THE GOSPELS: Matthew 3:3-6, The Ministry of John the Baptist

14 March 2025

We are studying Mathew 3:1-12 about THE MINSTRY OF JOHN the BAPTIST and we are focusing today on verses 3 tot 6.

We are mainly reading from the Complete Jewish Study Bible – insight for Jews and Christians with cross references to other Bible versions. As well as the Nelson’s Foundational Bible Dictionary.

As you know we are using the Hebrew names of God the Father, namely YHVH (Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh) where the word LORD in English and ADDONAI in Hebrew are indicated in capital letters in the Scriptures and we will also use the description, Abba Father.  And we use the Hebrew Name Yeshua the Messiah instead of the English Name Jesus Christ translated from the Greek.

We read in Matthew 3:3 “This is the man (referring to John the Baptist), Isaiah was talking about when he said: The voice of someone is crying out: In the desert prepare the way for YHVH! Make STRAIGHT PATHS for Him!”

In the Luke 3:4-6 version the following verses from Isaiah are included: “Every valley must be filled in, every mountain and hill leveled off; the winding roads must be straightened and the rough ways made smooth. Then all humanity will see God’s deliverance.”

And in John 1:19-23 we read that the Judeans send priests and Levites to Jerusalem to ask John: Who are you? He was very straightforward and stated clearly, I am not the Messiah. Then who are you? They asked him. Are you Elijah? No, I am not, he said. Are you a prophet, the one we’re expecting? No, he replied. So, they said to him, who are you? – so that we can give an answer to the people who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself? He answered in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of someone crying out: In the desert make the way of YHVH straight!”

The Jewish Study Bible explains as prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 the ONE who cries is John, identified in spirit with the prophet Elijah.

The prophecy is found in Isaiah 40:1-11 is considered as THE GOSPEL or THE GOOD NEWS.

We read here: “Comfort and keep comforting my people, says your God. Tell Jerusalem to take heart; proclaim to her that she has completed her time of service that her guilt has been paid off, that she has received at the hand of YHVH double for all her sins. A voice cries out: Clear a road through the desert for YHVH. Level a highway in the dessert for our God! Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill lowered, the bumpy places made level, and the crags (steep or rugged cliffs) become a plain. Then the glory of YHVH will be revealed (referring to Yeshua the Messiah); all humankind together will see it, for the mouth of YHVH has spoken. A voice says, Proclaim! And I answer, what should I proclaim? All humanity is merely grass, all its kindness like wildflowers: the grass dries up, the flower fades, when a wind from YHVH blows on it. Surely the people are grass! The grass dries up, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. You who bring GOOD NEWS to Sion, get yourself up on a high mountain, you who bring GOOD NEWS to Jerusalem, cry out at the top of your voice! Don’t be afraid to shout out loud! Say to the cities of Judah, here is your God! Here comes YHVH your God with power, and His arm (referring to Yeshua the Messiah) will RULE for Him. Look! His reward is with Him, and His recompense is before Him (thus referring to the SECOND COMING OF YESHUA THE MESSIAH). He is like a SHEPHERD feeding His flock, gathering His lambs with His arm, carrying them against His chest, gently leading the mother sheep.”

The Jewish Study Bible explains: The GOSPEL is related to the NEW COVENANT and is the ULTIMATE FULFILLMENT of ALL THE COVENANTS OF GOD. The GOSPEL emerges in Isaiah 40:1-11, bringing COMFORT to ISRAEL and the GOOD NEWS that the GLORY of YHVH is to be REVEALED. A VOICE CRYING in the wilderness will prepare the way of YHVH. YHVH their GOD will come, and like a SHEPHERD He will tend His flock. This text is followed by the description of the SERVANT of YHVH in Isaiah 42and in chapter 52 Isaiah expresses this hope to Israel and mentions THE GOOD NEWS again, saying: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings GOOD NEWS…of GOOD THINGS (chapter 52:7……). YHVH will show His SALVATION (His YESHUA) in the sight of the nations, and the God of Zion will reign and RESTORE Jerusalem. This is followed by a description of the SUFERING SERVANT of YHVH in Isaiah 53. The GOOD NEWS announced here is that God will accomplish His WORD to ISRAEL, REDEEM them, and RESTRE them to the Land of Promise. They will live in peace and their sins will be forgiven. This is GOOD NEWS indeed, and it requires the COMING OF THE SERVANT of YHVH who SUFFER would remove sin. This is consistent with the understanding that SALVATION is not about going to heaven, but INSTEAD about the FULL RESTORATION through the Messiah of Israel. The FOUR GOPELS base their message on Isaiah’s PROPHECY. Each begins with the COMING OF JOHN THE IMMERSER, also known as John the Baptist as the VOICE CRYING in the WILDERNESS. He is not the Messiah but announces the COMING OF THE MESSIH and the RESTORATION of the KINGDOM to ISRAEL.

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice explains: John, like Isaiah, pleaded with the people to confess their sins and to live for God. Both prophets, preached the message of REPENTANCE as GOOD NEWS to all that would listen and sincerely sought God’s FORGIVENESS and LOVE. But at the same time, it was TERRIBLE NEWES for all who were UNWILLING to listen and thus destroy their only hope. John the Baptist prepared the way for Yeshua the Messiah. Like John, we can also prepare people who does not know Yeshua to meet Him. We can do this by living out the things Yeshua the Messiah teaches us in the Word and explain to them how he can give meaning and purpose to their lives. We can share with them the importance of receiving forgiveness. We can make the path easier for them if we remove the misconceptions preventing them from reaching Yeshua the Messiah. There may be a person whom you know who is ready to meet Yeshua our Messiah. What can you do to PREPARE the WAY for that person?

We further read in Matthew 3:4-6 “John wore clothes of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem, from Judea and from the whole region around the Jorden. CONFESSING THEIR SINS, they were IMMERSED by him in the Jorden River.”

We see the description of Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8 as similar to that of John the Baptist – “…a hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.” (the NIV says: He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist).

In Leviticus 11:20-22 we read “All winged swarming creatures that go on all fours are a detestable thing for you; except that of all winged creatures that go on all fours, you may eat those that have joined legs above their feet, enabling them to jump off the ground. Specifically of these you MAY eat the various kinds of LOCUSTS (large grasshoppers), (normal) grasshoppers, katydids (large, green bush crickets) and (normal) crickets.” So, it was perfectly fine for John the Baptist to eat locusts.

The Study Bible explains: Sin is a VIOLATION of the TORAH (Genesis to Deuteronomy, summarized in the Ten Commandments). We read in 1 John 3:4-6 “Everyone who keeps sinning is VIOLATING the TORAH – indeed, sin is VIOLATION of TORAH. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins, and that there is no sin in Him. So, no one who remains UNITED with Him continues sinning, everyone who does continue sinning has neither seen Him nor known Him.” God’s instructions were given to his people to enable them to live life for their own good and to be both holy and pleasing to God. Confession enables a person to start following God’s ways.

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice explains: John probable seemed very strange and eccentric. Many people went to listen to this preacher with his strange clothes and unusual food that he ate – similar to the PROPHET ELIYAH. Some may have gone out of curiosity and were them struck by his powerful message and willing to confess their sins. He was visibly different from the religious leaders of his time. Many of them were greedy and selfish and wanted to be noticed and praised by the people. But John just wanted to praise YHVH. He very clearly distanced himself from the evil and the hypocrisy of that time and he lived completely differently from other people to show people that his message was new and uncontaminated. John did not only speak of the LAW of God, but he also lived it. Why did John attract so many people to him? He was the only TRUE PROPHET in 400 years. He also condemned the behavior of king Herod and the religious leaders. By doing so he showed that he was not afraid of them, and that made ordinary people flock to him. John also admonished the people because they were sinners who needed to repent. His message was TRUE and POWERFUL. The people expected a prophet like Elijah according to Micah 4:5 and it now seemed they found him!

The Jordan River is approximately 112 kilometers long and extends largely from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is located about 32 kilometers west of the Jordan River. The river formed the east border of ISRAEL and was often in the history of Israel a place of significant events. On entering the PROMISED LAND, the Israelites reconfirmed their COVENANT with God at the Jordan River (read Joshua chapters 1-2). And here John the Baptist tells the people to do it again.

A person can see the immediate results when you wash your hands, especially if they were very dirty. Confession of sins however take place from within. It is a cleaning process that may not be immediately visible to others. Therefore, a visible symbol of baptism was required. The baptism of John was a sign of repentance and forgiveness. To repent of sins means to turn away from wrongdoing, towards God. It will therefore result in behavioral change. Have you regretted the sins in your life? If so, can others notice the difference in your life? If your live is made new by God and you have changed, your repentance is confirmed and becomes visible to people who interact with you.