In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
All Commentaries on Matthew 3:1 Go To Matthew 3
John Chrysostom
AD 407
How in those days? For not then, surely, when He was a child, and came to Nazareth, but thirty years after, John comes; as Luke also testifies. How then is it said, in those days? The Scripture is always wont to use this manner of speech, not only when it is mentioning what occurs in the time immediately after, but also of things which are to come to pass many years later. Thus also, for example, when His disciples came unto Him as He sat on the Mount of Olives, and sought to learn about His coming, and the taking of Jerusalem: Matthew 24:3 and yet ye know how great is the interval between those several periods. I mean, that having spoken of the subversion of the mother city, and completed His discourse on that subject, and being about to pass to that on the consummation, he inserted, Then shall these things also come to pass; Matthew 24:23 not bringing together the times by the word then, but indicating that time only in which these things were to happen. And this sort of thing he does now also, saying, In those days. For this is not put to signify the days that come immediately after, but those in which these things were to take place, which he was preparing to relate.
But why was it after thirty years, it may be said, that Jesus came unto His baptism? After this baptism He was thenceforth to do away with the law: wherefore even until this age, which admits of all sins, He continues fulfilling it all; that no one might say, that because He Himself could not fulfill it, He did it away. For neither do all passions assail us at all times; but while in the first age of life there is much thoughtlessness and timidity, in that which comes after it, pleasure is more vehement, and after this again the desire of wealth. For this cause he awaits the fullness of His adult age, and throughout it all fulfills the law, and so comes to His baptism, adding it as something which follows upon the complete keeping of all the other commandments.
To prove that this was to Him the last good work of those enjoined by the law, hear His own words: For thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness. Matthew 3:15 Now what He says is like this: We have performed all the duties of the law, we have not transgressed so much as one commandment. Since therefore this only remains, this too must be added, and so shall we fulfill all righteousness. For He here calls by the name of righteousness the full performance of all the commandments.
2. Now that on this account Christ came to His baptism, is from this evident. But wherefore was this baptism devised for Him? For that not of himself did the son of Zacharias proceed to this, but of God who moved him—this Luke also declares, when he says, The word of the Lord came unto him, Luke 3:2 that is, His commandment. And he himself too says, He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending like a dove, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. John 1:33 Wherefore then was he sent to baptize? The Baptist again makes this also plain to us, saying, I knew Him not, but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. John 1:31
And if this was the only cause, how says Luke, that he came into the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins? Luke 3:3 And yet it had not remission, but this gift pertained unto the baptism that was given afterwards; for in this we are buried with Him, and our old man was then crucified with Him, and before the cross there does not appear remission anywhere; for everywhere this is imputed to His blood. And Paul too says, But you are washed, but you are sanctified, not by the baptism of John, but in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 And elsewhere too he says, John verily preached a baptism of repentance, (he says not of remission,) that they should believe in Him that should come after him. Acts 19:4 For when the sacrifice was not yet offered, neither had the spirit yet come down, nor sin was put away, nor the enmity removed, nor the curse destroyed; how was remission to take place?
What means then, for the remission of sins?
The Jews were senseless, and had never any feeling of their own sins, but while they were justly accountable for the worst evils, they were justifying themselves in every respect; and this more than anything caused their destruction, and led them away from the faith. This, for example, Paul himself was laying to their charge, when he said, that they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own, had not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Romans 10:3 And again: What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness; but Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, has not attained unto the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by works.
Since therefore this was the cause of their evils, John comes, doing nothing else but bringing them to a sense of their own sins. This, among other things, his very garb declared, being that of repentance and confession. This was indicated also by what he preached, for nothing else did he say, but bring forth fruits meet for repentance. Matthew 3:8 Forasmuch then as their not condemning their own sins, as Paul also has explained, made them start off from Christ, while their coming to a sense thereof would set them upon longing to seek after their Redeemer, and to desire remission; this John came to bring about, and to persuade them to repent, not in order that they might be punished, but that having become by repentance more humble, and condemning themselves, they might hasten to receive remission.
But let us see how exactly he has expressed it; how, having said, that he came preaching the baptism of repentance in the wilderness of Judæa, he adds, for remission, as though he said, For this end he exhorted them to confess and repent of their sins; not that they should be punished, but that they might more easily receive the subsequent remission. For had they not condemned themselves, they could not have sought after His grace; and not seeking, they could not have obtained remission.
Thus that baptism led the way for this; wherefore also he said, that they should believe in Him which should come after him; Acts 19:4 together with that which has been mentioned setting forth this other cause of His baptism. For neither would it have been as much for him to have gone about to their houses, and to have led Christ around, taking Him by the hand, and to have said, Believe in This Man; as for that blessed voice to be uttered, and all those other things performed in the presence and sight of all.
On account of this He comes to the baptism. Since in fact both the credit of him that was baptizing, and the purport of the thing itself, was attracting the whole city, and calling it unto Jordan; and it became a great spectacle.
Therefore he humbles them also when they have come, and persuades them to have no high fancies about themselves; showing them liable to the utmost evils, unless they would repent, and leaving their forefathers, and all vaunting in them, would receive Him that was coming.
Because in fact the things concerning Christ had been up to that time veiled, and many thought He was dead, owing to the massacre which took place at Bethlehem. For though at twelve years old He discovered Himself, yet did He also quickly veil Himself again. And for this cause there was need of that splendid exordium and of a loftier beginning. Wherefore also then for the first time he with clear voice proclaims things which the Jews had never heard, neither from prophets, nor from any besides; making mention of Heaven, and of the kingdom there, and no longer saying anything touching the earth.
But by the kingdom in this place he means His former and His last advent.
3. But what is this to the Jews? one may say, for they know not even what you say. Why, for this cause, says he, do I so speak, in order that being roused by the obscurity of my words, they may proceed to seek Him, whom I preach. In point of fact, he so excited them with good hopes when they came near, that even many publicans and soldiers inquired what they should do, and how they should direct their own life; which was a sign of being thenceforth set free from all worldly things, and of looking to other greater objects, and of foreboding things to come. Yea, for all, both the sights and the words of that time, led them unto lofty thoughts.
Conceive, for example, how great a thing it was to see a man after thirty years coming down from the wilderness, being the son of a chief priest, who had never known the common wants of men, and was on every account venerable, and had Isaiah with him. For he too was present proclaiming him, and saying, This is he who I said should come crying, and preaching throughout the whole wilderness with a clear voice. For so great was the earnestness of the prophets touching these things, that not their own Lord only, but him also who was to minister unto Him, they proclaimed a long time beforehand, and they not only mentioned him, but the place too in which he was to abide, and the manner of the doctrine which he had to teach when he came, and the good effect that was produced by him.
See, at least, how both the prophet and the Baptist go upon the same ideas, although not upon the same words.
