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Matthew 3:2
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John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 In those days aJohn the Baptist came preaching bin the wilderness of Judea,  
2 and saying, “Repent, for athe kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
a“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
b‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”  
4 Now aJohn himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was blocusts and cwild honey.  
5 aThen Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him  
6 aand were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.  
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, a“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from bthe wrath to come?  
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
9 and do not think to say to yourselves, a‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  
10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. aTherefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  
Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
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Matthew 3:2

And saying, Repent ye—Though the word strictly denotes a change of mind, it has respect here (and wherever it is used in connection with salvation) primarily to that sense of sin which leads the sinner to flee from the wrath to come, to look for relief only from above, and eagerly to fall in with the provided remedy.

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand—This sublime phrase, used in none of the other Gospels, occurs in this peculiarly Jewish Gospel nearly thirty times; and being suggested by Daniel's grand vision of the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of days, to receive His investiture in a world-wide kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14), it was fitted at once both to meet the national expectations and to turn them into the right channel. A kingdom for which repentance was the proper preparation behooved to be essentially spiritual. Deliverance from sin, the great blessing of Christ's kingdom (Matthew 1:21), can be valued by those only to whom sin is a burden (Matthew 9:12). John's great work, accordingly, was to awaken this feeling and hold out the hope of a speedy and precious remedy.




Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Matthew 3:2:

Isaiah 56:1
Daniel 2:44
Matthew 3:1
Matthew 5:3
Matthew 10:7
Mark 1:1
Mark 1:3
Hebrews 12:25

 

<< Matthew 3:1   Matthew 3:3 >>

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