to the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem (2:1-6). Now, we are told that John the Baptist strongly rebuked the Jewish leaders who came merely out of curiosity or self-interest.
We must understand that John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. His message was intended to prepare men for the coming of the Messiah, and for the message of salvation that would be proclaimed after our Lord’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus and the apostles made it clear that there was more to the gospel than what John proclaimed, as good as that was.
We are going over the next three days to take a look at his special Ministry to the Messiah.
Prepare to take notes and learn from this giant of the faith – and apply
what we learn to ourselves.
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