It has been around 30 years since the wonderful news was first sung to the shepherds. And, it's been about 28 years since the horrible slaughter of the children of Bethlehem.
The Roman Empire was still in power. Just the men who ruled had changed. Tiberius Caesar was ruling over the entire empire. Pontius Pilate was over the entire land of Judah, and two brothers were ruling over smaller sections inside of Judah. One was Herod, and the other was Philip.
It was in Herod's region of Galilee that God would break the silence that has shadowed the Jews for about 400 years.
Luke 3:1-2- Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
John had been given a command from the Lord. And, he was going to obey and spread God's message to all of Herod's domain.
Matthew 3:1-3- In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
John was called by God to prepare the way of the Messiah. That means that he was going to help people see the darkness of their sins and their need for a Savior, the light of the world.
John 1:6-8- There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
Those who believed what John was preaching were baptized by him. This baptism didn't save their souls, it was just a picture of them accepting that they were sinners. Once they humbled themselves and were baptized, they were better able to hear the voice of God, and they were better able to see the Messiah as their Savior.
Matthew 3:4-6- And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
Not everyone wanted to accept John's words. He was a rough man! He lived in the wilderness. The sun had probably weathered his skin and the blowing sands had hardened it. He wore camel skins instead of cotton or wool like the people of his nation. And, he ate locust and wild honey.
Imagine seeing a man like this in the wilderness grabbing honey from a tree surrounded by a swarm of angry bees, or chasing locusts to catch for his dinner! The well refined religious leaders didn't want to accept what this seemingly crazy wild man was saying!
Matthew 3:7-8- But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
John the Baptist was not pulling any punches when he told the religious leaders to repent. He knew they came to see what he was doing. They didn't think they needed to repent, but they were very wrong!
Matthew 3:11-12- I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
You see, there were two types of people here- those who would accept the Messiah and those who would reject Him. The ones who would accept the Messiah would be baptized with the Holy Ghost, that means that once they were saved they would be sealed with the Holy Spirit who would take them to heaven when they died. But, the ones who would reject the Messiah would be baptized with fire, that means they would go to hell when they died.
John 1:19-20, 24-27- And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
John knew that the Messiah was coming, but God had not yet told him who the Messiah was. Up until this point, Jesus was raised and treated like any other Jewish man.
John 1:29a, 32-34- The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
As John was out baptizing people, Jesus came to where he was, and John watched as something that looked like a Spirit floated down from heaven and encompassed Jesus. John knew that God would reveal the Messiah to him in that manner.
What a shocker! The cousin that he had grown up knowing was the Christ, the Son of God!
Matthew 3:13-15- Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Jesus told John that he needed to be baptized. John said that it was Jesus who needed to baptize him! But, Jesus knew that part of fulfilling the law was humbling himself and allowing John to Baptize him.
When those hard-hearted religious leaders stand before God to give an account of their actions, they're going to realize that their Messiah allowed himself to be baptized, yet they were too self righteous!
Matthew 3:16-17- And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
When Jesus came out of the water, the people that were baptized by John saw the same sign that John had seen earlier. They saw a Spirit floating down from heaven and landing on Christ. At the same time, they heard God speak from heaven.
But, those that wouldn't submit themselves to John's baptism heard something different- either they heard the rumble of thunder and no discernible words, or they heard nothing.
I say this because another time when God spoke from heaven some people heard thunder and others heard what they thought was an angel.
John 12:29- The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
So, Jesus was baptized by John and was revealed unto men at the very beginning of his earthly ministry when he was around 30 years old.
Luke 3:23- And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age,
