Summary Highlights:
Matthew 3 begins with the story of John the Baptist. John began teaching repentance and the coming kingdom of God in the wilderness of Judea. The writer mentions that this had been prophesied by Isaiah. In the prophecy, John was to prepare the way for Jesus.
John baptized people as they confessed their sins.
John noticed that the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism and he scorned them. See the Pharisees and Sadducees were leaders of the Jewish community and were not very Godly people. They were so consumed with law, some of which they had created themselves, that they had no concern for people’s spiritual wellbeing. So, John tells them about themselves. He says they were only attending baptisms to try to escape God’s wrath, but they had none worthy of reformation or restoration, which comes through repentance.
He dares them to say they are worthy because they are descendants of Abraham. He asserts that God could turn stones into children of Abraham if he so pleased. Implying that it meant nothing to be a descendent of Abraham. He goes on to say now that the kingdom of God was coming, they would be held accountable and every person not bearing good fruit (not doing God’s will), like these leaders of the Jewish religion, Judaism, would be cut off and cast into the fire.
John begins to explain that his baptism is only a precursor to the real baptism, which is baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire, by Jesus.
Jesus went to John to be baptized and John did not find it appropriate since he believed Jesus was greater than him, but Jesus explained that it was required to make him completely righteous.
After John baptized Jesus, the skies opened and they saw the Spirit of God come down on Jesus and heard a loud voice say this is My son the Beloved, in whom I did delight.
Recommended Resources:
- Matthew 3 Study Guide on PDF (Complete Digital Printable Lesson)
- Blue Letter Bible Phone App or Blue Letter Bible online
- Bible Hub Interlinear
- King James Version Print Bible
Instructions: Read Matthew Chapter 3 in the King James Version to avoid confusion, since this is the version used for these lessons. Please read this scripture to attain your own understanding prior to watching the video or reading any of the following material. This will allow you to draw some of your own conclusions without 3rd party interference.
Video Lesson: This is a video originally created for a private bible study group. It summarizes the information below. It is recommended that you also read through the entire lesson so that you do not miss anything.
Instructions: See Matthew 3 Study Guide PDF for complete lesson content.
Final Thoughts:
Living in this world can be a very confusing experience. The adversary made it that way so we would forget who our Father is. Quite often, the lies appear like truth, truth like lies, good seems bad, and bad seems good.
Therefore, out of trust in the majority, we tend to agree with the majority more frequently than we agree with the truth.
When we were young and wanted to do what everyone else was doing, someone would ask, “If little Mary jumps off the bridge, will you jump too?” We would never say yes, but when we look at the spiritual condition of Israel and the whole world, we see that the answer is in fact yes. We are constantly jumping off of the bridge.
Never turn from the truth, because it’s not the lies you’ve been told. Do your research and you’ll find that the truth has been in the bible all along. It’s not the truth “they” intended for us to accept, but it is the truth of God.
God’s truth in Matthew 3 tells us that Israel and what we know as Jews were two different groups of people. Israel was God’s people, while Jews belonged to the adversary. Jesus confirms this time and time again in scripture, particularly in John 8:44.
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
What Jesus says here is also a testament to this very discussion. That the world choose to believe the lies, because truth is not in them. So don’t be like the world and believe and live lies, because you think it’s easier than living in truth… Believe and walk in truth because it is right and of God!