Anesti Ministries

John’s announcement

v1-4 John prepared people’s hearts to receive Jesus. The clothing that John wore is similar to the Old Testament prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). Elijah was a prophet who called Israel to return to God and was succeeded by the prophet Elisha (אֱלִישָׁע) who name means “God is salvation”. A prophecy in Malachi 4:5 says that the coming of a prophet like Elijah will mark the arrival of the Messiah. This prophet is John the Baptist who called the people to repentance so that their heart would be open to receive salvation through Jesus.

Just like John, Christians are called to make the way straight for Jesus. There are many people in this world who struggle to accept Jesus into their hearts because of several barriers. These barriers may be caused by a bad experience in church, a bad experience with Christians, misconceptions about Christianity or simply having different beliefs. These barriers need to be removed before people will open up their heart to Jesus. We are called to prepare the way so that people can encounter Jesus and make a personal choice to follow Him.

v7-10 God’s Word must bear fruit in our lives. We must humble ourselves before God and allow His word to direct and dictate the way we live. Bearing fruit is a consistent theme in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 3:8, 3:10, 7:18-19). It teaches us that our faith must be lived out. If we do not live Christ-centred lives, then we are merely professing to be Christians in name only.

John’s exchange with the Pharisees and Sadducees teaches us that the first step to bearing fruit is repentance. The Pharisees and Sadducees were religious sects in Judaism. The Pharisees believed in earning righteousness through obeying the law and the Sadducees only accepted certain parts of scripture. Our religious affiliation is not a guarantee of salvation but each person must make a personal choice to repent if they desire to receive salvation. Repentance is a decision to turn to God and away from sin. The evidence that a person has truly repented is a change in lifestyle. A person is not saved just because their parents are Christians. Neither is a person saved because they are religious or have a lot of knowledge about God. Repentance is the key to salvation and bearing fruit.

v10-12 As God’s servant, John did not point people to himself but to Jesus. It is easy to fall into the trap of claiming glory for ourselves when we become successful. Instead, we should use it as an opportunity to give glory to God and point people to Jesus.

God’s announcement

v13-17 Jesus shows us the perfect example of obedience and submission to God. Jesus was the Son of God and did not need to be baptised by John but He did so out of obedience to God. Jesus fulfilled all righteousness on our behalf so that we could become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

When Jesus was baptised, God publicly declared His delight in Jesus. God was pleased with Jesus even before Jesus began public ministry. God affirmed Jesus’ identity as His Son before Jesus overcame temptation in Matthew 4. In the same way, your identity as God’s beloved child is not dependent on what you do for God but on what Jesus has done. The way to overcoming temptation is to affirm your identity as God’s beloved child.