John the Baptist preaches repentance
(Matt 3:1-6 Mark 1:2-6 Luke 3:1-6 John 1:19-23) 1 AND in those days came John the Baptist preaching in the desert of Judea. 2 And saying: Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying: A voice of one crying in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. (Is. 40:3) 4 And the same John had his garment of camels' hair, and a leathern belt about his waist: and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the country about Jordan: 6 And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
John criticizes the Pharisees and Sadducees
(Matt 3:7-10 Luke 3:7-9) 7 And seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: You brood of vipers, who has shown you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of penance. 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father. For I tell you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not yield good fruit, shall be cut down, and cast into the fire. 1
John's Messianic Preaching
(Matt 3:11-12 Mark 1:7-8 Luke 3:15-18 John 1:24-28) 11 I indeed baptize you in the water unto penance, but he that shall come after me, is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
The baptism of Jesus
(Matt 3:13-17 Mark 1:9-11 Luke 3:21-22 John 1:29-32) 13 Then came Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan, to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John stayed him, saying: I ought to be baptized by you, and you come to me? 15 And Jesus answering, said to him: Let it to be so now. For so it becomes us to fulfill all justice. Then he let him. 16 And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him. 17 And behold a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Commentary on Matthew 3
3:1 John the Baptist: God sent John before Him to announce to the Jews that He was the Messiah, lest, if Christ should appear in Judæa abruptly, without one to point out who He was, or a witness worthy of credit, He should be despised of all. (Cornelius a Lapide)
3:2 Do penance: Let every man punish the evils of his former life, because salvation shall come near, and the opportunity of returning there from where we have fallen. To repent is to weep over sins past, and not to commit what has been wept over. He who truly repents, chastises in himself his past errors, and lifts up his mind to heavenly things. (Glossa Ordinaria) kingdom of heaven: When the kingdom of heaven is said to be at hand, we are to understand that the King is on his way. (St. Thomas Aquinas Sum Theo 3.85.5.2) Or the kingdom of heaven means the first and second comings of Christ, and also the virtuous life. For when we walk on earth as if we lived in heaven, not living according to the passions, then we possess the kingdom of heaven. (Theophylact)
3:3 Quotation of Isaiah 40:3. desert: John chose the desert, to be removed from the crowds of people. (Remigius of Auxerre)
3:4 camels' hair: Even by his appearance John called them to repentance, for he wore the garb of mourning. (Theophylact) belt: In this he resembles Elijah, who is described as similarly clad 2 Kings 1:8. (Bishop John McEvilly honey: Rabanus is of opinion that it was the white and tender leaves of trees. St. Chrysostom, Theophylact, Isidore of Pelusium, believe that it was wild honey, made by wild bees, which they store in hollow trees, and which has a somewhat bitter and disagreeable flavour. (Cornelius a Lapide)
3:5-6 baptized by him: It was fitting for John to baptize, for four reasons: first, it was necessary for Christ to be baptized by John, in order that He might sanctify baptism; as Augustine observes. (Tract. xiii in Joan.). Secondly, that Christ might be manifested. Whence John himself says in Jn. 1:31: "That He," i.e. Christ, "may be made manifest in Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water." For he announced Christ to the crowds that gathered around him; which was thus done much more easily than if he had gone in search of each individual, as Chrysostom observes, commenting on St. John (Hom. x in Matth.). Thirdly, that by his baptism he might accustom men to the baptism of Christ; wherefore Gregory says in a homily (Hom. vii in Evang.) that therefore did John baptize, "that, being consistent with his office of precursor, as he had preceded our Lord in birth, so he might also by baptizing precede Him who was about to baptize." Fourthly, that by persuading men to do penance, he might prepare men to receive worthily the baptism of Christ. Wherefore Bede [Scot. Erig. in Joan. iii, 24] says that "the baptism of John was as profitable before the baptism of Christ, as instruction in the faith profits the catechumens not yet baptized. For just as he preached penance, and foretold the baptism of Christ, and drew men to the knowledge of the Truth that has appeared to the world, so do the ministers of the Church, after instructing men, correct them for their sins, and lastly promise them forgiveness in the baptism of Christ." (St. Thomas Aquinas Sum Theo 3.38.1) confessing their sins: The baptism of John was only a sign and protestation of repentance, and a preparation for the baptism of Christ, that they might be justified by it. Hence they were confessing their sins. For repentance, or sorrow for sin, causes a man to confess his sins, and seek for a remedy for them and for pardon. Thus the Jews in certain cases were obliged to confess their sins to a priest, as I have shown on Levit. 5:5, and 6:6, 7, and Numb. 5:7. But this confession was not a Sacrament, nor did it procure remission of sins, as in the confession instituted by Christ. (Cornelius a Lapide)
3:7 The Sadducees were so called as though they were just, because they arrogated to themselves the name of justice, from sadoc, “justice;” or rather from Sadoc, the name of their founder. The Pharisees were so called as expounders and explainers of the Law, or separated (for the root פרש parash signifies to separate, and also to expound) from the common people by their learning and sanctity. (Cornelius a Lapide) The |
Sadducees denied the resurrection of the body, and taught that the soul perished with the body; they only received the Pentateuch, and rejected the Prophets. (Glossa Ordinaria)
3:9 John answers as St. Paul does in Rom. 9, that the sons of Abraham, the heirs of the blessing and salvation promised to him, are not reckoned by carnal generation, but by faith and virtue, which are spiritual things. Insomuch that not those are counted sons of Abraham who are born of Abraham, but those who imitate the faith and holiness of Abraham. (Cornelius a Lapide) stones: That from these stones He can change the substances, as He changed the water to blood, and from a stone He caused rivers to flow. (Ishodad of Merv)
3:10 That is, He would divide and define unbelievers from believers by means of the strong command which he calls a sharp axe. (Ishodad of Merv)
3:11 He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire: we may understand fire, as Jerome says (In Matth. 2), to mean the Holy Spirit, Who appeared above the disciples under the form of fiery tongues in Acts 2:3. Or we may understand it to mean tribulation, as Chrysostom says (Hom. 3 in Matth.): because tribulation washes away sin, and tempers concupiscence. Or again, as Hilary says (Super Matth. 2) that "when we have been baptized in the Holy Spirit," we still have to be "perfected by the fire of the judgment." (St. Thomas Aquinas Sum Theo 3.66.3.1)
3:12 The words convey a figurative allusion to the mode, employed by the Jews, of separating the chaff and other filth from the good grain. (Bishop John McEvilly)
3:13-14 It was fitting for Christ to be baptized. First, because, as Ambrose says on Lk. 3:21: "Our Lord was baptized because He wished, not to be cleansed, but to cleanse the waters, that, being purified by the flesh of Christ that knew no sin, they might have the virtue of baptism"; and, as Chrysostom says (Hom. 4 in Matth.), "that He might bequeath the sanctified waters to those who were to be baptized afterwards." Secondly, as Chrysostom says (Hom. 4 in Matth.), "although Christ was not a sinner, yet did He take a sinful nature and 'the likeness of sinful flesh.' Wherefore, though He needed not baptism for His own sake, yet carnal nature in others had need thereof." And, as Gregory Nazianzen says (Orat. 39) "Christ was baptized that He might plunge the old Adam entirely in the water." Thirdly, He wished to be baptized, as Augustine says in a sermon on the Epiphany (134), "because He wished to do what He had commanded all to do." And this is what He means by saying: "So it becomes us to fulfill all justice" Mat. 3:15. For, as Ambrose says on Lk. 3:21, "this is justice, to do first yourself that which you wish another to do, and so encourage others by your example." And, it was fitting that Christ should not only fulfill what was prescribed by the Old Law, but also begin what appertained to the New Law. Therefore He wished not only to be circumcised, but also to be baptized.(St. Thomas Aquinas Sum Theo 3.39.1,3)
3:16-17 Why did God do these extraordinary things? To publicly announce the mission of Jesus, to give God’s sanction to Him, and to make John and the people satisfied that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. (Bishop Thomas Conaty NT Studies) The mystery of the Trinity is shown forth in Christ's baptism. Our Lord Himself is baptized in His human nature; the Holy Spirit descended in the shape of a dove: the Father's voice is heard bearing witness to the Son. (St. Jerome) dove: SS. Jerome, Anselm, and Thomas, Salmeron, and others, think that it was a real dove; and this is probable. It is, however, equally, or rather, more probable that it was not a real dove, but only the shape of a dove, formed by an angel, agitated and moved so that it should descend upon Christ. The reason is that all the Evangelists seem to indicate this. St. Matthew says, as if a dove; Mark, as it were a dove; John, like a dove; Luke, in a bodily shape like a dove. There was therefore the appearance and similitude only, not the reality of a dove. Nor was there any need of a real dove, but of its likeness for a symbolical signification. In such wise were the heavens opened, not in reality, but in appearance. This was the opinion of St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Chrysostom, Theophylact, Nicholas of Lyra, etc. (Cornelius a Lapide) |
Catechism Cross-reference
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