Matthew 3:4–10
People may declare that they are God’s disciples. God wants them to be really sorry about their sin.
In OT times, God spoke to his people by prophets. But there had been no prophets since the death of Malachi. That was in about 400 BC (Before Christ). The Jews believed that God would use prophets again. They thought that it would be when God’s kingdom came. John’s clothes were different. This was like some of the OT prophets (Read Zechariah 13:4; 1 Samuel 28:14 and 2 Kings 1:8). His words seemed like prophets’ words too. People travelled a long distance to hear him. Many of these people recognised who John was. They obeyed his message.
When this happened, John baptised them. He put them in the water of the Jordan river. Baptism was a common ceremony in the ancient world. It was often a sign. It could show that a person was clean from something evil. Or, it could show that they were entering into a new society (Note: There were many ‘secret societies’. They used this practice to welcome new members. Other groups in the ancient world did this too).
Many people wanted to do something about John’s message. Baptism was the way that they showed this. It was a sign. It showed that God had taken away their sin. John was preparing them for God’s kingdom. Jesus would start this kingdom. Later, Jesus’ disciples baptised people too (Read John 3:22; 4:1-2). This also became a sign. It showed that people wanted to follow Jesus. It showed that they had entered his kingdom (Read Matthew 28:18–20 and Romans 6:4).
A different life
There were two important religious groups. They were the main ones in Israel then. They were Pharisees and Sadducees. Members from both these groups came to John. They asked him to baptise them. We might expect that this would please John. But he was angry with them. He did not believe that they had repented. They wanted God to accept them as his people. Maybe, they thought that baptism was sufficient. But John emphasised something. It was this. The result of real repentance will always be a different life.
The same thing happens today. Many people believe that baptism alone makes them God’s people. But this is not true. First, people must repent of their sin. They must want to live in a way that will please God. They will obey God. Only then does baptism have meaning. It shows that repentance is real.
In verse 7, John dealt with a problem. It was the problem of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The snake was a sign to the Jews for wicked things, because a serpent first deceived humans. He told a lie to Eve and made it seem like the truth. When Adam and Eve were deceived it caused sin to enter the world.
John said to the religious groups: ‘You are all like snakes.’ They would hate this description. But John wanted to give them a shock. They were not being honest with themselves. They did not realise that they were in great danger of God’s judgement.
Both groups believed that God was especially pleased with them. There was a reason for this. God had made many promises to the first members of the Jewish nation. Those first Jews lived a long time ago. But, surely, the good things that they had done would still count. This was what the Pharisees and the Sadducees thought. So, the two groups believed that they could claim benefits from the past for themselves.
Read verses 9–10. John was saying something important here. God is very good to us. But this means that we have responsibility. He promises to save. But there is a rule. God will only accept people if they repent.
Questions
- What importance does baptism as a Christian have for you?
- What should the church expect in the lives of those who want baptism? Parents may bring children for baptism. What should the church expect to see in the parents? Also, there are the friends who will have a special interest in the child. What should they be like?
- Do you think that modern speakers should ever speak as John spoke (Read verses 7–10)? If so, where should they do this? To whom should they speak like this? On what occasions should they speak like this?
More explanation
Pharisees and Sadducees
We do not know how these two groups began. But, we do know some facts about them. There were the Pharisees. They would not accept other cultures and customs. They felt that these things would stop them from being holy. The Pharisees insisted that people must be very careful to obey God’s laws. So, they added many extra regulations. They thought that these rules would help people. The rules would stop them from becoming ‘dirty’ with sin. Pharisees tended to be proud. They thought that they were very good people. They did not like those who did not have the same beliefs.
Also, there were the Sadducees. They were very different. They believed the first 5 books of the OT. They believed that only these books were God’s words. They had another main belief. It was this. Dead people could never come alive again. (The Pharisees believed that this could happen.) The Sadducees enjoyed power. To gain it, they were even willing to have lower standards. They were rich and powerful. The High Priest and his family were members of this group.
Important truths
God’s anger
The Bible speaks about God’s anger. This does not mean that God has bad moods. He does not get angry for no reason. But God hates all that is evil. He hates all that is wicked. This is what God’s anger means.
This is why God’s anger must be against every human person. Nobody can ever live by God’s standards (Read Ephesians 2:3). People experience his anger in this life (Read John 3:18, 36 and Romans 1:18). But his main anger is for the future (Read Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 and Revelation 14:10). There is a connection with the return of Jesus (Read Malachi 3:2–3; 4:1–5). Men and women must really repent. They must trust Jesus. Only then can they escape God’s anger.
