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BIBLE STUDY LESSON 07

SERIES Q --- THE SAVIOUR

REPENT!

A VOICE FOR YHVH IN THE WILDERNESS

From Luke 3:1-6; Matthew 3:4-6

The story of John’s work begins fifteen years after Tiberius Caesar had become the Roman emperor. At that time, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea and Herod Antipas was ruler of Galilee. Herod’s brother, Philip, ruled over the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis and Lysanias ruled over Abilene. The high priests in Israel were Annas and Caiaphas. While John was living in the wilderness, YHVH sent a message to him. Obedient to YHVH, John took that message throughout the country near the Jordan River, telling the people to turn away from their sin, seek YHVH’s forgiveness, and be baptized. Seven hundred years earlier, Isaiah had written this about John, [A voice will cry out in the wilderness and say: Build a road for YHVH! Make it a straight and level road, filling the valleys, levelling the hills, and giving it a smooth surface. When the road is built, the Moshiach will come forth with salvation from YHVH.] John wore unusual clothing, garments made of camel’s hair, with a wide leather belt about his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. The people of Jerusalem and Judea, as well as the neighbours around the Jordan, came out to hear John preach. Many of them confessed their sins, and were baptized in the Jordan River.

JOHN’S MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE

From Luke 3:7-18

This is the kind of message that John gave to the people who came to hear him:

[You are like a brood of snakes! You want to escape hell but you don’t want YHVH! Is that why you came to be baptized? Do you want others to believe that you have turned away from sin? Then you must show your change by the way you live. Don’t brag that Abraham is in your family tree. That won’t help you get to YHVH! YHVH could turn these stones into descendants of Abraham. But they would not be YHVH’s followers any more than you. The sharp edge of YHVH’s judgment is lifted high above you, ready to cut you down like a rotten tree. Fruitless trees deserve to be cut down and thrown onto the fire.]

[Then what should we do?] the people asked. [How can we show others that we have turned away from sin?] [Do you have two coats?] John asked. [Give one to a poor person. Do you have more than enough food? Share it with the hungry.] There were tax collectors among the crowd. They, too, had come to be baptized. [How can we show that we have turned away from sin?] they asked. [Do your work honestly,] he answered. [Don’t collect more money from people than you should.] The soldiers also asked how they might show that they were giving up their sins. [Stop forcing people to give you money,] John told them. [Learn to live on the money you earn.]

SOMEONE GREATER THAN I

From Luke 3:15-18

People were anxious for the Moshiach, YHVH’s Son, to come, so they began to wonder about John the Baptist. Could he be the Moshiach? Was he the one they had waited for so long? [No,] John told them. [I baptize you, but only with water. Someone is coming who is far greater than I. He is so great that I am not good enough to bend down and loosen his sandal strap. He will baptize you with Ruach HaKodesh, who will burn away the impurity in your life. Like a thresher, He will separate the worthless chaff in your life from that which He wants to keep, burning the chaff with a fire that never goes out.] Warning and pleading with the people, he preached to them the Good News about the coming Saviour

COMMENTARY

JOHN’S AUDIENCE

The people who came to hear John the Baptist preach in the wilderness formed a strange congregation. Many of them shared little in common. The preacher himself presented a unique appearance, dressed as he was in garments of camels’ hair, with a wide leather belt around his waist. Who were these people? Not everyone there wanted to be baptized. Many came out of simple curiosity. There were rumours that John was the prophet Elijah returned from the dead. His rugged clothing and his diet of locusts and honey reminded many of the Old Testament prophet. The Roman soldiers were there under orders to prevent the crowd that followed John from becoming unruly. Caesar did not want him to start a revolution against the Roman government. The religious leaders also came to see that John did not start a revolution, but they were concerned about a religious revolt, not a political uprising. The Sadducees and Pharisees were afraid John would preach a message that would turn people away from their synagogues and the temple.

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