NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER THREE

Part IV (con’t)

Verses 13-14: “Then Jesus traveled from Galilee to the Jordan River. He met with John, wanting John to baptize Him. But John tried to dissuade Him. John said, ‘Why do you come to me to be baptized? I should be baptized by You!‘”

Matthew does not indicate whether Jesus was already out ministering in Galilee, where He had become known as a prophet. Rather, he wants to tell the story of how Jesus came down from Galilee to where John the Baptizer had his ministry along the east side of the Jordan River. This certainly raises the question, what did Jesus do from the time He was twelve, talking to the elders in the Temple just before He was old enough for his bar mitzvah, until now when He shows up at John the Baptizer’s encampment? We are not told how old Jesus is at this point, but in Jewish verbal teachings we have some clues: “…at five years of age, a boy is ready to learn the Scriptures, at ten years of age, he is ready to study the Mishnah, at thirteen he is ready for the fulfilling of the commandments (bar mitzvah), at age fifteen he is ready to study the Talmud, at eighteen years of age he is ready for the bride-chamber, at age twenty for pursuing a calling, at age thirty for authority, at age forty for discernment, at age fifty for counsel, at age sixty for to be an elder, at age seventy for grey hairs, at age eighty for special strength,¹ at age ninety for bowed back, and at age one hundred a man is as one that has already more or less died and ceases to have any effect on the world.”²

Based on this, most scholars believe that Jesus embarked on His ministry after reaching the age of thirty. That means He spent the intervening eighteen years since he visited the Temple, working with His stepfather Joseph in Nazareth. This would explain why the elders in Nazareth knew Him so well when He came back to minister in the synagogue.³ Our Lord’s decision to go where John the Baptizer ministered shows the depth of His humility. It also gives Him more credence as an emissary from God the Father because He willingly subjected Himself to the ordinance of water baptism.

As to the exact place where John the Baptizer was ministering, one historian tells us: “Beth-Abara was the name given to the place where John was baptizing when Jesus came to him for baptism. In all the ancient manuscripts, and versions the reading is actually Bethania. This has consequently been the name used in critical editions of the text. The substitution of the one name for the other is due to Origen, who tells us that the reading found in almost all the copies was Bethania, but that he, knowing the localities, altered it to Bethabara?⁴ Most of the Church Fathers follow Origen in this, even those best acquainted with Palestine. From this it may fairly be inferred that there was a place on the Jordan called Bethabara, probably because of a much frequented crossing, since the word Bethabara means home of crossings; to which John the Baptizer resorted as a suitable location for his labors as a preacher of the kingdom of heaven.”⁵ Perhaps he was also influenced by the fact that Bethany can be also be taken to mean “the place of the boat” and Bethabara “the home of the crossing.” We are told that the Jordan river could be waded across about 800 meters south of where John the Baptizer ministered in summer and early fall, but in winter and spring people needed a ferry. There is also an interesting entry in the work of a 7^th Century manuscript that reads:

“That sacred and honored place, where our Lord was baptized by John, is always flooded by water from the Jordan river. And as this traveler went to the place, he relates that he passed back and forth across the river, until he found in a sacred place where a large wooden cross had been fixed in the river bed, close to where the water comes up to the neck of the tallest man, or, during the time of great drought, when the waters are lower and only reach up to his breast; but when the river is flooded, the whole of the cross is covered over by the higher water. The site where the cross was placed, marks the spot where, as has been told, the Lord was baptized. It is on this west side of the river, and a strong man can sling a stone as far as the other bank on the east side. From the site of the above-mentioned cross, a stone bridge has been erected so that its arches reach the bank, across which men go to the cross and descend by a slope to the bank, then ascending as they return. At the edge of the river is a small square church, built, as is it said, on the spot where the garments of the Lord were cared for when He was baptized. This stands on four stone vaults, rising above the waters which flow below, but is not usable as a place of worship. It is protected above by slacked lime, and below as has been said, is supported by vaults and arches. This church is in the lower ground of the valley through which the river Jordan flows; while on the higher ground, overhanging it, a great monastery of monks is built on the brow of the opposite hill. There is also enclosed within the same wall as the monastery, a church in honor of St. John Baptist, built on squared stones.”⁶

It was my pleasure to personally visit this area, and most of these relics are now gone or have been moved. But it does make one wonder what it would be like if they were all still there, and could be proven to be the exact spot where our Lord was baptized, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended, and the voice of God spoke from above. There’s little doubt it would have become one of the most sacred spots in Christendom, and subject to all sorts of veneration and idol worship. That’s also why the cross of Jesus was never recovered. And what happened to His crown of thorns, the sponge with the sour vinegar, the nails that were in His hands and feet, and the house where He lived in Capernaum, etc., etc. My personal belief is that Jesus knew these things would become objects of idolatry and be worshiped instead of His Father in heaven. Besides, as He said to Thomas, “Great blessings belong to the people who believe without seeing!”⁷

According to historians, the location of John the Baptizer’s mission was some three days from Jerusalem and over four days from Nazareth. Once Jesus arrives, the conversation that took place does not occur between complete strangers. It is obvious that Jesus knew about John’s calling, and John knew about Jesus’ anointing. This should not come as a surprise since they were second cousins by way of their mothers, and grew up in the same area in Galilee. This suggests that as boys they got to know each other and share their feelings and dreams.

Verse 15: “Jesus answered, ‘Let it be this way for now. We should do whatever God says is right.’ Then John agreed.”

Christ’s statement concerning “do whatever God says is right” must be contingent upon the completed sequence of events. There are several verses in Jeremiah that have a play on words which refer to a king who would come named Adonai Tzidkenu, which means: “The LORD who makes things right for us.”⁸ This was not new. Several Testaments ascribed to the tribes of Israel, which the Jews had access to, and some of them were found quoted in the Dead Sea Scrolls, allow us to read about this coming Man of Righteousness: “After this will arise star out of the midst of Jacob, and a man will sprout out of my seed, which will walk as a shining sun of righteousness among the children of men, in peace, and meekness, and righteousness, and no sin shall be found in him. The heavens will open over him, to pour out the spirit of blessedness upon him from the Father,and he will distribute spirit of grace on you, and you will be his children in truth, walking in his first and last commandments. This is the offspring of the most high God, and the well-spring of life to all flesh. Then will the scepter of my kingdom shine bright, and out of your root will spring the vessel of planting, through whom will arise the rod of righteousness to the Gentiles, to judge and save all such as call upon him.”⁹

Not only does the writer indicate that Jesus would be the message of grace to the Jews, but that one would also follow who would spread the good news to the Gentiles. It is easy to see the apostle Paul being referenced here. In addition, His water baptism without the subsequent Spirit baptism would eliminate fulfillment of what God declared to be the right thing. In other words, this is what God required by the Law and it could be done no other way. John the Baptizer, as we know, was filled with the Spirit while still in Elizabeth’s womb, consequently his inference in verse 14 to being baptized by Christ, was with water not Spirit. So we can see that what was happening with John the Baptizer and Jesus was not part of some mystery cult, but it was already being written and talked about. This makes it even more of an enigma as to why the Jewish leaders did not recognize Jesus of Nazareth as the One they were waiting for. But we all know, had they done so, then our Lord would have never made it to the cross to die for our sins so we could inherit eternal life.

Verse 16: “So Jesus was baptized. As soon as He came up out of the water, the sky opened, and John saw God’s Spirit coming down on Jesus like a dove. A voice from heaven then said, ‘This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with Him.’”

The phrase “the sky opened” here does not mean that there were clouds in the sky that parted all at once, or that a split in the stratosphere was suddenly observed. This is the same phrase used, for instance, when someone is talking about rain. They might say, “The sky just opened up and the rain came down in buckets!” It has the sense of something suddenly appearing that was totally unexpected. When the voice spoke, there was every possibility that the words of the Psalmist must have come to mind for those standing there as witnesses, “Let me tell you about the Lord’s agreement: He said to me, ‘Today I have become your Father, and you are My son.’”¹⁰ And as Matthew was fond of saying, what happened this day on the banks of the Jordan River, made it easier to understand what was said to Isaiah: “Here is my servant, the one I support. He is the one I have chosen, and I am very pleased with Him, I have filled Him with my Spirit.”¹¹

As might be expected, the critics of this event would have their questions. In one polemic writing we read: “What was the purpose of this? What sort of god must be sanctified through removal of his impurity just like a human being? Moreover, it is written elsewhere in their books that a spirit had originally entered Mary when she became pregnant. Where, then, had the spirit gone? If you will answer that the spirit became impure in her womb, then it follows that she was impure like other women. Furthermore, there is a warning in their Torah that a man should be baptized only once, and one who does this more than once is considered a heretic. And yet this man, who one would think needed no further sanctity in light of the fact that his divinity made him holy, this Jesus was sanctified at the hands of a man. Indeed, he was sanctified three times. Initially, when he entered his mother’s womb there was a holy spirit; then, when he was baptized by John like all other men there was a holy spirit; finally, when he came out of the Jordan there was a Holy Spirit. Thus, there were three such occasions.”¹² It is clear that this skeptic had the truth right before him, yet because of bias and pride he failed to see that truth and accept it.

So we can see, this anonymous medieval German Jewish scholar was looking at Jesus’ baptism and using human logic to make sense of it. That in itself will always lead to confusion and misunderstanding. Jesus made it clear that He was allowing Himself to be baptized in order to make sure that His human form was initiated under the same guidelines as all those who followed Him would be initiated. This did not affect His divinity which needed no cleansing. But interestingly, the writer goes on to make some observations which shows the time period in which he lived and what he saw in the church as it existed in Europe at that time. He says, “Moreover, when people are baptized it is for the sake of the soul, for the body is considered an empty vessel before that. In that case, why do they baptize the crosses in their houses of abomination as well as other vessels used for their idolatry such as bells and chalices? Do they too have spirit and soul?”¹³

Not only was that a valid question in the middle ages, but it is a valid question even today. Then Matthew notes that the sky opened and the Spirit coming down in the form of a dove. Although Matthew does not stipulate it here, most Bible scholars believe there must have been some form of illumination that accompanied the Holy Spirit so as to highlight His descent. In fact, when Rabbis were discussing the Messiah, where it says: “He reveals deep and secret things; he knows what lies in the darkness; and light dwells with him¹⁴,”¹⁵ Rabbi Abba of Serungayya, which is a place near Tiberias, said: “This alludes to the royal Messiah.”¹⁶ Then Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish commenting on the Spirit of God hovering over the waters says, “This alludes to the spirit of Messiah, as you read, ‘And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him.’¹⁷ For what reason will this Spirit eventually come? For the same reason that it hovered over the face of the waters, i.e., for the purpose of bringing repentance that is compared to water.”¹⁸ And then Rabbi Lakish speaks later about the purpose of clouds, “He raises clouds from the ends of the earth,”¹⁹ and says: “…it achieves awe-inspiring sights in the sky and causes the Holy Spirit to rest upon men, as you read, the vision of Isaiah²⁰.”²¹ It is clear that they knew from their own writings and by their own words. Why then were they so blind to the truth?

We do not know how much John the Baptizer knew firsthand, or how much Jesus explained to Him before He came down to be baptized, or how much Jesus told him before, during and after the baptism. But what does appear clear is the John the Baptizer understood his role, and both the voice from heaven and the voice on earth were enough to convince him that obedience to the Word was all God expected of him.