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John preaches the kingdom of heaven.

1. In those days.

Not when the Lord was a child and was living in Nazareth, but rather the evangelist makes this simple statement, "at that time, before the present generation." Came John the Baptist. John was sent by God to reprove the Jews and to persuade them to come to a consciousness of their own sins and so to accept the Christ. For if one is not conscious of his sins, he cannot come to repentance. This is why John was sent.

1-2. Preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye. The Jews were arrogant, and so he urges them to repent. For the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 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.

3. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight (Is. 40:3). "The way," that is, the highway, means the Gospel. The "paths" are the ordinances of the law, which are well-trodden and ancient. He is saying, therefore, "Prepare yourselves for the evangelic life, the life that is lived according to the Gospel, and make the commandments of the law straight, that is, make them spiritual." For the Spirit is straight and right. So then, when you see a Jew who understands the content of the law in a fleshly manner, you may say, "This man has not made straight the paths," that is, he does not understand the law spiritually.

4. Now this John wore a garment of camel’s hair. Even by his appearance John called them to repentance, for he wore the garb of mourning. It is said that the camel is somewhere between a clean and unclean animal: it is clean in that it chews its cud, but it is unclean in that its hoof is not cloven (Levit. 11:1-8). Another reason, then, that John wore camel’s hair is that he was leading to God both the Jewish people, who appeared clean, and the Gentiles, who were unclean, and he was a mediator between the Old and the New Testaments. And a leather belt about his loins. All the saints appear in Scripture girt about the waist with a belt, for they labored continuously; but the careless and the gluttonous are not girt, but let their robes flow to the ground, like the Saracens of today. Or, the saints are girt because they have mortified the desires of the flesh, for leather is a part of a dead animal. And his food was locusts and wild honey. Some say that "locusts" refer to a type of herb; others say that the word refers to the fruit of wild pod-bearing trees. Wild honey is produced by wild bees, and is to be found in trees and rocks.

5-6. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan. And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. They were baptized, but the baptism of John did not have the power to forgive sins; for John was only preaching repentance and bringing them towards the forgiveness of sins, that is, he was guiding them to the baptism of Christ, from which there is remission of sins.

7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees. "Pharisee" means "one who is set apart," for they appeared to be set apart by their life and knowledge, and to be superior to others. And Sadducees. These believed neither in the resurrection, nor in angels, nor in the spirit. Their name means "the righteous ones," for sedek means "righteousness." Either they called themselves "the righteous," or they were so named after a certain leader of heresy, Sadok. Coming to him for baptism, he said unto them. They did not come with sincerity, as did the others, and for this reason he upbraids them. O brood of vipers! Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? He speaks to them bitterly, knowing their perversity, but he also praises them by saying, "Who hath warned you?" For he marvels how it has come about that their wicked generation should repent. He calls them a "brood of vipers" because in the same way that vipers are said to eat their way out of their mother’s womb, so these murdered their fathers, that is, their teachers and prophets. "The wrath to come" means gehenna.

8. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance. Do you see what he is saying? One must not only flee from wickedness, but also bring forth fruits of virtue. For it is written, "Turn away from evil and do good" (Ps. 33:14).

9. And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. This was to their destruction, that they put their trust in their noble lineage. For I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. The "stones" mean the Gentiles, many of whom believed; but John is also saying simply that God is able to make children for Abraham out of stones. For the womb of Sarah was a stone on account of her sterility, but she gave birth nevertheless (Gen. 18:11-12; 21:1-2). When also did the Lord raise up children unto Abraham from stones? At His crucifixion, when many believed upon seeing the stones which were sundered (Mt. 27:51).

10. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees. The axe means the judgement of Christ, and the trees stand for each one of us. Therefore he who has not believed, and thus is rooted only in himself, is now and henceforward being cut down and cast into gehenna. Therefore every tree, even though descended from Abraham, which bringeth not forth good fruit. He did not say, "which hath not brought forth," but "which bringeth not forth," for one must continually be bringing forth fruit. For if you gave alms yesterday but today you are greedy and grasping, you are not pleasing to God. Is hewn down and cast into the fire. The fire, that is, of gehenna.

11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I. He had told them to bring forth fruit; now he shows them what fruit to bring forth: to believe in Him that is coming after John. After him came Christ. For just as Christ came after John in birth, by only six months, so it was also in His public manifestation. First the Forerunner was made manifest, and then came Christ, after the testimony of the Forerunner. Whose sandals I am not worthy to bear. I am not even the least of His servants, he says, who carries His sandals. By "sandals" understand the Lord’s two descents, the one from heaven to earth, and the other from earth to hades. For the sandals, being leather, represent flesh and mortification. The Forerunner, then, is not able to carry these two descents, that is, not able to understand how they occurred. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit. That is, He shall flood you with the gifts and the grace of the Holy Spirit. For my baptism, John says, provides neither spiritual grace nor forgiveness of sins, but He will forgive you and give you the Spirit in abundance.

12. His winnowing fan is in His hand. Do not think, if you are baptized by Him and then remain an unrepentant sinner, that He will forgive you. For He also has a winnowing fan, that is, judgement and examination. He will clean His threshing floor, namely, the Church, which holds many who are baptized, just as the threshing floor holds all the crop. But some of those who are baptized are chaff, those who are light-minded and moved about by the evil spirits, while others are the wheat, who bring benefit to others and nourish them with teachings and deeds. And gather the wheat into His granary, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. That fire is unquenchable. Therefore Origen is babbling nonsense when he says that there will be an end to hell.

13-14. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade Him. Jesus is pure, yet He is baptized in order to wash us, and to show us that if we intend to be baptized we must first be cleansed. Otherwise we might stain our baptism, being easily sullied afterwards because of our evil habits. John forbade Him so that those who saw the baptism would not think that Christ was being baptized unto repentance like one of the multitude. Saying, It is I that needeth to be baptized of Thee. The Forerunner was in need of cleansing by the Lord; for as he was descended from Adam, he too carried with him the stain of disobedience. But when Christ took flesh, He cleansed all mankind. And comest Thou to me? John did not dare to say, "Art Thou baptized by me?" but "Comest Thou to me?" such reverence did he have for the Lord.

15. And Jesus answering said unto him, Let it be so now. Permit it now, He says. For there will be a time for us to have the glory that is befitting, even if we do not appear in such glory now. For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. "Righteousness" means the law. Human nature was accursed, Jesus says, because it was not able to fulfill the law. Therefore I have fulfilled all the other requirements of the law. One thing remains for Me to do, that I be baptized. When I have fulfilled this, I shall have delivered human nature from the curse. And this is befitting for Me to do.

15-16. Then he permitted Him; and Jesus, when He was baptized. He was baptized at the age of thirty; for by this age one has experienced all the sins. In the first ten years, there is great foolishness; in the second, during adolescence, the great flame of desire and anger; and in the years of adulthood, great avarice. Jesus waited for this age, therefore, so that He could fulfill the law in all the ages of a man, and sanctify us. Went up straightway out of the water. The Manichean heretics say that He left His body in the Jordan and thereafter displayed another, illusory, body. But their mouths are shut by this, for it says, "Jesus went up"; it was not another who went up, but He Who went down into the water. And lo, the heavens were opened unto Him. Adam had closed the heavens, but through Christ they are opened, so that you may learn, O reader, that when you are baptized, you, too, open the heavens.

16-17. And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him; and, lo, a voice from heaven, saying. The Spirit came down to bear witness that He Who is baptized is greater than he who baptizes. For the Jews held John in high regard, but they did not esteem Christ so highly. They all saw the Spirit descending upon Jesus so that they would not think that the voice which said, "This is My beloved Son," was referring to John; but by seeing the Spirit they might believe that this voice spoke concerning Jesus. It was like a dove because of the dove’s innocence and meekness, and because the dove is very clean, not remaining in any place where there is foul odor. So it is with the Holy Spirit. But also, as in the time of Noah a dove announced the deliverance from the flood by bearing an olive twig, so too, here, the Holy Spirit reveals the deliverance from sins. There, the twig of olive; here, the mercy of God. This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. That is, in Whom I am content, and He is pleasing to Me.