Matthew 3

1          In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

2          And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3          For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4          And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

5          Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

6          And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

7          But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8          Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

9          And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

10        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.

11        I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

12        Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Repentance in Matthew 3:2

            And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Subject called to repentance:           John the Baptist's audience

Object of that repentance:                In five more verses, by verses 7-9, John the Baptist is clearly telling the scribes and Pharisees to repent of their religiosity.  However, it would be improper to read this object back into the context and apply it to John's audience in general.  When a preacher preaches to the masses, every person there has his own unique issues to which the message can be applied.  It is very clear that John's words to the Pharisees and Sadducees were directed exclusively to them in light of their own religious experiences and beliefs.  We know that John's ministry was to declare Jesus.  There are basically two possible interpretations to the object of repentance in this verse:  a)  the object is unstated, or b)  the object of repentance is identical to the purpose of repentance . . . "for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  The people of Judaea were called to change their mind from complacency to expectation, for the Messiah . . .  for he was in their midst.

Consequence of that repentance:                The consequence is not stated immediately.  However, the overall context of the ten verses from Matthew 3:2-12 (discussed in the next two entries as well) demonstrates that eternal salvation is clearly the primary consequence of repentance in this ten verse passage of Matthew.  Other consequences, such as fellowship with God, are possible, but are not stated within the general context.

Repentance in Matthew 3:8

Quote:

7          Who warned thee to flee from the wrath to come?

8          Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

9          And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father:  for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Subject who is called to repentance:            Pharisees and Sadducees

Object of that repentance:                            Their belief that their Jewish heritage as Abraham's descendents was a significant factor in their escaping the wrath of God on judgment day.

Consequence of that repentance:                By truly repenting, they would avoiding the "wrath to come."  These men held their confidence for eternal life in that they were descendants of Abraham.  As such, they faced eternal damnation.  If they hoped to avoid God's judgment, they needed to change their confidence from a religion-based-salvation ("We have Abraham to our father,") to a messianic based hope of eternal redemption.  Unfortunately, from John's reaction, it is clear that they simply saw the rite of baptism by John as yet one more thing they could do to gain favor with God.  Verses 10-12 clarify that the "wrath to come" is not simply "temporal judgment" on the nation of Israel.  The reference to "unquenchable fire" in vs. 12 is plainly hell.  The interplay between "good fruit" and "bad fruit," between "wheat" and "chaff" and between baptism "by the Holy Spirit" and baptism "unquenchable fire" is a delineation between the saved and the lost.  Any other interpretation is strained at best.  John tells the Pharisees to bring forth fruit, and tells his audience that trees that bring forth bad fruit are case into fire . . . unquenchable fire.

Repentance in Matthew 3:11

10        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.

11        I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

12        Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Subject being called to repentance:               Those who were baptized by John the Baptist.

Object from which they are to repent:           Not stated, nor even implied by the context.

Consequence of that repentance:                  The passage segregates two groups of men, "wheat" and "chaff."  One is baptized by the Holy Ghost, and gathered into the barn.  The other group is burned up with unquenchable fire.  The context strongly suggests, that repentance is related to which of these two fates awaited the hearers of John's message.

Repentance in Matthew 3