भाष्य सध्या फक्त इंग्रजीत उपलब्ध आहे. मराठी भाषांतर प्रगतीपथावर आहे.
Matthew 3 — This Is My Beloved Son, In Whom I Am Well Pleased
John the Baptist appears in the wilderness — Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He preaches in the manner of Elijah, baptizes for repentance, denounces the Pharisees and Sadducees as a generation of vipers. He says one comes after him whose shoes he is not worthy to bear. Jesus comes to be baptized; John would have hindered Him; Jesus — Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. The heavens open, the Spirit descends as a dove, the Father speaks — This is my beloved Son.
“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
— Matthew 3:17
- v.1-12 John's ministry in the wilderness
- v.13-15 Jesus comes to be baptized
- v.16-17 The Trinity manifested at the Jordan
John distinguishes his work from Christ's. Water baptism unto repentance is preparatory; Christ's baptism with the Spirit and fire is the substance.
Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. The greatest born of women places himself below the level of a slave who unties his master's sandals. True greatness in the kingdom feels small in Christ's presence.
Jesus had no sin to repent of, yet He insisted on baptism. Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness — He identifies with the people He came to save, taking their place from the start.
The Saviour's solidarity. He stands in line with sinners before He stands in their place on the cross. The baptism is a first installment of substitution.
The Father's public endorsement before any miracle is wrought. He is pleased with the Son Himself, not yet with His works. So too, in Christ, the Father's pleasure precedes the believer's achievements.
Trinitarian witness — Son in the water, Spirit on Him, Father from heaven. The clearest revelation of the Triune God to that point in history, given at the launch of Christ's ministry.
Verse 17 sets the Christian's deepest comfort. The Father said I am well pleased over the Son before His public works began. Those who are in Christ enjoy the same pleasure — His pleasure rests on you not because of what you have done but because of who you are in His Son. Build your day on that voice from heaven.
Matthew 3 is the public launch of the Messiah's ministry — and the Father stamps it with His own voice. The whole Gospel will unpack what this Son is and does. Every miracle, every parable, every step toward the cross is the work of the Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased.
Repent. The first word of the New Testament's public preaching. Not a warm welcome but a summons to turn. Without repentance there is no entrance to the kingdom now drawing near.
The kingdom of heaven is at hand. The reason for repentance is the imminence of the King. Repentance is the response to the kingdom's nearness, not the cause of it.