Preparing the Way of the Lord I. Base Text: Matthew 3:1-12 / Mark 1:2-8 / Luke 3:1-17 / John 1:6-8, 15, 19-34 II. Context A. The prophecies had been made: one would come to prepare the way of YHWH before His great and terrible day would come 1. Isaiah 40:1-5 a. In context, the emphasis is on crying out to prepare a way in the wilderness, a highway from Babylon back to Judah, smoothing out all difficulties b. In this way YHWH could return to Jerusalem, and His people as well c. By the time of the Gospels it is understood in terms of Matthew 3:3: a voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord and to make straight His path, that is, to make ready a people prepared (cf. Luke 1:17) 2. Malachi 4:5-6 a. The last message of prophecy, ca. 420 BCE, was the promise of sending Elijah before the “great and terrible day of YHWH,” a day of judgment b. He would turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and vice versa lest God would strike the earth with a curse 3. In this way the Israelites were looking for the Elijah to come, the one who would prepare them for God’s return and judgment B. John the Baptist 1. Luke 1:5-25: In the days of Herod the Great Zechariah the priest is visited by the angel Gabriel, told his wife would conceive and bear a son who would go in the spirit and power of Elijah, turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and children to the fathers, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared (ca. 6-5 BCE; cf. Luke 1:17) 2. Luke 1:36, 39-45: Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth is a kinswoman of Mary of Nazareth who would give birth to Jesus the Christ; such is why it is believed John is Jesus’ cousin who is six months older than He 3. Luke 1:57-80: Elizabeth gives birth to John, who is thus named by his father and mother despite not being a family name; Zechariah prophesies regarding the child, declaring how John would go before the Lord to make ready His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in remission of their sins (cf. Luke 1:76-78) C. We are then introduced to John the Baptist and his ministry in all four Gospels! III. Interpretation A. John in the Wilderness (Matthew 3:1-6 / Mark 1:2-6 / Luke 3:1-6 / John 1:6-8) 1. It is notable that all four Gospel authors speak of John the Baptist, and prominently, at the beginning a. All four frame John as before the beginning of Jesus’ ministry b. John is the first person of whom we hear anything in Mark and Luke c. The Baptist is part of John’s prologue 2. Luke 3:1-2: Luke provides a detailed dating of when the word of YHWH came to John in the wilderness (either 27 or 30 CE) 3. John as living in the wilderness, wearing camel’s hair garment with a leather belt, eating honey and locusts (Matthew 3:4, Mark 1:6) a. Camel’s hair seems to be the prophetic garment (2 Kings 1:8, Zechariah 13:4) b. Locusts and wild honey are common and accessible foods, indicating a life of a hermit c. His very appearance was a “blast from the past” 4. The Evangelists begin with John because they see him as embodying the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:1-6, and say so explicitly (Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:2-3, Luke 3:4-6) 5. They are convinced John fulfilled this passage on account of his proclamation of repentance on account of the upcoming Kingdom of God and immersion of repentance for remission of sins for which “all Jerusalem and Judea” were going out to see him and receive (Matthew 3:1-2, 5-6, Mark 1:4-5, Luke 3:3) a. “All” is a bit of hyperbole; religious authorities did not believe in him (cf. Matthew 21:23-32) b. Nevertheless, it speaks to John’s popularity and presence among the people c. An expectation of the coming of the Kingdom, or the rule of God, inherent behind Isaiah 40:1-9, Malachi 4:5-6, etc. d. Not that John fully understood what that would mean (cf. Matthew 11:1-6)! 6. Immersion for repentance to receive remission of sins is not explicitly in the Law but is the bridge between the old and the new a. Ritual cleansing in order to overcome impurity inherent in Law (e.g. Leviticus 15:1-33) b. A part of the Law Second Temple Jews practiced fastidiously; ritual baths, known as miqva (plural mikva’ot) are found all over the place in Jerusalem and Judah from this time c. Thus it was comprehensible in such a culture to proclaim an immersion in the name of repentance, of changing one’s heart and mind, which would remit sin d. Nevertheless, quite the challenge to the Temple cult! 7. And so John summarizes: John the Baptist sent by God, was not the light but bore witness to the light, that all might believe in Him (John 1:6-8) B. The Multitude, Pharisees, and Sadducees (Matthew 3:7-10 / Luke 3:7-14) 1. We are given a glimpse of the proclamations of John the Baptist as well 2. The consistent theme is imminent judgment 3. He speaks of the Pharisees and Sadducees (in Matthew), or the whole crowd (in Luke) as a “brood of vipers,” wondering who warned them to flee from the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7, Luke 3:7) a. Calling a group of people a collection of venomous snakes not the most welcoming line b. And yet John cares less about a hearty welcome and more about the condition of souls: they represent systems and alienation from God! 4. John follows up with an exhortation: bear fruit worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8, Luke 3:8) 5. John then refutes a potential rebuttal: their election as children of Abraham cannot save them, for God could make sons of Abraham out of the stones (Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8) a. Paul’s immediate reference to Abraham and election in Romans 4:1-23, and the extended argument in Romans 9:1-33, testifies as well to the strength of confidence Israelites had in their election unto salvation b. A similar tendency is at work in Jesus’ argument with Jewish people in John 8:32-59 c. It proved all too easy to trust that one’s standing as a descendant of Abraham, and thus inheritor of the promise, would guarantee salvation d. John desires for the Israelites to see that election is necessary but by no means sufficient for salvation! 6. The final warning is given: the axe is laid at the root of trees, and every tree which does not bear fruit will be cast into the fire (Matthew 3:10, Luke 3:9) a. God is going to be casting out unfruitful Israel b. Undoubtedly forewarning the destructions of 70 and the escape provided in Christ 7. Luke continues to set forth the teachings of John (Luke 3:10-14) a. Luke 3:10-11: crowds want to know what to do; he tells them to share clothes and food with those who do not have any b. Luke 3:12-13: tax collectors want to know what to do; he tells them to collect no more than authorized, thus not enriching themselves at the people’s expense c. Luke 3:14: soldiers want to know what to do; he tells them to not extort people and be content with their wages d. We imagine all represent Israelites; all are given what prove to be standard prophetic answers about justice 8. Such indicates how John stands firmly in the Israelite prophetic tradition C. The Greater Man Coming (Matthew 3:11-12 / Mark 1:7-8 / Luke 3:15-17 / John 1:15, 19-34) 1. The Evangelists emphasize one further instruction of John: One comes after him, whose sandal John is not worthy to carry or untie, and who baptizes with the Holy Spirit 2. Mark focuses primarily on the greatness of the One coming, speaking only of His superiority, the untying of sandals, and contrast between baptism with water and baptism with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:7-8) 3. Matthew and Luke both understand John’s statement as the conclusion of previous eschatological expectations: he baptizes with water, but the One coming will baptize with Holy Spirit and with fire; John is not worthy of carrying or untying His sandal; He holds a winnowing fork, will clear threshing floor, gather wheat into barn, cast chaff into unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:11-12, Luke 3:16-17) 4. John has the religious authorities ask John who he is: not the Christ; not the Elijah; not the Prophet; but one proclaiming in the wilderness a la Isaiah 40:1-6; he baptizes with water, One is coming whose sandal He is unworthy to untie; Jesus is the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world, ranking before John because He was before him; John had seen the Spirit descend on Him when He was baptized, and testified He would baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:15, 19-34) a. Why would John deny he is the Elijah to come in light of Luke 1:17, Matthew 11:14? b. Perhaps it was not revealed to him; perhaps he would not own that title for himself, but let others bestow it upon him c. Or perhaps he understands that he comes in the spirit of Elijah, but is not fully Elijah in the way the religious authorities would have imagined 5. All such exhortation is to be understood eschatologically: Jesus is comparatively greater than John, will baptize with the Holy Spirit, and will render judgment against the ungodly a. Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Acts 1:3-5, 2:1-39, 11:16-17 b. John’s judgment scenes reminiscent of Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43, Revelation 14:14-20 c. “Baptism by fire” contextually is not an immersion of zeal as Evangelicals would like to imagine, but immersion in pain and suffering, as the punishment of the wicked, and undesirable by anyone (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9)! D. Aftermath 1. In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist has already baptized Jesus when he provides some testimony; in the other Gospels, John baptizes Jesus soon afterward, recognizing that he really needed baptism from Jesus, not the other way around (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:29-34) 2. Through John Andrew would learn and follow Jesus as the Christ (John 1:35-42) 3. For a time John and Jesus were both working near each other; their disciples began to argue over purification; John’s disciples asked John about Jesus having more people baptized, and John spoke of how he must decrease and Jesus must increase (John 3:22-30) 4. John’s statement was prescient: he would soon be imprisoned for challenging Herod Antipas regarding Herodias his brother’s wife (Mark 1:14, Luke 3:19-20) 5. According to Mark John’s imprisonment was the start of Jesus’ Galilean ministry (Mark 1:14) 6. John would later question whether Jesus was the Christ to come; Jesus had answer given to him (Matthew 11:1-6) 7. Jesus then spoke to the crowds about John: a prophet, not a reed shaken in the wind, the Elijah to come, greatest born of man, but least in the Kingdom is greater than He (Matthew 11:7-15) 8. John would be killed by Herod’s decree prompted by Herodias’ daughter, foreshadowing the death of the Christ (Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 9:7-9) 9. Yet after death John proved popular: still held to be a prophet by the people, maintaining disciples as far afield as Asia Minor twenty years afterward (Matthew 21:26, Acts 18:24-25, 19:1-9) E. In this way John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord IV. Application A. Preparing the Way of the Lord 1. When we think of John the Baptist, we think of the One who prepared the way of the Lord, and for good reason a. It was prophesied of him b. All the Evangelists emphasize how he fulfilled that role 2. It was necessary to prepare the way of the Lord a. Prophecy originally had reference to preparing to return to Judah b. For four hundred years the Spirit had not spoken through people as He had formerly c. The people needed to be made ready for the Lord Jesus; they would need a witness to testify of His coming; they would need a bridge between the Law and the truth of God in Christ, and that bridge proved to be John’s prophetic ministry and the baptism of repentance 3. In a different way, but no less compelling, we do well to prepare the way for people to come to the Lord Jesus a. According to God’s purposes people need to hear a proclaimer, one who will tell of the good news of Jesus of Nazareth (Romans 10:10-17) b. We are sent into the world as ambassadors, as lights for Christ, to point people to Him (Matthew 5:13-16, 2 Corinthians 5:20) c. People tend to need a bridge, someone who will help guide them from where they are in order to meet the Lord Jesus, and we do well to fill that role! B. The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord 1. The substance of John’s message is not exactly what many wanted to hear, but it was what they needed to hear 2. As the prophet in the tradition of the Law and the Prophets, as the Elijah to come, he was the forerunner not only of the Christ but also the great and terrible day of YHWH, according to Malachi 4:5-6 3. The “great and terrible day of YHWH” is a day of judgment, and it is not pleasant; the judgments of which John warned also would not be pleasant, for they led to the destruction of Jerusalem and Second Temple Judaism 4. It is worth noting that while the Apostles were not as vitriolic as John was about those endangered by judgment, they emphasized it among Gentiles: Acts 10:42, Acts 17:30-31 5. We cannot understand John the Baptist if we do not understand him as a prophet heralding God’s visitation and judgment upon His people; we cannot understand Jesus unless we understand Him as the visitation of God upon His people, and the one pronouncing judgment upon them, and that sentence was executed! 6. And thus we cannot proclaim the Christ without proclaiming His return in judgment and what that means for all people (John 12:48, Acts 1:11, 17:30-31, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9, Revelation 22:7, 12-13, 20) 7. Judgment indicates that all will be held into account; we will stand accountable before God for our behavior; others will as well; we must make this known! C. He Must Increase, I Must Decrease 1. After Jesus’ baptism John rightly perceives that he would decrease while Jesus would increase, and that it must be so (John 3:30) 2. John the Baptist had his place as the herald of the One who was to come; when He came, the herald would diminish 3. And so the story of John becomes lessened in the Gospel narrative; we will hear more about things done to him than what he does 4. The principle is good for us to remember as we proclaim the Lord Jesus: He must increase, and I must decrease a. As we grow in righteousness, our concern for ourselves must decrease, and our concern for the Lord and His things must increase (Philippians 2:1-4) b. We must die with Christ to the things of the world to live in righteousness (Galatians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:18-25) c. As we speak to others, our words must decrease, and the words of the Lord must increase; we must speak as oracles of God (1 Peter 4:10-11) 5. We do well to decrease and magnify the Lord Jesus! V. Conclusion A. John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Lord B. He spoke truth to Israel, prophesying about imminent judgment C. He proclaimed an immersion of repentance for remission of sin D. He baptized the Lord Jesus; the people were made ready for Jesus and His Kingdom through His work E. May we prepare people for the way of the Lord and obtain the resurrection of life! F. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: For [John the Baptist] is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight” (Matthew 3:3). Isaiah had foretold the need for one to come before the Lord to prepare the way and the people for Him. Jesus and the Evangelists make it clear that John the Baptist fulfilled this role. He was the bridge between the Law and the Prophets and the Lord Jesus. May we prepare the way for people to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus! 2: Then went out unto [John the Baptist] Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about the Jordan; and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins (Matthew 3:5-6). People flocked to John the Baptist. He exhorted them to get ready for the Kingdom of God. He proclaimed an immersion of repentance for remission of sin. Such a baptism was not demanded under the Law but comprehensible in light of ritual cleansing regulations. In this way people were made ready to hear of Jesus, the Kingdom of God, and immersion in water in His name for the remission of sin. May we serve the Lord Jesus in the Kingdom of God! 3: But when [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, “Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7) John the Baptist’s exhortations were consistent with the prophetic tradition of old. He charged the people to seek justice and equity. He warned them against presuming their election guaranteed their salvation. He spoke of the wrath of God which was coming, the great and terrible day of YHWH, a day of judgment. Judgment came against Israel forty years later. We do well to exhort the people today to follow Jesus and live so as to be prepared for judgment! 4: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). John the Baptist recognized his position. He heralded the One to come; when Jesus came, he would decrease. And so after Jesus’ baptism John’s ministry began to decrease. He was imprisoned by Herod Antipas and eventually killed by him. And yet people adhered to his teachings for decades afterward. As followers of Christ, we must decrease, while we magnify the Lord Jesus so He may increase!