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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat_3:1-6
1Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 3For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
'Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!'"
4Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; 6and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
Mat_3:1 "in those days" This is a transition idiom. It does not attempt to locate a specific time.
▣ "John" This was the shortened form of the name " Johanan," which meant "YHWH is gracious" or "gift of YHWH." His name was significant because, like all biblical names, it pointed toward God's purpose for his life. John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. There had not been a prophet in Israel since Malachi, around 430 b.c. His very presence caused great spiritual excitement among the people.
▣ "the Baptist" Baptism was a common rite among Jews of the first and second century.
1. preparation for worship a the temple (i.e., cleansing rite)
2. the self baptism of proselytes
If someone from a Gentile background were to become a full child of Israel, he had to accomplish three tasks:
(a) circumcision, if male
(b) self-baptism by immersion, in the presence of three witnesses
(c) sacrifice in the Temple
In sectarian groups of first century Palestine, such as the Essenes, baptism was apparently a common, repeated experience. However, to mainline Judaism, John's baptism of repentance would have been humiliating for a natural child of Abraham to undergo a Gentile ritual.
Some OT precedents can be cited for ceremonial washing.
1. as a symbol of spiritual cleansing (cf. Isa_1:16)
2. as a regular ritual performed by the priests (cf. Exo_19:10; Leviticus 15)
It should be noted that all other baptisms in first century Jewish culture were self-administered. Only John's called for him to administer this rite. Apparently John made a spiritual evaluation of the spiritual qualifications which denoted a personal repentance (cf. Mat_3:7-10).
▣ "came preaching in the wilderness of Judea" "Wilderness" was uninhabited pasture land, not an arid desert. John not only dressed like Elijah (cf. 2Ki_1:8), he also lived in the same arid setting. John was claiming a prophetic position (cf. Zec_13:4). His nomadic life resembled the wilderness wandering of Israel, which was an idealized time of an intimate relationship between YHWH and Israel.
Parallel passages suggest the geographical location of John's preaching was somewhere close to the city of Jericho just north of the Dead Sea, near the Jordan River.
Mat_3:2 "Repent," This is a present imperative which is an ongoing command. Without repentance, it is impossible to be saved (cf. Luk_13:3). The Hebrew equivalent meant "to change one's actions," while the Greek word meant "to change one's mind." It implied a willingness to change. Salvation requires faith in Christ and repentance (cf. Mar_1:15; Act_3:16; Act_3:19; Act_20:21). John's ministry was one of spiritual preparation for the coming of Jesus the Messiah and His message.
Jesus also called on His hearers to repent (cf. Mat_4:17; Mar_1:15).
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▣ "for the kingdom of heaven" Matthew, writing to Jews, is sensitive to their aversion to using God's name, so he uses a circumlocution, "kingdom of heaven" (cf. Mat_4:17), whereas the other Synoptic Gospels use "kingdom of God" (Matthew used "kingdom of heaven" 32 times and " kingdom of God" only 4).
The Kingdom of God refers, in an OT sense, to the reign of God, not to a geographical area. God is King of creation! See Special Topic at Mat_4:17.
NASB, NKJV "is at hand"
NRSV "has come near"
TEV "is near!"
NJB "is close at hand"
This is a perfect tense verb which describes the culmination and continuing results of a process started earlier. The nearness of the kingdom is stressed in the Gospels (cf. Mat_4:17; Mat_10:7; Mar_1:15; Luk_10:9-11; Luk_11:20; Luk_21:31). "Near" can be understood in one of two ways: (1) near in location or (2) near in time (cf. Mat_12:28). This is the tension of "the already" and "not yet" of the New Age. It describes the time between the two comings of Christ. It is the overlapping of two Jewish ages.
Mat_3:3 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness" This is a quote from Isa_40:3 in the Septuagint (LXX). The same idea was also reflected in Isa_57:14; Isa_62:10, and Mal_3:1. John saw himself as being the preparer for the coming of the Messiah (cf. Joh_1:23). This fulfilled the predictions concerning Elijah found in the Mal_3:1; Mal_4:5. All four Gospels record these words of John (cf. Mar_1:3; Luk_3:4; Joh_1:23).
▣ "Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight" These phrases are poetic parallels. The second phrase was usually a metaphor for preparing for a royal visit. It is significant to note that in Isa_40:3 the term "the Lord"referred to YHWH, which in this quote referred to Jesus of Nazareth. The NT authors use several literary ways to assert the Deity of Jesus.
1. OT titles for YHWH applied to Jesus
2. OT actions of YHWH seen in Jesus
3. OT quotes relating to YHWH now used of Jesus
4. both God and Jesus as the grammatical object of one verb or one preposition
"Straight" was often used metaphorically for the character of God (similar to " right," " righteous," " just," " justify"). Most of the Hebrew as well as Greek words for sin reflect a deviation from a standard or "measuring reed." The standard is God Himself (cf. Lev_11:44; Lev_19:2; Mat_5:48; Mat_20:7; Mat_20:26; 1Pe_1:16).
Mat_3:4 Compare this to the clothing and lifestyle of Elijah recorded in 2Ki_1:8 and reflected in Mal_4:5. Camel-hair clothes were the cheapest available. John was accustomed to living in a desert and eating the diet available there. Locusts were a food allowed by the Mosaic legislation (cf. Lev_11:22). The term was also used of the beans of the locust, or carob, tree.
Mat_3:5 The Jewish people of Judea saw John as a prophet (cf. Mat_21:26). This verse shows the great hunger for God of the first century Jews. Even the religious leaders came. This verse is obviously a hyperbole, but it communicates the religious fervor which John caused.
Mat_3:6 "as they confessed their sins" The Greek term " confess" [homologeo] meant "to say the same thing." It implied both a public confession and a profession of faith (cf. Act_19:18; Jas_5:16). The people as a whole recognized the need for spiritual renewal. OT precedents are found in Lev_5:5; Lev_26:40. See special topic on confession at Mat_10:32.