about Jordan, and were land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were baptized of him in Jordan, all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, conconfessing their sins. fessing their sins.— ance; 8 Matt. iii. 7 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 repent9 and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Luke iii. 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12 Then came also publicansm to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. 15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not; John answered, saying Matt. iii. "I indeed" baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not Mark i. 7 And preached, saying, m The publicans (Teλ@vai) were farmers of the taxes imposed on the Jews by the Roman government. They were particularly odious to the people, who considered them as no better than traders in the slavery of their country, often abusing their office for the purpose of extortion. " There is a difference, here, in the words of the Baptist as quoted by the three Evangelists; unto them all," I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the so also in the utterance of the voice at Christ's baptism, Matt. 3. 17; Mark 1. 11; Luke 3. 22. A like difference is seen in the four copies of the title on the cross, Matt. 27. 37; Mark 15. 26; Luke 23. 38; John 19. 19. And still more, in the solemn words of our Lord at the institution of the cup, Matt. 26. 28; Mark 14. 24; Luke 22. 20; 1 Cor. 11. 25. Similar varieties of expression in the different reports of the same § 15. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS."-The Jordan. Matt. iii. 13-17. 13Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 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. 16 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: 17 and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: "and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. language are found in the following passages, as well as very many others: Matt. 3. 11; Mark 1. 7; Luke 3. 16; John 1. 27.-Matt. 9. 11; Mark 5. 16; Luke 5. 30.-Matt. 15. 27; Mark 7. 28.-Matt. 16. 6-9; Mark 8. 17-19.-Matt. 20. 33; Mark 10. 51; Luke 18. 41.-Matt. 21. 9; Mark 11. 9; Luke 19. 38.-Matt. 26. 39; Mark 14. 36; Luke 22. 42.-Matt. 28. 5, 6; Luke iii. 21-23. 21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. 23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, Mark 16. 6; Luke 24. 5, 6. These examples go to show that the evangelists record the expressions used by our Lord and others according to the sense, and not according to the letter. • Acts 1.5; 2.2-4. • Ver. 19, 20 in § 24. PAs to the time of the baptism, as indicated in Luke 3. 23, see Note to § 7 in the Appendix. 9 Comp. Num. 4. 3, 35, 39, 43, 47. § 16. THE TEMPTATION."—Desert of Judea. Matt. iv. 1-11. 'Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 Mark i. 12, 13. 12 And Luke iv. 1-13. immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. * And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, 6 If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again," 1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. —o And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: "and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said," Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.—3 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto but in a different order. One of these apparently must have occurred at the end of the forty days. The order of Matthew is perhaps the most natural of the two; it is, at least, clearly indicated by the words then-again. $ Deut. 8. 3. Psa. 91. 11. u Deut. 6. 16. 2 John i. 1-18. 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. § 18. TESTIMONY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST TO JESUS.-Bethabara beyond Jordan. John i. 19-34. 19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet ?" And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may Deut. 6. 13. w All the temptation (Távτа пeiраoμóv), rather every temptation, the three cases being regarded as types or samples of the three classes into which all temptations may be divided; namely, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, according to 1 John 2. 16. Comp. Heb. 4. 15. Comp. John 14. 30. Here John declares that he was not Elias, meaning that he was not Elias risen from the dead in Matt. 17. 12, Christ declares that "Elias is come already," meaning that John had come "in the spirit and power of Elias," Luke 1. 17. a Deut. 18. 15, 18. : John i. give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not:" but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 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. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. § 19. JESUS GAINS DISCIPLES.-The Jordan. Galilee? John i. 35-51. 35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou ? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. "And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone. 43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the b Isa. 40. 3. c Bethabara (or as the best texts read, Bethany) was a place on the eastern bank of the Jordan, and taking its name (place of passage) from a ford of the river at that spot. It is probably the same as Bethbara in Judges 7. 24. d Here the Baptist says he knew not Jesus; yet in Matt. 3. 14 (§ 15) he appears to have known who he was. The discrepancy is removed by supposing that John did not know Jesus as the Messiah before he came to be baptized, when a sign was given to point him out. |