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‘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.’
Mat_3:12
I. The floor.—‘He will throughly purge His floor.’ The ‘floor’ is the threshing-floor. The floor was the place, ofttimes on the summit of some hill or some high tableland, where the breezes of heaven could play and perform the work required to be done. The winnowing was performed thus: the wheat was thrown up against the wind; the wind carried away the chaff, while the solid grain fell back again upon the floor. Now, says the Baptist, Christ has His threshing-floor. The ‘field’ is the world, but the ‘floor’ is His professing Church. The threshing-floor was on an exposed space over which the winds of heaven played. But there is another floor which indeed is in one sense exposed, but in another sense is secret. The floor that Christ wants to purge is not alone the floor of Christendom at large. There is a present purging needed, and that can only be secured by an individual purification. Therefore the floor He wants to purge is the floor of the believer’s heart. The secret thoughts of the heart are the difficulty. You do not expect the Christian to be guilty of gross overt acts of disobedience. Perhaps you scarcely expect him to offend grievously in words. But the thoughts, the inward thoughts, what about the thoughts of our hearts? That is the floor He wants to purge. How is it to be done?
II. The fan.—The fan was a very rude instrument. It was really a scoop, a sort of hollow shovel, with which the grain was cast up against the wind. The fan itself did not do the separating work, but it brought the grain in contact with the power that did do it. There is a great lesson in that. Affliction in itself does not purify, but God uses it to bring the soul under the action of that Power which can and does purify us. But now notice how the work is done. How does Christ purge His floor? The answer is, first, personally. ‘Whose fan is in His hand.’ I can trust the Hand that was pierced for me. He is too wise to err. He is too good to be unkind. Christ purges instrumentally. There is the fan of affliction and there is the fan of His Word. He will throughly purge His floor. God will do a through and through work in the soul.
III. The fire.—We said the winnowing was conducted by throwing up the grain against the wind, but here, you say, there is no reference to the wind; there is reference only to the action of fire. But turn to Act_2:2-3. You read of the combination of the wind and the fire. It is the Holy Ghost who purifies. He is both wind and fire. God the Holy Ghost is the Sanctifier of His people.
Have we received this baptism? It was not for the early disciples alone. It is for us also. Pentecost is the pattern for the dispensation. To-day is still the Pentecostal day. It is the unbelief of the Church that prevents Christ from baptizing still with the Holy Ghost and with fire.
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The Rev. E. W. Moore.
‘He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’
Mat_3:12
I. Man’s view.—Painful as the subject of hell is, it is one about which we must not be silent.
(a) Some do not believe there is any hell at all. They think it impossible there can be such a place. They call it inconsistent with the mercy of God. They say it is too awful an idea to be really true.
(b) Some do not believe that hell is eternal. They tell us it is incredible that a compassionate God will punish men for ever. He will surely open the prison doors at last.
(c) Some believe there is a hell, but never allow that anybody is going there. All people, with them, are good as soon as they die, all were sincere, all meant well, and all, they hope, got to heaven.
(d) Some believe there is a hell, and never like it to be spoken of. It is a subject that should always be kept back, in their opinion. They see no profit in bringing it forward, and are rather shocked when it is mentioned.
II. What says the Word of God?
(a) Hell is real and true. There is not a fact or doctrine which you may not lawfully doubt if you doubt hell. Disbelieve hell and you unscrew, unsettle, and unpin everything in Scripture. From ‘no hell’ to ‘no God’ there is but a series of steps.
(b) Hell will have inhabitants. The wicked shall certainly be turned into hell, and all the people that forget God. ‘These shall go away into everlasting punishment’ (St. Mat_25:46). The same Blessed Saviour Who now sits on a throne of grace, will one day sit on a throne of judgment, and men will see there is such a thing as ‘the wrath of the Lamb’ (Rev_6:16).
(c) Hell will be intense and unutterable woe.—It is vain to talk of all the expressions about it being only figure of speech. Bible figures means something, beyond all question, and here they mean something which man’s mind can never fully conceive.
(d) Hell is eternal. If hell has an end, Heaven has an end, too. They both stand or fall together.
(e) Hell is a subject that ought not to be kept back. It is striking to observe the many texts about it in Scripture. It is striking to observe that none say so much about it as our Lord Jesus Christ, that gracious and merciful Saviour; and the Apostle John, whose heart seems full of love.
III. The wheat of the earth.—But if you are willing to be one of the wheat of the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to receive you. Do you think He does not desire to bring many sons to glory? You little know the depth of His mercy and compassion if you can think such a thought! If you never came to Christ for life before, come to Him this very day!
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Bishop J. C. Ryle.