Matthew 3 explained: John Prepares the Way for Jesus

A voice in the wilderness (vv. 1-3)

John urges people to turn their lives around because God's rule is arriving. Matthew links him to Isaiah's picture of a herald clearing a road before a coming king.

Clothes, food and crowds (vv. 4-6)

His camel hair clothing and leather belt recall the old prophet Elijah, and locusts and wild honey were food for poor people living off the land. Crowds came to be dipped in the Jordan River while admitting their wrongs, a public sign of a fresh start.

Warning to religious leaders (vv. 7-10)

John calls the Pharisees, strict teachers of the law, and the Sadducees, a powerful priestly group, a nest of snakes and demands a life that shows real change. Being descended from Abraham, the nation's founding father, will not protect anyone, because like a tree a person is judged by its fruit.

The one coming after (vv. 11-12)

Carrying someone's sandals was a lowly servant's job, so John says he is not worthy even of that next to the one coming. That person will bring God's Spirit and fire, pictured as a farmer separating grain from husks and burning the husks, a stark image of judgment that some also read as cleansing.

Jesus asks to be baptized (vv. 13-15)

John protests that he should be baptized by Jesus, not the other way around. Jesus says it is right to do this, and while the exact sense is debated, it seems to mean doing all that God asks and standing alongside the people.

The Spirit and the voice (vv. 16-17)

The Spirit comes down like a dove, and a voice calls Jesus God's beloved Son, words that echo Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42. Christians read this scene as showing Father, Son and Spirit present together.

Key verse: Matthew 3:17

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on why Jesus, whom they believe was without sin, chose to be baptized: to set an example, to stand with sinful people, or to mark the start of his public work.

Something to think about

What would it take for you to believe that someone had genuinely changed?