Matthew 3
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight
The wilderness of Judea is located north of Jerusalem and was situated outside the city or the Jewish camp. John was literally fulfilling the prophecy of Is 40:3-5. His gospel of repentance was pointing to the need of a Saviour who could free us from the bondage of sin. Please note that Jesus did also preach a gospel of repentance, as well as Paul! Repentance is acquired mainly by a change of mind and of heart.
John was actually preparing the people for the coming of this Saviour, who also was his cousin. John was 3 months older than Jesus.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
There are some parallels between John and Elijah. First of all both were prophets. Of John it is said that he was the last prophet (Luke 16:16).The people thought him to be the Elijah because he dressed like Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). He wore a garment of camel hair like Elijah and he also did come the same spirit power as Elijah (Luke 1:17). His diet consisted of locust and honey from wild bees.
In verse 6 we see that the baptism John was performing was a baptism of repentance. Regarding baptism you should understand that the Jewish people were not accustomed to being baptized. There was a baptism called the baptism of proselytes, which was a baptism for Gentiles who became Jews. Thus this baptism of repentance was something new even for the Jews.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Pharisees were the ones who took the Bible literally, even to the point of becoming legalists. The Sadducees where the ones that were more liberal with the Scriptures. They flatly denied the resurrection, they did not believe in angels either and they also denied that the Scriptures where Godly inspired. It was however; unto the Pharisees that John called them ‘generation of vipers’. He is basically calling them the offspring of Satan, for the symbol of Satan is a snake or a viper. They were the ones who laid unbearable religious burdens on the people and did not keep their ordinances themselves. So here we understand why John was telling them that the ones that needed repentance of theirs sins more than anyone else where in fact they.
Regarding Abraham, the following. Abraham is seen by the Jews as their father. If you read very carefully the account of Abraham in Genesis, you will notice one thing, that to me, is very striking and very significant. This is the fact that Abraham first believed and then got circumcised! He already believed when he was commanded to go out of Ur.This in my view is an indication that the gospel was not only to be the gospel for the Jews but for the Gentiles also. Therefore in my view, we as Gentiles may also call Abraham our father, for God promised him to make him the father of many nations (Gen.17:4)
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Verse 10 is an indication that we need to renew our minds with the Word of God in order to repent. It also indicates that the one who will make us see the real need of repentance and forgiveness is about to appear. Furthermore, verse 10 makes reference to a tree that brings not forth good fruit, and therefore needs to be cut down. This makes reference to what Jesus preached in Mat.7:18,19; Mat 12:33 etc. This means that the fruit is the heart with which one believes. If your heart is not pure your fruit will be corrupt. Jesus also told us that what comes out of the mouth (Mat 15:11) is that what defiles a man, because what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart. So if you renew your mind with the Word of God, your heart will also change and therefore the fruit of your lips will be agreeable to God.
If you noticed, John is preaching here two baptisms. The one of repentance and the other the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of fire is believed to be the baptism of the power of the Holy Spirit to perform the same miracles as Jesus did.
Speaking about shoes, they do have different meanings in the Bible. Shoes can mean humbleness, or a contract. It depends on the passage in the Bible. In this case they mean humbleness.
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Can you imagine how John must have felt? The actual Son of God coming unto him in order to be baptized. However, it was necessary for Jesus to be baptized by John for several reasons. First (1) to fulfill the righteousness, secondly (2) to start officially into his calling. The Jewish priest were all anointed when called. So Jesus’ calling began with the baptism. Thirdly (3) to identify Himself with us, and the last (4) reason is for the anticipation of His suffering, death and resurrection. We when we are baptized identify with Christ in His suffering, death and resurrection.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
It is believed that the Holy Spirit is received by us believers after the baptism. A few exceptions being Cornelius (Acts 10:44). Jesus received also the Holy Spirit after His baptism in the form of a dove. A dove is a tender en gentle bird, which is very faithful to its partner.