Matthew 3 takes us from the infant/toddler Jesus we read about in Matthew 2 to the adult Jesus on the cusp of beginning his public ministry. The gospel writers did not dwell on Jesus’ childhood, youth, or early young adult years. Their purpose was not to write the biography of a man; they were writing the history of the ministry of Jesus. So they didn’t beat around the bush; they got right to the point. That’s what Matthew did.
Matthew introduced Jesus’ ministry by telling us how John the Baptizer prepared the way for Jesus. John was in the wilderness, and people came out to see and hear him. Matthew’s description of John (DO NOT think of a Jos. A Banks camel’s hair blazer when you read this—it was NOT that kind of fabric) would have evoked images of Old Testament prophets for the first readers and hearers of the gospel. His attire, and his diet plan, were most definitely counter-cultural, all pointing to John’s utter dependence upon God to provide for him.
Baptism at this point in Israel’s history was not a one-time, sacramental experience. For the Jewish people at this stage of history, baptism was a ceremonial washing, often tied to repentance. Wealthy Jews actually built homes where there was running water nearby, and many of them diverted the water’s flow through their homes, where they could “baptize” themselves regularly.
Quite obviously, something about John and his message struck people at their core, and they opted for a baptism of repentance right then and there! They felt sorry for their sins; they wanted a change of life, so they chose baptism.
The most religious of the religious (Pharisees and Sadducees) went out to see what all the hubbub was about. When John saw them, he did not hold back, but singed their eyebrows with his words, both about their motives and about the Messiah who was about to appear.
Then the most astounding thing happened: Jesus came south to the Judean wilderness where his cousin was (it is Luke’s gospel that helps us realize the relationship between these two), and sought baptism. John questioned whether it should happen; after all, we believe Jesus the Messiah to be sinless—so of what does He need to repent?! Jesus encouraged John, and as Jesus came out of the water, the Spirit descended on Him, and an audible voice affirmed Jesus.
Wowza.