This Week with the Word

The Uniform Lesson for September 7
Background & Commentary by Sam E. Stone

With this lesson we begin a three-month study of “The New Testament Community.” In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were the people of God. Today God’s people comprise Christ’s church. This month we will consider the birth of this new community.

More than 400 years had passed since Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets, spoke to the people. John the Baptist came on the scene in a dramatic and impressive way. He didn’t mince words. Boldly he called the Jewish people to repent. Today’s printed text includes excerpts from the first part of both Mark and Matthew.

Prophecy of Repentance/Mark 1:1-3

Verse 1. The gospel is the good news about Jesus—who he is, what he did, and what he offers to a lost world. Mark begins with John’s preaching, which heralded the Messiah’s arrival.

Verses 2, 3. John’s message was prophesied both by Isaiah (40:3) and Malachi (3:1). R. C. Foster notes, “It seems a very odd thing to call a man ‘A Voice.’ Yet is not every life a voice? ‘What you are speaks so loud, I can’t hear what you say.’” “Prepare the way” is a figurative expression. It compares John’s work to that of engineers and builders preparing the road on which their king will travel through a rough, mountainous district.

Need for Repentance/Mark 1:4-6

Verse 4. Like the prophets before him, John preached repentance. He called for baptism as an evidence of that repentance. Baptism had been practiced with Gentile converts prior to this, but never before with the descendants of Abraham.

Verse 5. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Mark uses hyperbole, much like we might say, “Everybody in town was there!” speaking of a popular local event. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. Repentance was a prerequisite for John’s baptism, just as it is for Christian baptism (Acts 2:38). The Jordan provided ample water for immersing the candidates (see John 3:23).

Verse 6. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. Unlike the expensive camel’s hair jackets a man might wear today, this was made out of a coarse, shaggy fabric. These garments were typically worn by shepherds and camel drivers. Elijah dressed in similar garb (2 Kings 1:8). John ate by “living off the land.” Locusts were plentiful (see Joel 1:4; Isaiah 33:4), as was honey (1 Samuel 14:26).

Object of Repentance/Matthew 1:7, 8

Verses 7, 8. “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.” Predicting that the Messiah would soon follow him, John expressed great humility. He was not even worthy to serve as the lowliest servant in assisting him. “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” The baptism of the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost (Acts 1:5-8; 2:1-13; see Matthew 3:11).

Call for Repentance/Matthew 3:1-3, 7-9

Verses 1, 2. Matthew’s account of John’s ministry parallels that of Mark. The Desert of Judea is an area running some 20 miles between Jerusalem and along the Jordan River down to the Dead Sea. It is primarily an uninhabited region. When Christ came with a similar call to repentance, the Pharisees thought he must have a demon (Matthew 11:18).

Verse 3. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah. All three Synoptic Gospels include this quotation from Isaiah 40:3.

Verse 7. “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” Leaders from the two principal sects of Judaism came to “check John out.” The Pharisees were the more conservative group—separatists who strictly followed the letter of the law. They even insisted on observing many traditions that were not part of the Old Testament law. The Sadducees were more liberal—the materialists of their day. They did not believe in the resurrection nor in angels. Neither did they believe in rewards and punishment hereafter. The viper is a poisonous snake. If harvesters moved across the field or a wildfire raged toward them, the vipers had to flee for their lives.

Verse 8. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Even though some of the religious leaders came out to see what John was doing, this did not mean they were converted. These hypocritical religionists spied on Jesus too. John insisted that his hearers demonstrate a changed life (compare Matthew 7:16-19).

Verse 9. The Jews believed that they would go to Heaven just because they were Jewish! They interpreted warnings about God’s wrath (see Isaiah 63:3-6) as referring to the Gentiles, not them. William Barclay observed, “There is always need of a warning that we cannot live on the spiritual capital of the past.” Repentance is a hallmark of God’s community. |L

Sam E. Stone is the former editor of Christian Standard. He continues his writing and speaking ministry from his home in Cincinnati, Ohio.