Read: Matthew 3
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Matthew introduces us to John the Baptist and spends a large portion of this chapter describing John and his ministry. There are reasons for this: 1) The Old Testament stated that a forerunner of the promised Savior/Messiah would appear in the wilderness to "prepare the way for the Lord" (verse 3), and Matthew is again showing his target audience of Jewish people that the coming of Jesus fulfilled Scripture; 2) John the Baptist was held in such great esteem in the 1st century AD that many living in the region of Judea thought HE was the Messiah, but Matthew reminds us that John himself said another was coming after him, "whose sandals I am not worthy to carry" (verse 11). John prepared the way for Jesus by introducing the main theme that Jesus would preach: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (verse 2), and by baptizing people with water for repentance (verse 11), which was a ministry carried forward by Jesus and His disciples. It's important to note that repentance is not simply saying we're sorry for our sins or feeling better because we confessed our sinfulness...the word "repent" literally means "to turn." Repentance is the commitment to embark on a new life direction, something that the Pharisees and Sadducees (the official religious establishment and "political parties" of the Jewish people in that day) believed they did not need to do. John the Baptist clearly did not think Jesus needed to repent; in fact, he felt Jesus should baptize him! But Jesus came to John for baptism "to fulfill all righteousness" (verse 15), which simply meant that it was God's will. Jesus' humility in obeying God and identifying with sinful people who needed baptism is an important lesson in who He is and who we are called to be as His followers. The descent of the Spirit of God upon Jesus and the affirming voice from heaven following His baptism bring a final "amen" to the fact that Jesus is, indeed, God's Son, "whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (verse 17).
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