Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
All Commentaries on Matthew 3:12 Go To Matthew 3
Rabanus Maurus
AD 856
Or, by this sign of baptism he separates the penitent from the impenitent, and directs them to the baptism of Christ.
As though he had said, I indeed am mighty to invite to repentance, He to forgive sins; I to preach the kingdom of heaven, He to bestow it; I to baptize with water, He with the Spirit.
By the fan is signified the separation of a just trial; that it is in the Lord's hand, means, ‘in His power,’ as it is written, “The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son.”.
The cleansing of the floor will then be finally accomplished, when the Son of Man shall send His Angels, and shall gather all offences out of His kingdom.
There is this difference between the chaff and the tares, in that the chaff is produced of the same seed as the wheat, but the tares from one of another kind. The chaff therefore are those who enjoy the sacraments of the faith, but are not solid; the tares are those who in profession as well as in works are separated from the lot of the good.
