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Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:1-12

The forerunner. I. HIS ANNOUNCEMENT . 1 . His sudden appearance. It is the first mention of John the Baptist in St. Matthew's Gospel. He flashes upon us suddenly, like his prototype Elijah in the Old Testament. St. Luke tells us of his birth, of his solitary life: he "was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel." Now the time was come. "In those days," St. Matthew says, while the Lord was still at Nazareth, living a family life with brethren and sisters—the children,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:1-12

The forerunner. I. JOHN 'S APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER . He claimed to belong to the old prophetic line by appearing clad in the prophetic garb, the single rough garment of skin. His manner of life harmonized with his dress; leaving the comfortable home and well-provided life and fair prospects of a priestly family, he adopted the meagre, comfortless life of an ascetic. To entangle himself with the world would have tended to blind him to its vices and silence his remonstrance. He... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:1-15

The appearance of John the Baptist. The interval between the last verse of the second chapter and the first verse of this chapter measures the period of the life of Christ stretching from his earliest childhood to his entrance on his public ministry, or close thereupon. Meantime we are here brought to the time when appeared one of the most distinctly marked, most honoured, characters of all history. John the baptist, son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, was the child of prophecy. He was one of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:2

And (omitted by the Revised Version) saying . The parallel passages give the substance of John's preaching—the baptism of repentance. St. Matthew takes, as it seems, a sentence that actually fell from his lips, and presents it as the kernel of his message ("preaching … saying"). This is the more interesting as nowhere else are we told any words uttered by him in this the first stage of his ministry before crowds flocked to hear him. Repent ye … at hand ; said word for word by our Lord ( ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:2

The plea by which repentance is urged. "For the kingdom of heaven is at hand." There seems to be evidence that Judaea was in a very low moral condition when John the Baptist appeared. Ceremonial religion took the place of practical righteousness, rabbinical rules covered personal indulgence and iniquity, luxury enervated the wealthy, and restlessness led to crime among the masses. It was a time when a moral reformation was needed, and John was, first of all, a national reformer. What John... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:3

For . The reason for John's appearance and proclamation lies in prophecy. This is he that was spoken of ( οὗτος γὰρ ἐστιν ὁῥηθείς ). In John 1:23 the following quotation is uttered by the Baptist himself, and some commentators have supposed this to be the case also here. But read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:3

The law of Divine preparation. God never acts suddenly. He who sees the end from the beginning never needs to act suddenly, for he never can be taken at unawares. It is easy to grasp this thought when we consider only material things; but it is not so easy when we take account of the complications introduced by the ever-varying human will. Do man's impulsive actions never call for Divine promptitude in response to them? To this we answer—No. God's ommscience is to be thought of as including,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:4

With this verse we begin to meet with matter peculiar to Matthew and Mark. And the same John ( αὐτὸς δὲ ὁἰωάνης ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:4

A man may be his message. The evangelists dwell on the peculiarities of John's dress, food, and habits, as if the utmost importance attached to these, and they were an essential part of John's witness. To see the man was to apprehend his message. His peculiarities were not personal oddities, but designed ministry. How far his dress was the recognized prophet's dress cannot be decided; but it is clear that he designed to present an example of severe self-restraint as a marked contrast to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 3:5

Then . Not merely temporal, as probably in Matthew 3:13 , but almost consequential, "thereupon"; so also Matthew 3:15 ; Matthew 2:7 , Matthew 2:16 . John's preaching and manner of life were not without effect. Went out ; ἐξεπορεύετο (similar in the parallels). Our Lord, when referring to this ( Matthew 11:7 , Matthew 11:8 , Matthew 11:9 ), uses the commoner ἐξήλθατε , merely indicating the crowds leaving for a while their present surroundings. The synoptists here... read more

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