This current verse is the initial direct reference to baptism within the entire Scriptures. By utilising the phrase “In those days”, the writer Matthew is locating his writing into it’s chronological situation. He is also recounting to the reader about days that had recently gone bye, and was most probably writing to his readers a long stretch following the dealings that he notes. So that we can learn about those days Matthew is informing his audience about, we will need to examine the previous chapters.
In the beginning of his gospel, the Aposple Matthew calls it “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ” (Matthew 1v1). Here Matthew tells us his objective - to put on view Jesus Christ as a factual person that lived at a certain stage, was born to specific parents, and had the ministry and standing of “Christ”, the anointed Messiah or Saviour. The remainder of chapter one tells us about the genealogy of Jesus, and furthermore a short sketch of how Mary became pregnant: “she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 1v18)
It is within chapter 2 that we start to see the exact events that Matthew uses so that we can position his account into it's chronological period. The historical events shown include:
· Jesus was given birth to in Bethlehem (King David’s historical home) “in the days of Herod the king” (Matthew 2v1)
· Wise men came out of the east headed for Jerusalem, wondering “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2v1-2)
· The wise men came because, in their words, “we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2v2)
· Herod the king enquired of the wise men at what time the heavenly body did appear (Matthew 2v7) and found that it had been nearly 2 years previously (Matthew 2v16). It is feasible nonetheless that he overcompensated in an attempt to be sure that the baby Jesus was killed, thinking that the heavenly body had actually appeared at His conception about nine months earlier.
· Herod sent out the instruction with the aim of every single one of the babies beneath the age of 2 in Bethlehem as well as all of the surrounding countryside should be killed. This was his endeavor to make certain that merely a single newborn, the baby Jesus, was also murdered. (Matthew 2v16)
· Following the call of the wise men, Joseph escorted Mary and the newborn child toward Egypt in a hurry, because he had been warned in relation to Herod the king's strategy via an angel. (Matthew 2v13-14)
· While they were in Egypt, Herod the king died so Joseph was told to return to Israel with “the young child”. (Matthew 2v19-20)
· When King Herod died, his son Archelaus ruled Judaea as the new king. (Matthew 2v22)
Plainly, the author Matthew locates the events in the time of Jesus inside the context of who was ruling Judaea, along with several of the things that they had ordered. This would almost without doubt put the birth of the newborn child within a small number of days or weeks from the order that king Herod had given to ensure him and all other babies in and round about Bethlehem slaughtered. It is likely that several of Matthew’s audience had lost a child, brother or sister in this moment in time and may well correlate the writings of Matthew directly to situations within their own families. It was into these period in the reader's past that John the Baptist had come, preaching and baptising.
John the Baptist was not teaching inside the temple or other places of worship, but in the wilderness. Perhaps he was not welcome within the temple for one reason or another - the most likely reason was the message that he gave. To see more evidence of this, see as well v7 3.
Let’s see the message that he preached, which is found within a few verses which come after the present one:
· Repentance was commanded to all (v2)
· The “kingdom of heaven” was at hand - about to be revealed (v2)
· John the Baptist appreciated his particular ministry in the role of laying the groundwork intended for the ministry of the Lord, sowing the ground, getting everything prepared, and making His way a little quicker. (v3)
Without a doubt, well from the outset of the biblical account about baptism, repentance from sinful habits was caught up within the meaning of baptism. This teaching of repentance and baptism was laying the groundwork for each individual who heard the teaching for the approaching ministry of the Lord Jesus.
Author Resource:-
MJ Anderson
All quotations from the Good News Bible unless otherwise indicated.
MJ Anderson writes on Baptism, and has also written a book studying each of the 91 verses of scripture about baptism. The book is called "Baptism's 91 Witnesses", and further information can be found at http://www.91witnesses.com
MJ Anderson also writes on Natural Health Treatments and Nutritional Supplements.
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