What Was The Meaning of John's Baptism? Matthew 3:7-12

 

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?  

The Pharisees and Sadducees were the two groups of leaders that were supposed to shepherd the people of Israel.  The Pharisees tended to be legalist and tied heavy burdens on people and offered not a finger to help them lift them. They also held their traditions on par with the scriptures and added several restrictions. Worst of all they were hypocritical and failed to practice the same things they taught others.  

The Sadducees were more elitist and moved away from a simple, literal view of scriptures to their own highly subjective interpretations.  They erred on the side of thinking they were above the law because of their sophistication. 

But both groups were guilty of coming to be baptized merely to make a show in public.  They didn't understand the true nature of John's baptism as we will soon see.  John mentions God's wrath, but the Jews usually reserved that for other heathen nations not them. 

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 

The fruit of repentance was a changed life.  It was not merely false platitudes but a change of mind leading to a change of behavior.  In the New Testament Paul says, "It's your kindness that leads to repentance."  Romans 2:8 

 “Many Pharisees and Sadducees may have come for baptism with the ostentation that characterized their other religious activities… they were showing the world how ready they were for Messiah, though they had not truly repented.” (Carson) John reminded them that real repentance will show itself in life. It has to be a matter of living repentance, not just talking repentance. (Guzik)

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. 

The Jewish people were children of Abraham and children of the covenant, but they used this as an excuse to be complacent to actually living out the spirit of the covenant as God's holy and separate people.  It is not as though he is diminshing the importance of God's covenant with Abraham which applied to all Jewish people, but part of the covenant was living in obedience to God's commands as a sign that they were God's children.  

The Jewish people presumed that since God had made a covenant with them they would not be accountable.  Though God chose the particular person of Abraham to enter into a covenant with, God has at his disposal many means of grace for all people.  God could create humans out of dust, he used the stones of the Jordan as a sign for future generations of his faithfulness.  John was likely referring to the stones at his feet which were near the Jordan river. 

10 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.

This definitely a warning of judgment.  God had been incredibly patient with them, but the time was at hand that each person would be judged according. "As if he had said, God now once more offers you his grace in and through his Son, which, if you refuse, he will no longer bear with you." (Benson)

Remember he is not talking about being justified through works, he is telling them to repent from trusting in themselves and being truly sorry for their sin.  They would be either judged on their own merits, or judged whether they repented and turned to Christ for forgiveness.  Those are the only two options. 

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  

John's baptism was a water baptism that symbolized the washing externally as a result of turning from their sins.  But it had no inherent power.  It was a preparatory baptism administered by a human being.  But Jesus was coming in great power to baptize with the Holy Spirit which had the power to cleanse them from the inside and regenerate within them a brand new heart.  Fire was a symbol of cleansing and purifying.  The fire would burn up the chaff some only the good wheat remained.  

12 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.” 

Chaff is the worthless residue of a wheat stalk after the kernel of grain has been removed. These proud and unrepentant leaders were just as useless to God. (Guzik) 

“A winnowing fork tossed both unto the air. The wind blew the chaff away, and the heavier grain fell to be gathered up from the ground. The scattered chaff was swept up and burned and the threshing floor cleared.” (Carson)

Again the Jewish leaders thought judgment was for everyone else, especially the Gentiles, but John says judgment begins at the house of the Lord.

Do you think this passage applies to Christians who have repented and trusted Christ as their Savior?  Is repentance one-time? Or ongoing?  If is it ongoing what does it look like?  What would fruits of repentance look like for a Christian? Have you repented of much lately?  Is there any area of your life where you need to repent?  Remember the fruit of repentance is a changed life.  I think we will be repenting until the day we die.  Why?  Because we still live with a sinful nature. But this doesn't mean we need to indulge in it and feed it.