This current verse is the earliest direct mention of baptism within the complete Word of God. By utilising the phrase “In those days”, the Aposple Matthew is locating his account into it’s chronological background. He is furthermore revealing to his contemporaries about days that had recently passed, and was most probably giving his account to his audience a prolonged spell later than the dealings that he reports. In order to find out those days Matthew is writing to the reader about, we are required to examine the previous chapters.
In the introduction of his gospel, the Aposple Matthew names it “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ” (Matthew 1v1). Here Matthew states his objective - to exhibit Jesus as a real person that lived at a definite stage, was born to particular mother and father, and had the office and status of “Christ”, the anointed Messiah or Saviour. The remainder of chapter one talks of the family tree of Jesus, and furthermore a brief picture of how Mary became pregnant: “she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 1v18)
It is within chapter two that we commence to see the specific events that Matthew makes use of in order to position his writings into a historical period. The historical events here include:
· Jesus was born in Bethlehem (King David’s historical home) “in the days of Herod the king” (Matthew 2v1)
· Wise men came from the east headed for Jerusalem, wondering “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2v1-2)
· The wise men travelled for the reason that, in their words, “we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2v2)
· Herod enquired of the wise men at what time the star had appeared (Matthew 2v7) and discovered that it was around 2 years before (Matthew 2v16). It is possible however that he overestimated in an effort to ensure that the baby Jesus was slaughtered, thinking that the heavenly body had in fact appeared at His conception about 9 months earlier.
· Herod the king dispatched the order with the intention of all of the children under the age of two within Bethlehem in addition to the whole of it's surrounding countryside should be slaughtered. This was his attempt in order to make sure that specifically one baby, Jesus, was additionally murdered. (Matthew 2v16)
· After the visit of the wise men, Joseph escorted Mary along with the baby Jesus toward Egypt in a rush, because he had been warned about King Herod's plans by means of an angel. (Matthew 2v13-14)
· Whilst Joseph, Mary and Jesus were in Egypt, Herod the king died so Joseph was advised to come back in the direction of Israel along with “the young child”. (Matthew 2v19-20)
· When King Herod had died, his son Archelaus ruled Judaea instead. (Matthew 2v22)
Clearly, the author Matthew locates the events in the time of Jesus inside the framework of who was king of Judaea, along with several of the things that they had achieved. This would most probably place the birth of Jesus Christ to within a small number of days or weeks of the command that Herod had made in order to have him and any further children in and in the vicinity of Bethlehem slaughtered. It is likely that a number of Matthew’s readers had lost a newborn, brother or sister in this point and may possibly link up the report of Matthew immediately to dealings within their own household. It was into these period in the reader's recent past that John the Baptist had come, preaching and baptising.
John the Baptist was not ministering inside the temple or synagogues, but in the wasteland. Conceivably he was unwelcome within the temple for specific crimes - the most possible cause was the message that he gave. To see more evidence of this, see moreover v7 3.
Let us consider the message that he preached, which is discovered within the few verses that follow on from the present one:
· Repentance was commanded to each and every one (v2)
· The “kingdom of heaven” was at hand - just about to be exposed (v2)
· John the Baptist appreciated his personal ministry in the role of laying the groundwork intended for the ministry of the Lord, sowing the earth, getting the whole thing prepared, and making His channel a small amount less difficult. (v3)
Plainly, well from the opening of the biblical writings about baptism, repentance from sinful behavior was trapped inside the message of baptism. This teaching of repentance and baptism was laying the groundwork for every individual that received the teaching for the future ministry of the Lord Jesus.
Author Resource:-
MJ Anderson
All quotations from the Good News Bible unless otherwise indicated.
MJ Anderson writes on Baptism, and has also written a book studying each of the 91 verses of scripture about baptism. The book is called "Baptism's 91 Witnesses", and further information can be found at http://www.91witnesses.com
MJ Anderson also writes on Natural Health Treatments and Nutritional Supplements.
Thyroid websites include http://www.NaturalThyroidTreatment.org/ and http://www.ThyroidBooster.net/
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