Matthew: Chapters 3 and 4
Following the previous chapters, we now transition into the start of Jesus' ministry. We can segment the events of these chapters like this,
- John the Baptist, preparing the way
- The Baptism of Jesus
- The Temptation of Jesus
- Jesus beginning to Preach
- The Calling of the First Disciples
- Jesus healing the sick
John the Baptist, was himself a fulfilment of yet another prophecy. "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." (Mat 3:3). He was very simple in the way he lived, and preached about the kingdom of heaven, calling for repentance, because the time was short. In this way, he understood, acknowledged and accepted this purpose and prepared the way for Jesus. He also baptized people in the river Jordan.
Jesus himself came to be baptized by John, so as to "fulfil all righteousness" (Mat 3:15). And when Jesus was baptized, and went up from the water, the heavens opened, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased"
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| The Baptism of Christ |
Soon after this, Jesus was led to the desert to be tempted by the devil. 40 days and nights of fasting later, the devil, came to Jesus tempting him based on food, wealth, power and worship. Jesus however, fought back with the scriptures, refuting the devil, and finally rebuking the devil to leave him.
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| The Temptation of Christ by the Devil |
Then, Jesus starts to preach, going around. Jesus also calls his first disciples, who leave everything they were doing and immediately followed him. Jesus' ministry was not just preaching but also healing. Many who were sick with varying problems came to Jesus and were healed. Thus, the news about Jesus spread far and wide, and huge crowds started to follow him.
Preparation
John the Baptist, prepared the way for the LORD. His ministry, though short, was crucial. Often, before God acts, he expects preparation on our part. This could be faith, this could be being true to the word of God etc., but it is something we need to do before receiving anything from God.
Repentance
This again, is a part of preparation, but its more important. In both these chapters, we see the emphasis on repentance. What does it mean? It means to show remorse for our old life, and our wish to change. Repentance is also the first step to salvation.
Acceptance
Accepting Christ is necessary for salvation. The disciples are good examples of immediate acceptance. They also had immense faith in Jesus, which made it easier for them to accept Christ. And the mere presence of Christ was enough for them to repent and show change.
Temptation
Often for many, while they want to live a good and fulfilling life like God wills, temptations from old life prevents this. But here, we have an example in Jesus, who overcame temptations straight from the devil using scriptures. Thus, understanding scriptures would help even us to rebuke and repel the devil.
Encouragement
God will never let us face trails, tribulations and temptations without giving us the strength to face it first. We see this with Jesus again, where he was tempted only after the Spirit of God came to rest on him.
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance. (Matt 3:8)
A fruitful life; Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. What is this "fruit" mentioned here? It is the change which others would see, after repentance. It is an outwardly representation of the change in heart. The idea here is that, when there is true repentance, there is a true change of heart, which is a change in the very nature of a person.
This transformation, for example, might make a person more empathetic, kind, caring, patient. Walk, talk and attitude would be different. In essence, we inherit the traits shown by Jesus himself, and try to be more like him. This makes us a living testimony for Christ.
This is also what the LORD expects. John 15:8 says "... bear much fruit .." So its up to us now to overcome and show good fruits in our lives.
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (Matt 3:10)
Finally, we need to be considerate about the time we have left here on Earth. While the LORD is ever loving, kind and patient, the time given to us is fast running out. With that in mind, its best for us to bear good fruits in accordance to what the LORD expects.
See you in the next post. Take care of yourself, and each other!
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