Matthew 3: The Trailblazer (3)

Pray Psalm 96.1-4.
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.

Sing joyfully Psalm 96.1-4.
(Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above)
Sing to the Lord! O, bless His Name! All nations tell His glory!
Salvation’s tidings loud proclaim; let earth rehearse His story!
For God is greatly to be praised; His throne above all gods is raised –
fear Him, and sing His glory!

Read Matthew 3.1-10; meditate on verses 7-10

Prepare.
1. Of what did John warn the Pharisees and Sadducees?

2. What did he call them to do?

Meditate.
Religious leaders arrived to find out who this upstart prophet is (cf. Jn. 1.19-28). The Pharisees and Sadducees were the keepers of tradition and, by implication, the certifiers of all preachers. So when they heard about John, they sent a delegation to learn whether he had the proper credentials for this sort of work. If you didn’t have the schooling, they could shut you down.

Before the delegation could get a word out, however, John spoke a word to them: “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” He reinterpreted their mission. They thought they had come to find out about John, but John said they had come to escape the judgment that had been building against them for years.

I can’t help it: Every time I read this passage, I think of the scene in The Princess Bride where the evil count says to Wesley, “Surrender!” To which Wesley replies, “You wish to surrender? Very well, I accept.” The Jewish leaders came to find out about John. John helped them find out about themselves. And it wasn’t what they’d always believed.

John even anticipated their response: “We have Abraham for our father!” But John says. God can raise up children of Abraham from these stones.

John told them what they needed to know, not what they’d come to discover: They needed to repent, because “even now” (v. 10) the judgment of God was about to break bad on them.

People need to know Jesus. But first they need to know that they need Him. The Good News of Jesus is incomplete unless it is accompanied by the bad news of what lies ahead for those who reject the Lord. And since judgment is even now begins at the household of God (1 Pet. 4.17), John’s warning is appropriate for us as well.

Reflect.
1. Look at Romans 1.18-32. What forms is the judgment of God taking right now?

2. Why do people need to know about repentance before they can receive the Good News of Jesus?

3. What credentials did John have for his calling? What credentials do you have for yours?

There is no doubt this axe signifies the power of the divine word, for God says through Jeremiah the prophet: “Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer which breaks the rock in pieces?” Therefore this axe which is laid at the very roots of interior faith in this forest of humanity always implies the severe threat of divine judgment. Chromatius (fl. 400), Tractate on Matthew 11.1

O God, the world is under wrath and judgment, and I know what it needs! Help me today to…

Pray Psalm 96.8-13.
The judgment of God is upon the earth even now (cf. Rom. 1.18-32). Pray that God will spare the nations, and that His people will proclaim the Gospel and call people to repent and believe.

Sing Psalm 96.8-13.
Psalm 96.8-13 (Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above)
Bring off’rings sweet to Him, our Lord, in holy garments praise Him!
Tremble before Him, all the earth; among the nations raise Him!
The earth is fixed, it will not move; the peoples will His justice prove –
exalt the Lord and praise Him!

Let heaven sing with lusty voice; let earth and sea sing sweetly!
Let fields and trees in Him rejoice, for He is coming swiftly
to judge the world in righteousness, the peoples in His faithfulness –
He comes; exalt Him greatly!

T. M. Moore

The Gospel of Matthew will help us grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Two companion books can supplement our study of Matthew. To Know Him examines what it means to belong to Jesus and to love and serve Him (click here), while Be Thou My Vision enables us to gain an even larger perspective on Jesus (click here).

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).