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Not when the Lord was a baby and lived in Nazareth, but the evangelist speaks this way generally about the time that preceded the present, when John the Baptist came. John was sent from God in order to expose the Jews, bring them to the consciousness of their sins and thus prepare them to accept Christ. For if someone does not recognize his sins, he does not come to repentance. John the Baptist comes and preaches in the Judean desert Matthew 3:2. and says: repent, The Jews were arrogant, so the Forerunner encourages them to repentance. for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. By the Kingdom of Heaven he means the first and second coming of Christ, and a virtuous life. For if we, wandering on earth, live as if in heaven, alien to passions, then we have the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 3:3. For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah said: the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. “Way” is called the Gospel, but “paths” are legal institutions, because they are worn out and ancient. Therefore, the Baptist says: be prepared for the life of the Gospel and make the legal commandments direct, that is, spiritual; for the word "straight" means spirit. When you see that a Jew carnally understands the legal order, then say that he does not make the paths straight, that is, he does not spiritually understand the law. Matthew 3:4. John himself had clothes made of camel's hair The Forerunner called for repentance with his appearance: for he had deplorable clothes. They say that a camel occupies the middle between a clean and an unclean animal: as one that regurgitates the cud, it is clean, but as one that has uncloven hooves, it is unclean. Since John brought both the seemingly pure Jewish people and the unclean pagan people to God and was a mediator between the Old and New Testaments, that is why he wore camel hair as clothing. a leather belt around your loins, All the saints in Scripture are represented as girded, either as being constantly at work (for the careless and pampered do not girdle, like, for example, the Saracens now), or because they have killed in themselves the passions of carnal lust, for the skin is part of a dead animal. and his food was locusts and wild honey. Some say that “acrids” are a herb that is also called melagra, while others mean nuts or wild berries. Wild honey is honey that is prepared by wild bees and that is found in trees and between stones. Matthew 3:5. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around Jordan came out to him Matthew 3:6. and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. Although they were baptized, John’s baptism did not have remission of sins; John preached only repentance and led to the remission of sins, that is, he led to the baptism of Christ, from Whom there is remission of sins. Matthew 3:7. When John saw many Pharisees Pharisee in translation means “separate”, since both in their life and in their knowledge they differed from others. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, or in angels, or in the spirit. “Sadducees” translated means “righteous”, for “sedek” means righteousness. They themselves called themselves righteous or were called so after their heretical leader Zadok. coming to him to be baptized, he said to them: The Pharisees and Sadducees did not approach baptism with the right intention, like others. That is why the Forerunner condemns them. Spawn of vipers! who inspired you to flee from future wrath? The Forerunner speaks sternly to them, knowing their obstinacy, but, nevertheless, praises them, saying: “Who inspired this in you?” He wonders how it happened that this evil race repented. He calls them the offspring of vipers because, just as vipers gnaw through the womb and are thus born, so they killed their fathers, that is, teachers and prophets. “From the wrath to come,” he speaks of Gehenna. Matthew 3:8. produce fruit worthy of repentance You see that he says that one should not only avoid evil, but should also bear the fruits of virtue. For it is said: “turn away from evil and do good” (Ps. 33:15). Matthew 3:9. and do not think of saying to yourself: “Our father is Abraham,” It was to their destruction that they relied on their noble origin. For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. By stones we mean the pagans, many of whom believed. In addition, John says so simply that God can create children for Abraham from stones. For Sarah's womb was a stone through barrenness, yet she gave birth. When did the Lord raise up children for Abraham from the stones? At the time when they crucified Him and many, seeing the stones scattered, believed. Matthew 3:10. Already the ax lies at the root of the trees: The Forerunner calls the judgment of Christ an axe, and each of us trees. So, for this unbelief, the non-believer is cut off by the roots and thrown into Gehenna. even if it came from Abraham, does not bear good fruit. He did not say: “not bringing”, but “not bringing”; for it must always bear the fruits of virtue. If you showed mercy yesterday and today you kidnap, then you are displeasing to God. Such a tree cut down and thrown into the fire, Matthew 3:11. I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me is mightier than I; The Forerunner told them: “Bring fruit.” So, he shows what the fruit is, namely, faith in the One who comes after him. Christ followed him. He was behind him not only in birth (only six months), but also in appearance, for first the Forerunner appeared, and then Christ, to whom John testified. I am not worthy to carry His sandals; I, he says, am not worthy to be His last servant, to wear shoes. By shoes also mean His two descents - one from heaven to earth, the other from earth to hell, for shoes are the skin of the flesh and mortification. The Forerunner could not bear these two convergences, not being able to understand how they could happen. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit...; that is, it will abundantly fill you with the gifts of the Spirit, while my baptism, says the Forerunner, does not give either the grace of the Spirit or the remission of sins. He will abundantly give you the remission of sins and the gifts of the Spirit. Matthew 3:12. His shovel is in His hand, Do not think that when you are baptized by Him and then sin, He will forgive you; He has a shovel, that is, consideration and judgment. that is, a church that has many baptized, just as everything is gathered from the field at the threshing floor, but one part of what is collected turns out to be tares, such as those who are frivolous and driven by spirits of malice, and the other part is wheat - these are those who bring benefit to others and feed them with doctrine and deeds. and He will gather His wheat into the barn, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. Let's not extinguish this fire. Therefore, Origen was mistaken when he said that there would be an end to punishment. Matthew 3:13. Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. Matthew 3:14. John restrained Him and said: The pure one is baptized in order to wash us and show us that if we want to be baptized, we must first cleanse ourselves so as not to defile our baptism, easily then sinking into sin out of bad habit. John prevents Him so that those who see do not think that He, as one of many, is baptized into repentance. I need to be baptized by You The Forerunner needed to receive cleansing from the Lord, for he himself, as having descended from Adam, was infected with the filth of disobedience; Christ incarnate cleansed everyone. and do you come to me? He did not dare to say: “And are You baptized by Me?”, but “And Are You coming?” . He was so humble! Matthew 3:15. But Jesus answered and said to Him: Leave it now, Now, he says, give in. There will be a time when we will have a worthy glory, although now we do not discover it. for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. By righteousness he means law. Human nature, he says, is cursed because it could not fulfill the law. Therefore, I also fulfilled other provisions of the law. What remains for me is to be baptized. Having fulfilled this, I will free nature from the oath. For this befits Me. Then John admits Him. Matthew 3:16. And Jesus was baptized The Lord is baptized when he is thirty years old, since this age absorbs all sins. In the first, childhood, age there is a lot of foolishness, in the second, youthful age there is a strong flame of lust and anger, and at the time of courage - covetousness. So, the Lord waited for this age in order to fulfill the law and sanctify us through all ages. The Manichaeans say that He laid down His body in the Jordan and ghostly took on another body. But they are refuted from here, for it is said: “Jesus came out,” not another who came out, but He who went down into the water. and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, Adam closed them, but Christ opens them, so that you may know that when you are baptized, you open them. and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and descending upon Him. Matthew 3:17. And behold, a voice from heaven said: The Spirit descends to testify that He who is baptized is greater than he who baptizes. For the Jews considered John great, but Christ not so. Everyone saw that the Spirit descended on Jesus, so that they would not think that the voice: This is My beloved Son was for John's sake, but so that everyone, seeing the Spirit, would believe that this voice refers to Jesus. “Just as a dove,” because of the dove’s gentleness and meekness and because the dove is the purest bird, does not remain where there is uncleanness, so does the Holy Spirit. But even under Noah, a dove announced the end of the flood, carrying an olive branch; so here the Holy Spirit shows the resolution of sins. There is an olive branch, and here is the mercy of God: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, that is, on which I rest, to whom I am merciful.