1534 | MattheW 3:8
said to them : “ You brood of vi pers ! Who warned you to flee from the com ing wrath ? 8 Pro duce fruit in keep ing with re pen tance . 9 And do not think you can say to your selves , ‘ We have Abra ham as our fa ther .’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up chil dren for Abra ham . 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees , and ev ery tree that does not pro duce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire .
11
“ I bap tize you with a wa ter for re pen tance . But af ter me comes one who is more pow er ful than I , whose san dals I am not wor thy to car ry . He will bap tize you with a the Holy Spir it and fire . 12 His win now ing fork is in his hand , and he will clear his thresh ing floor , gath er ing his wheat into the barn and burn ing up the chaff with un quench able fire .”
The Baptism of Jesus
3:13-17pp — Mk 1:9-11 ; Lk 3:21,22 ; Jn 1:31-34 him , say ing , “ I need to be bap tized by you , and do you come to me ?”
15
Jesus re plied , “ Let it be so now ; it is prop er for us to do this to ful fill all righ teous ness .” Then John con sent ed .
16
As soon as Jesus was bap tized , he went up out of the wa ter . At that mo ment heav en was opened , and he saw the Spir it of God de scend ing like a dove and alight ing on him . 17 And a voice from heav en said , “ This is my Son , whom I love ; with him I am well pleased .”
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
4:1-11pp — Mk 1:12,13 ; Lk 4:1-13
4
Then Jesus was led by the Spir it into the wilder ness to be tempt ed b by the dev il . 2 Af ter fast ing for ty days and for ty nights , he was hun gry .
3
The tempt er came to him and said , “ If you are the Son of God , tell these stones to be come bread .”
|
13
Then Jesus came from Gal i lee to the Jor dan
|
|
|
to be bap tized by John . 14 But John tried to de ter |
a
11 Or in
|
b
1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested .
|
to John . See note on Jn 1:24 ; note on Mk 12:18 . See the table “ Major Groups in Jesus ’ Time ” on p . 1630 . brood of vipers This phrase could be a generic insult ; it also might allude to the Jewish leaders ’ cunning . 3:8 fruit in keeping with repentance Refers to deeds that show true contrition . 3:9 We have Abraham as our father See note on Lk 3:8 . 3:10 The ax is already at the root of the trees An image of impending judgment ( compare Mt 7:17 – 20 ). fire A symbol of divine wrath . See note on Lk 3:9 . 3:11 sandals I am not worthy to carry See note on Lk 3:16 . baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire See note on Lk 3:16 . 3:12 winnowing See note on Ru 3:2 . This image shows that there is nothing arbitrary about judgment : The good , solid grain falls to the threshing floor , while the dry , empty chaff is blown away ( see Isa 64:6 ; compare Jn 12:47 – 48 ). See the infographic “ A Threshing Floor ” on p . 497 .
3:13 – 17 Jesus comes from Galilee to be baptized by John ( compare 2:22 ). At first John refuses , but Jesus convinces him that it is necessary . After Jesus comes up out of the water , a voice from heaven and a manifestation of the Spirit signal that he is ready to begin his public ministry .
3:15 to fulfill all righ teous ness John ’ s baptism for repentance was a means of identification with the kingdom of God . Although Jesus — the sinless Son of God — had nothing for which to repent , he publicly identified with God ’ s kingdom through his baptism . Then John consented John , in his role as a prophet , has been accepting or rejecting people seeking baptism . Here the roles are reversed for the first time . John only dares to baptize Jesus because Jesus commands him to do so . 3:16 heaven was opened A standard prophetic image ( e . g ., Eze 1:1 ). he saw The referent of “ he ” is unclear . Here and in Mark , it seems to refer to Jesus .
Jesus ’ Early Life and Ministry ( continued )
Jesus begins preaching in Galilee .
Jesus is rejected at Nazareth . Jesus calls four fishermen .
Jesus preaches and heals
Jesus heals Peter ’ s throughout Galilee . mother-in-law and many others in Capernaum .
Jesus teaches a crowd from a boat .
Jesus heals an official ’ s son .
Jesus moves to Capernaum .
Jesus teaches with authority in Capernaum .
Jesus prays alone .
Jesus heals a man with leprosy .
Jesus provides a miraculous catch of fish .