Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven Is Near

Matthew 3:1-17, Key Verse: 3:2

“…and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”

1. (Book introduction) Read Matthew 1:1. What does the author claim about Jesus? What is the prophetic significance of the title “the son of David” (2Sa 7:12-13)? Read 1:21-23. What did the angel tell Joseph that Jesus would accomplish? How is the prophecy of “Immanuel” fulfilled in Jesus? Read Matthew 2:2. What does the Magi’s visit show us further about Jesus’ identity and his relation to Gentiles?

2. Read Chapter 3 verses 1-3. Where did John the Baptist preach? What was his message? What does it mean to repent? What does it mean that the kingdom of heaven has come near? How was John’s mission described by Isaiah’s prophecy? (3; Isa 40:3)

3. Read verses 4-6. What does John’s lifestyle show about him? How did the people respond to him? What does this show about them? How did John’s baptism prepare the way for Jesus?

4. Read verses 7-10. Why did John rebuke the religious leaders? What were they proud of? Why was this pride groundless? What evidence of real faith does God seek in his people? What happens to those who do not repent?

5. Read verses 11-12. How did John witness to Jesus? What is the difference in John’s baptism and the baptism of Jesus? What does it mean that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit? With fire?

6. Read verses 13-15. Why did Jesus come to be baptized by John? What does “to fulfill all righteousness” mean? What does this show about Jesus? Read verses 16-17. What happened? How did God witness to Jesus? Why was God pleased with Jesus?

Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven Is Near

Matthew 3:1-17, Key Verse: 3:2

“…and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”

Welcome to Matthew’s gospel! With a new school year we are starting a new book, the Gospel according to Matthew, because we want to see Jesus and his glory. We’re pausing our 2 Samuel study, but as we’ll see there is a deep continuity between what we learned about David and Jesus. In today’s passage we’ll see how John the Baptist fulfilled the Scripture to be the one to prepare the way before the Messiah. So what kind of preparations did John make? As we’ll see, he primarily preached repentance. It’s significant that Jesus’ coming was prepared, and the gospel work began in the world, through repentance. Repentance is also the beginning of the gospel work in each person’s life individually. As we start Matthew’s gospel, let’s pray to learn how repentance can bring the kingdom of heaven near to us.

I. Who is Jesus in Matthew’s gospel? (Matthew 1 & 2)

We are starting our Matthew’s gospel study in Chapter 3 because we want to get quickly into Jesus’ public ministry—his own words and deeds. We will return to Chapters 1 and 2 as part of our Christmas Bible studies. But today, we do want to briefly want to look at some verses from Chapters 1 and 2, to see what Matthew tells us right at the beginning about who Jesus is and what he does. In fact, he gives us the gospel from Chapter 1 verse 1, which says “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.” As all four gospels do, Matthew unequivocally states that Jesus is the Messiah, or Christ, the Savior for whom all God’s people were waiting for. Jesus is the one. Matthew then gives a genealogy of Jesus to show how he was the fulfillment of God’s promise kept down through the generations of God’s people. 

The title “Son of David” has special meaning for us, because we were just studying about King David last week! Msn. Paul’s message showed us how, when David expressed desire to build a house for God in Jerusalem, God came to him and said no, this would be done through David’s offspring. More than that, God gave David an unspeakably glorious promise. In 2 Samuel 7:12-13 the Lord says, “When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” It was David’s son Solomon who built the first temple in Jerusalem, but as years passed, Israel clearly understood that the promise given to David was really about the Messiah, who would be an eternal king. “Son of David” even became a title for the awaited Messiah. Among the four gospels, Matthew is the one that puts the most emphasis on Jesus as “King.” Jesus is the promised king to come from David’s line. 

Matthew Chapter 1 also tells us about what Jesus would accomplish. After Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, the angel came and told her fiancee Joseph: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (1:21) Jesus would not do the normal kind of business that earthly kings do. Of course, many people throughout history have hoped a king would save them from all kinds of problems and enemies. But King Jesus saves us from our ultimate problem, which is our sins. 

There’s one more thing to point out from Matthew Chapter 2. Not long after Jesus was born, Magi, who may have been Babylonian or Persian astrologers, came a long way to visit him. They asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (2:2) The fact that these Magi understood the meaning of the star shows us that Jesus’ kingship is not just for Jews but for all people, and that in his divine identity Jesus is humanity’s true object of worship. 

I think it’s important that Matthew says who Jesus is clearly from the beginning of his gospel. He wants us to know that this Jesus we are reading about is the one we can put all our faith and hope in. So let’s go ahead with studying this book to see in detail how Jesus can be our personal Savior-King.

II. John’s ministry of repentance (3:1-10)

Look at verses 1 and 2. “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Matthew’s gospel doesn’t give any background on John the Baptist, but Luke’s gospel tells us that he was the son of a godly priest named Zechariah and his wife. They were childless for many years, but in their old age God gave them the blessing to be the parents of a boy, who was prophesied to be “great in the sight of the Lord” (Lk 1:15). John must have grown up in or near Jerusalem, being educated by his parents in the Scriptures. But after he grew up, at some point he began to live a solitary life in the Judean wilderness, away from civilization. 

Why did he do this? This was God’s way for John to prepare the message he was called to give to God’s people. John needed to spend time separated from all the influence of his times and culture so that he could purely listen to the word of God. When his time of preparation was finished, John began his preaching ministry, going out to the roadside to meet travelers to Jerusalem. Maybe at first people were frightened by him or even laughed at him. But when people heard what John had to say, they were cut to the heart, and they began to tell others about him. Soon more and more people were coming out to hear John, and disciples even began to follow him, as we see in the other gospels. 

What was John’s message? Look at verse 2 again. “…and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” The content of John’s preaching was a command for his hearers to repent. What does it mean to repent, anyway? Repentance starts from a deep conviction that something we’re doing or some way we’re living is wrong in the sight of God. We feel deep sorrow as we realize just how wrong our way of thinking and acting has been. Then, we respond to this conviction by deciding to change our life. Repentance is not just temporarily feeling bad about something we did, but a real change that comes our spiritual eyes being opened to see ourselves before God. A word closely associated with repentance is “turning”: in repentance we turn away from our sinful life and turn toward God. In preaching repentance, John the Baptist also heard people confess their sins, as a public commitment to forsake those sinful behaviors. One powerful description of repentance is given in the prophet Isaiah’s command in Isaiah 1:16-17: “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. ¹⁷ Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” This also shows that real repentance is not just stopping doing wicked acts, but starting to do good ones. 

As you can see, real repentance is not easy. Why did John think it was so urgent to preach repentance at that time? Because, he says in verse 2, “the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Something really big was about to happen. The kingdom of heaven coming near can be seen as both as a hopeful anticipation and as a warning. On the hopeful side, the kingdom of heaven represents the chance to enter a new life—in a word, salvation. But on the flip side, the kingdom of heaven coming also means judgment. John is clear that without repentance, people would not be found on the right side when this kingdom came. We know the kingdom of heaven coming near is about Jesus. It is Jesus Christ who brings the kingdom of heaven to the world and to our hearts. Since Jesus came, the kingdom of heaven is indeed near and accessible to each of us. 

In verse 3 Matthew shows us that John’s ministry fulfills a key prophecy of Scripture. It says, “This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”’” John’s ministry was a crucial part of God’s salvation plan, because his ministry of repentance prepared the way for the Lord, for the coming of the Messiah. John gave his whole life to live out the calling that he saw in these words, in some very literal ways as well. Verse 4 says, “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.” With this rough clothing style, John would remind people of the prophet Elijah, who also called the people of Israel to repentance. John ate locusts and wild honey because that’s what he could forage living out in the wilderness. He had basically no earthly comforts. In all this, John purposely demonstrated a way of life that does not follow the pattern of this world. John’s lifestyle itself is a rebuke to people whose lives are centered around making more money or climbing some social ladder.

Because John was devoted in this way, his teaching of repentance had authority, and people responded to it. Verses 5 and 6 say, “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” We might be surprised that so many people responded to such a harsh message. But when people saw John’s consecrated life and clear message, they could not deny that God was calling to them. Even today, there are people all around us who in their hearts really want to repent and have a new start in life. If they are humble, they will respond to God’s command of repentance. When a person came to John to confess and forsake their sins, John would baptize them in the Jordan River. Being baptized was a public expression of their repentance and desire to have a new start, and also a pledge of God’s faithfulness to wash away his people’s sins. By this, people’s hearts were well prepared to receive the grace of salvation in Jesus.

John heard confessions from and baptized all kinds of sinners. But when the people who were supposedly the holy ones in Israel came out to see John, he had the harshest words for them. Look at verse 7. “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?’” John didn’t even try not to be offensive. Why was he so harsh with them? 

The Pharisees and Sadducees were the two main parties of the leaders of the Jewish establishment. As priests and teachers of the Law, they were the stewards of all Jewish religious life. They knew the Scriptures in great detail and were called to be spiritual guides for their people. But many of them had lost the spirit of God’s calling for them, falling into pride and selfishness. Instead of using their Bible knowledge to serve others, they became proud and demanded to be served. They lived luxurious lives with the offering money that they took, and despised the struggles of ordinary people. Though they thought they were “in good” with God, in fact they were under harsher judgment than obvious sinners, because by claiming to be holy while actually being something else, AKA hypocrisy, they actually led people away from God. People might look at a Pharisee and think, “If this is what people who are close to God are like, maybe I don’t need to be close to God.” 

John points to the religious leaders’ pride problem when he says in verse 9, “And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.’” Nobody’s human ancestry guarantees their salvation. John warned the religious leaders that their judgment was imminent. He said, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (10) This could be seen as a prophecy of the destruction of the temple that happened in 70 AD. 

Pride is the sin that makes it hardest to repent, and spiritual pride is the most nefarious kind of pride. Still, John did not condemn the religious leaders without hope. John was preaching repentance to them as well, in a way specifically made to cut through their hypocrisy. Let’s back up a little and look at verse 8, which was John’s command to the Pharisees and Sadducees. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” From these religious leaders, a mere verbal expression of repentance would not be enough. They already knew all the right words to say to sound humble and repentant. But God was looking for some results of repentance in their lives. From those to whom much is given, much is expected. God wanted the Pharisees and Sadducees to start living as shepherds. 

Thank God that we can see fruit of repentance among us, in our ministry. Recently there has been fruit of repentance as young disciples have repented in action by practically changing their living situation. I don’t want to embarrass anybody by naming who it is, but if you know about it you are amazed to see fruit of repentance. Seeing that is our greatest joy in ministry. Of course, repentance is not always that visible; it can be inward too. But if it’s real it always produces a change that blesses the people around us.

There is so much that’s worthy of our imitation from John the Baptist’s ministry. Not everyone is called to live in the wilderness and eat locusts. But when we build our lifestyle on the word of God and are devoted to the salvation mission in the way God has shown it to us, our lives will have a great impact. In fact, all ministry is the ministry of repentance, even if it’s not explicitly preaching it, because whatever we, we do to open people’s hearts to God. If we pray and seek for the ministry of repentance to be carried out through us, then God will use us like he used the John the Baptist’s ministry, to open the way for Jesus to come into students’ hearts.

III. John’s testimony and God’s testimony about Jesus (11-17)

John had a powerful and effective ministry. He himself could have been tempted to become proud or enjoy people’s admiration for himself. But he did not do that. Rather, he used his influence to fulfill his mission by pointing people to Jesus. Look at verses 11 and 12. “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 

Here John explains how much greater Jesus is than himself in terms of baptism. John says that his baptism is water baptism, which was mainly an expression of repentance toward God. But Jesus baptizes people with the Holy Spirit and fire. Unlike water baptism, baptism with the Holy Spirit has real power to cleanse us on the inside from our sin-sickness and give us a new life. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a new kind of power in this world of sin. We cannot change people, but the Holy Spirit can. 

Why does John say Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit “and with fire”? The cleansing work of the Holy Spirit can be compared to fire; in fact, in Acts chapter 2 the Holy Spirit is visibly manifested as tongues of fire that come on the apostles. However, here, when John the Baptist is talking about a baptism of fire, he is talking about judgment. John testified that Jesus is the judge of all people. Like a farmer with a winnowing fork, making one pile of good wheat and another pile of useless chaff, the inedible part of the wheat, Jesus separates the repentant from the unrepentant for all eternity. John is saying that, one way or another, everybody will be baptized. who are not baptized with the Holy Spirit will be baptized with another kind of fire—the fire of judgment.

John’s testimony about Jesus is awe-inspiring and a little bit terrifying. Are we ready to meet now? Here he comes. Let’s look at verses 13 and 14. “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’” Surprisingly, Jesus did not fly in with peals of thunder but humbly came up to John to be baptized. John may have known who Jesus was from previous acquaintance. But it was by the Holy Spirit that John recognized Jesus as his Lord. John knew that Jesus did not need a baptism of repentance, because he had no sin. But Jesus said, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (15). Basically, Jesus is telling John that he is not wrong, but that being baptized is the right thing to do. 

Why was it right for Jesus’ to be baptized? We can see why from the result. Look at verses 16 and 17. “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.” When Jesus humbly obeyed God by being baptized, it became an event of very great significance. It became Jesus’ anointing with power to begin his ministry. The Holy Spirit of God descended on Jesus visibly like a dove. This shows that Jesus in his ministry was doing everything by the power of the Spirit. A dove is the symbol of purity and also reconciliation. Through Jesus, God would make peace with his estranged children, the lost human race. 

Also, God the Father himself spoke from heaven. “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” At Jesus’ baptism God testified to Jesus’ identity as his son. Because God was well or fully pleased with Jesus, we can learn God fully from everything Jesus says and does. At Jesus’ baptism, all three members of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, were seen or heard together, to make a testimony for us to believe. 

How incredible it is that heaven opened and the Trinity was manifested at Jesus’ baptism. What could be a clearer sign that now the kingdom of heaven had come near? When Jesus came and began to work, it’s like a link was established between heaven and earth. From this point forward, through Jesus’ ministry, the seed of the kingdom of heaven began to be sown and to spread in people’s hearts. The world would never be the same.

And so, in Matthew’s gospel John the Baptist will fade into the background as Jesus takes the spotlight that he deserves. John was so happy because he could prepare the way for Jesus, God’s Son, and then see his glory. We can have the same joy as him when we prepare the way for Jesus and then see heaven open through one person’s salvation. Let’s pray to engage in the same glorious ministry as John the Baptist, preaching the message of repentance and introducing people to Jesus, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Then we will see the best kind of fruit.