Hey everybody! Thank you for taking the time to join me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, then I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, then I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. Today, we continue the preaching of John the Baptist and learn about the baptism of fire. Day 18: Matthew 3:11 — The Preaching of John the Baptist Matthew 3:11 (NASB1995) “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Intro Matthew began his gospel by laying the foundation that Jesus is the Messiah. Now, we are at the precipice of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but first, we read about the prophecy-fulfilling preaching of John the Baptist. The gospel of Luke gives far more details about John the Baptist’s life and ministry, while Matthew focuses more on John’s message: Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand! Historical Context Matthew 3 covers John the Baptist’s preaching throughout the Judean wilderness. His preaching was radical, attracting attacks from the synagogue and political leaders. While the gospel of Luke provides far more details about John and his ministry, Matthew emphasizes John’s message about repentance, God’s plan for salvation, and His judgment. Discussion Yesterday, we read about God’s judgment and learned what happens to the unrepentant who do not bear fruit. Those who do not bear good fruit—by leading holy, faithful lives—will be cut and thrown into the fire, like dead branches are cut from a tree and burned. While God will judge all people, both the repentant and the unrepentant, only those who genuinely repent will avoid His fiery wrath. John explains that God’s judgment is not just coming in the future tense, but is already here. He references the prophet Isaiah in his symbolism. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees” (v. 10a), referring to God’s impending judgment. This is a reference the religious leaders would have understood. While there are many interpretations of today’s passage preached today, I believe it is not homonymic (having multiple meanings), especially when read in context. John describes his baptism at the beginning of the passage. His baptism is a water baptism of repentance, a public confession of faith symbolizing a person’s transformed life from ungodly living to godly living. All who want to escape from God’s wrath must repent. John then distinguishes between himself and Jesus, clarifying that he is not the Messiah. Some say John clarifies because Jews mistook him for the Messiah. But John emphatically refutes this, declaring that he is nothing compared to the One true Messiah: “He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals.” Mentioning the Messiah’s sandals is notable because only the poorest and filthiest people wore them. To say that he was not worthy to even remove the Messiah’s sandals says something, as only the lowliest servant removed one’s sandals. John also distinguishes between his baptism and the Messiah’s. His being a water baptism of repentance, while Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. This is where we have a variety of interpretations. Many teach this ‘fire’ as the fire of the Holy Spirit or a Holy Spirit fire baptism. They also link this passage to the Pentecost event, where the Holy Spirit fell ‘as of’ tongues of fire. But that is not what the text is saying, implying, or connecting. This fire is not a fire imparting spiritual gifts, but an eternally unquenchable fire. I go into far more detail about this exact passage here. To get the full picture, we must read vs. 10-12 together: “10 The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” We will discuss v. 12 in more detail tomorrow. But as we see, the ‘fire’ mentioned in (3:10, 12) is talking about judgment for the unrepentant. In v. 11, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for the believing and repentant, while the baptism of fire in v. 11 is for the unbelieving and unrepentant. Some say the fire baptism references the refinement, or sanctification, that believers go through after coming to saving faith in Christ. In this case, I believe there is some room for homonymic interpretation. But it is a poor interpretation to say this baptism of fire refers to Pentecost, as they are indeed separate. For reference, there is no mention of fire related to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as shown in these verses from Pentecost in Acts, which mention John's baptism: Acts 1:4-5 “4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 11:15-16 “15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ While a believer’s journey of sanctification is like a refining fire, this baptism of fire more aligns with the interpretation of judgment fire against the wicked and unbelieving, which is consistent with the rest of the passage. Tomorrow, we will conclude the preaching of John the Baptist and learn more about this fire. Application This passage is not speaking of a Pentecost Holy Spirit baptism, so let’s apply it correctly. John has broken the seal of complacency among the Jews listening to him. Salvation is no longer for just the Jews, and they must change their ways for the coming of the Messiah. The consequence of continued disobedience is God’s wrath. This truth echoes throughout time, as we stand today awaiting our judgment, too. Will your judgment be one of righteousness in Christ or one of judgment fire for the wicked? This message pierces the heart, which is good! If you are in Christ, then let it refine and sanctify you to become more Christlike. Let it break the wall of complacency and lead you to a fruitful life. John’s message is heavy, but so is the yoke of unrepentant sin. Thankfully, we do not need to bear the yoke of sin that hinders us. We can receive Christ and be born again, freeing us from the bondage and guilt of sin that leads to judgment fire. Instead, let us boldly approach the throne of grace and receive help in our time of need. Thank you, Father, for sending Jesus to save us from our sins. Thank you for the gift of repentance and saving faith that transforms us into a new creation. Thank you for leading us to produce good fruit. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Tomorrow, we will read Matthew 3:12. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please please please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, please reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together!
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