John the Baptist, Part 1: Preparing the Way

Before we begin

Who was Matthew?

Matthew was not simply one of Jesus’ disciples. Before following Jesus he was a tax collector — a profession that required keeping records and working within the multilingual world of first-century Judea, where Jewish, Greek, and Roman culture met. He was likely more literate than many people around him.

His Gospel is deeply rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. Again and again he quotes the prophets, echoes earlier biblical stories, and includes details that would catch the attention of anyone who knew the Scriptures well. A location may matter. A piece of clothing may matter. A phrase may point back to a prophet.

Jewish readers might call this remez — a hint that invites the hearer to recall a larger biblical passage or theme. When Matthew introduces John, he tells us where John preached, what he wore, what he ate, what words he used, what he did at the Jordan, and what Scriptures his ministry fulfilled.

Not only “What is John saying?” but “What is Matthew trying to make us remember?”

Section 1 · Matthew 3:1

John appears in the wilderness

John does not begin preaching in Jerusalem. He is in the wilderness — and that matters. Throughout Scripture, the wilderness is where God encounters, speaks to, forms, and tests His people.

• Moses and Israel in the wilderness
• Israel receiving the Law at Sinai
• Israel being tested in the wilderness
• Elijah in the wilderness
• Jesus Himself tested in the wilderness (Matthew 4)

Key idea: There is a traditional Hebrew association between midbar (wilderness) and davar (word). In the wilderness, distractions and securities are stripped away and people must learn to hear God. God is speaking again — and Israel needs to come out and listen.

Read: Matthew 3:1 (opens in a new tab)

Section 2 · Matthew 3:2–3

John announces a new Exodus

This comes from Isaiah 40. Isaiah pictures God coming to His people: valleys raised, mountains lowered, crooked ground made straight — and “the glory of the LORD shall be revealed.”

John is saying: that time has arrived. The Lord is coming. Prepare yourselves. And the preparation John demands is not road construction. It is repentance.

Key idea: John is announcing something like a new Exodus. God is once again coming to deliver His people — but before they can follow Him, their hearts must be prepared.

Read: Matthew 3:2–3 (opens in a new tab) · Isaiah 40:3–5 (opens in a new tab)

Section 3 · Matthew 3:4

Why is John dressed like that?

Why tell us that? Because Scripture has described someone like this before. Elijah is identified this way:

The point is not unusual fashion. Matthew is making our Old Testament radar go off: John looks like Elijah. And that matters because of the final prophecy in Malachi:

Jesus later makes the connection explicit:

Key idea: John is not simply a strange preacher in the desert. He is the prophetic messenger promised before the arrival of the Lord.

Read: Matthew 3:4 (opens in a new tab) · 2 Kings 1:8 (opens in a new tab) · Malachi 4:5–6 (opens in a new tab) · Matthew 11:14 (opens in a new tab)

Section 4 · Matthew 3:5–6, 11

Preparing the people through repentance

John’s message is simple: “Repent.” And people respond — they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. The water itself points toward something bigger.

Ezekiel 36 promised: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean… I will give you a new heart… I will put my Spirit within you.”

Notice the movement: water → cleansing → new heart → Spirit. John baptizes with water. But someone greater is coming.

Read: Matthew 3:5–6, 11 (opens in a new tab) · Ezekiel 36:25–27 (opens in a new tab)

Section 5 · Matthew 3:11

The greater One is coming

John’s baptism can prepare and symbolize repentance. But the Messiah will do something John cannot: He will give the Spirit. God had promised, “I will pour out my Spirit” (Ezekiel 39:29; Joel 2:28). This ultimately points forward to Pentecost in Acts 2.

Read: Matthew 3:11 (opens in a new tab) · Joel 2:28 (opens in a new tab) · Acts 2 (opens in a new tab)

Section 6 · Matthew 3:7–12

John’s message also contains judgment

To the Pharisees and Sadducees John says: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

The Messiah’s winnowing fork is in His hand. The wheat will be gathered; the chaff burned. John expects both salvation and judgment — and that becomes important later.

Read: Matthew 3:7–12 (opens in a new tab)

Section 7 · Matthew 3:13–17

Jesus arrives

Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan and asks John to baptize Him. John recognizes the problem: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus does not need to repent.

The heavens open, the Spirit descends, and the Father speaks:

Key idea: John’s entire ministry points away from himself and toward Jesus. John prepared the road. The King has arrived.

Read: Matthew 3:13–17 (opens in a new tab)

Discussion

1. Why does Matthew tell us what John was wearing?
   The clothing connects John with Elijah, helping us recognize him as the promised Elijah-like messenger preparing the way of the Lord.
2. Why is John in the wilderness?
   The wilderness is associated with God’s speaking, testing, formation, Exodus, and preparation. John calls Israel back there because God is beginning something new.
3. What does John’s baptism represent?
   Repentance and preparation. His water baptism points forward to the greater cleansing and renewal the Messiah brings through the Holy Spirit.
4. Why is John so harsh toward the Pharisees and Sadducees?
   Outward religious identity is not enough. “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” Even descent from Abraham cannot substitute for genuine repentance.

Up next

John prepared the road, and the King has arrived. But from prison, John will soon ask a question no one expected.

Continue to Part 2: Matthew 11