THE KING'S CREDENTIALS

Some thirty years passed between chapters 2 and 3 of Matthew, during which Jesus lived in Nazareth and worked as a carpenter (Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3). But the time came for Him to begin His public ministry which would culminate at the cross. Was He still qualified to be King? Had anything taken place that would disqualify Him? In chapters 2 and 3, Matthew assembled the testimonies of five witnesses to the person of Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God and the King.

John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-15)

For over 400 years, the nation had not heard the voice of a prophet. Then John appeared and a great revival took place. Consider four facts about John.
His message (vv. 1-2, 7-10).
John's preaching centered on repentance and the kingdom of heaven. The word repent means "to change one's mind and act on that change." John was not satisfied with regret or remorse; he wanted "fruits meet for repentance" (Matt 3:8). There had to be evidence of a changed mind and a changed life. All kinds of people came to hear John preach and to watch the great baptismal services he conducted. Many publicans and sinners came in sincere humility (Matt 21:31-32), but the religious leaders refused to submit. They thought that they were good enough to please God; yet John called them a "generation of vipers." Jesus used the same language when He dealt with this self-righteous crowd (Matt 12:34; 23:33; John 8:44).
The Pharisees were the traditionalists of their day, while the Sadducees were more liberal (see Acts 23:6-9). The wealthy Sadducees controlled the "temple business" that Jesus cleaned out. These two groups usually fought each other for control of the nation, but when it came to opposing Jesus Christ, the Pharisees and Sadducees united forces.

1 Johns message was one of judgment. Israel had sinned and needed to repent and the religious leaders ought to lead the way. The ax was lying at the root of the tree; and if the tree (Israel) did not bear good fruit, it would be cut down (see Luke 13:6-10). If the nation repented, the way would be prepared for the coming of the Messiah.
His authority (vv. 3-4).
John fulfilled the prophecy given in Isa 40:3. In a spiritual sense, John was "Elijah who was to come" for he came in the "spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:16-17). He even dressed as Elijah did and preached the same message of judgment (2 Kings 1:8). John was the last of the Old Testament prophets (Luke 16:16) and the greatest of them (Matt 11:7-15; see 17:9-13).
His baptism (vv. 5-6, 11-12).
The Jews baptized Gentile converts, but John was baptizing Jews! His baptism was authorized from heaven (Matt 21:23-27); it was not something John devised or borrowed. It was a baptism of repentance, looking forward to the Messiah's coming (Acts 19:1-7). His baptism fulfilled two purposes: it prepared the nation for Christ and it presented Christ to the nation (John 1:31). But John mentioned two other baptisms: a baptism of the Spirit and a baptism of fire (Matt 3:11). The baptism of the Spirit came at Pentecost (Acts 1:5, and note that Jesus said nothing about fire). Today, whenever a sinner trusts Christ, he is born again and immediately baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ, the church (1 Cor 12:12-13). In contrast, the baptism of fire refers to the future judgment as Matthew explains (Matt 3:12).

His obedience (vv. 13-15). Jesus was not baptized because He was a repentant sinner liven John tried to stop Jesus, but the Lord knew it was His Father's will. Why was Jesus baptized? First His baptism gave approval to John's ministry. Second, He identified Himself with publicans and sinners, the very people He came to save. But mainly, His baptism pictured His future baptism on the cross (Matt 20:22; Luke 12:50) when all the "waves and billows" of God's judgment would go over Him (Ps 42:7; Jonah 2:3). 'Thus, John the Baptist bore witness to Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and also as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Because of John's witness, many sinners trusted Jesus Christ (John 10:39-42).

The Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:16)

The coming of the Holy Spirit like a dove identified Jesus to John (John 1:31-34), and also assured Jesus as He began His ministry that the Spirit's ministry would always be His (John 3:34). The dove is a beautiful symbol of the Spirit of God in its purity and in its ministry of peace. The first time we see a dove in Scripture is in Gen 8:6-11. Noah sent out two birds, a raven and a dove; but only the dove came back. The raven represented the flesh, there was plenty for the raven to eat outside the ark! But the dove would not defile itself on the carcasses, so it came back to the ark. The second time the dove was released, it returned with an olive leaf, a symbol of peace. The third time, the dove did not return. There may be another picture here. The name Jonah means "dove," and he too experienced a baptism! Jesus used Jonah as a type of Himself in death, burial, and resurrection (Matt 12:38-40). Jonah was sent to the Gentiles, and Jesus would minister to the Gentiles.

The Father (Matt. 3:17)

On three special occasions, the Father spoke from heaven: at Christ's baptism, at the Transfiguration (Matt 17:3), and as Christ approached the cross (John 12:27-30). In the past, God spoke to His Son; today He is speaking through His Son (Heb 1:1-2). The Father's statement from heaven seems to be an echo of Ps 2:7 - "The Lord hath said unto Me, 'Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee.'" Acts 13:33 informs us that this "begetting" refers to His resurrection from the dead, and not to His birth at Bethlehem. This statement ties in perfectly with the Lord's baptismal experience of death, burial, and resurrection. But the Father's statement also relates Jesus Christ to the "Suffering Servant" prophesied in Isa 40-53. In Matt 12:18, Matthew quoted from Isa 42:1-3, where the Messiah-Servant is called "My beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased." The Servant described in Isaiah is humble, rejected, made to suffer and die, but is also seen to come forth in victory. While the nation of Israel is seen dimly in some of these "Servant Songs," it is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is revealed most clearly in them. Again, we see the connection with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection.
Finally, the Father's statement approved all that Jesus had done up to that point. His "hidden years in Nazareth" were years of pleasing the Father. Certainly, the Father's commendation was a great encouragement to the Son as He started His ministry.

Satan (Matt. 4:1-11)

From the high and holy experience of blessing at the Jordan, Jesus was led into the wilderness for testing. Jesus was not tempted so that the Father could learn anything about His Son, for the Father had already given Jesus His divine approval. Jesus was tempted so that every creature in heaven, on earth, or under the earth might know that Jesus Christ is the Conqueror. He exposed Satan and his tactics, and He defeated Satan. Because of His victory, we can have victory over the tempter just as the first Adam met Satan, so the Last Adam met the enemy (1 Cor 15:45). Adam met Satan in a beautiful Garden, but Jesus met him in a terrible wilderness. Adam had everything he needed, but Jesus was hungry after forty days of fasting. Adam lost the battle and plunged humanity into sin and death. But Jesus won the battle and went on to defeat Satan in more battles, culminating in His final victory on the cross (John 12:31; Col 2:15). Our Lord's experience of temptation prepared Him to be our sympathetic High Priest (Heb 2:16-18; 4:15-16). It is important to note that Jesus faced the enemy as man, not as the Son of God. His first word was, "Man shall not live by bread alone." We must not think that Jesus used His divine powers to overcome the enemy, because that is just what the enemy wanted Him to do! Jesus used the spiritual resources that are available to us today: the power of the Holy Spirit of God (Matt 4:1), and the power of the Word of God ("It is written"). Jesus had nothing in His nature that would give Satan a foothold (John 14:30), but His temptations were real just the same. Temptation involves the will, and Jesus came to do the Father's will (Heb 10:1-9).
The first temptation (vv. 1-4).
This involved the love of God and the will of God. "Since You are God's beloved Son, why doesn't Your Father feed You? Why does He put You into this terrible wilderness?" This temptation sounded like Satan's words to live in Gen 3! It is a subtle suggestion that our Father does not love us. But there was another suggestion: "Use Your divine powers to meet Your own needs." When we put our physical needs ahead of our spiritual needs, we sin. When we allow circumstances to dictate our actions, instead of following God's will, we sin. Jesus could have turned the stones into bread, but He would have been exercising His powers independently of the Father, and He came to obey the Father (John 5:30; 6:38). The Lord quoted Deut 8:3 to defeat Satan. Feeding on and obeying God's Word is more important than consuming physical food. In fact, it is our food (John 4:32-34).

The second temptation (vv. 5-7). The second temptation was even more subtle. This time Satan also used the Word of God. "So You intend to live by the Scriptures," he implied. "Then let me quote You a verse of Scripture and see if You will obey it!" Satan took the Lord Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, probably 500 feet above the Kidron Valley. Satan then quoted from Ps 91:11-12 where God promised to care for His own. "If You really believe the Scriptures, then jump! Let's see if the Father cares for You!" Note carefully our Lord's reply. "It is written AGAIN" (Matt 4:7, emphasis mine). We must never divorce one part of Scripture from another, but we must always "compare spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor 2:13). We can prove almost anything by the Bible if we isolate texts from the contexts and turn them into pretexts. Satan had cleverly omitted the phrase "in all Thy ways" when he quoted from Ps 91. When the child of God is in the will of God, the Father will protect him. He watches over those who are "in His ways." Jesus replied with Deut 6:16: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." We tempt God when we put ourselves into circumstances that force Him to work miracles on our behalf The diabetic who refuses to take insulin and argues, "Jesus will take care of me," may be tempting the Lord. We tempt God when we try to force Him to contradict His own Word. It is important for us as believers to read all Scripture, and study all God has to say, for all of it is profitable for daily life (2 Tim 3:16-17).

The third temptation (vv. 8-11). The devil offered Jesus a shortcut to His kingdom. Jesus knew that He would suffer and die before He entered into His glory (Luke 24:26; 1 Peter 1:11; 5:1). If He bowed down and worshiped Satan just once (this is the force of the Greek verb), He could enjoy all the glory without enduring the suffering. Satan has always wanted worship, because Satan has always wanted to be God (Isa 14:12-14). Worshiping the creature instead of the Creator is the he that rules our world today (Rom 1:24-25). There are no shortcuts to the will of God. If we want to share in the glory, we must also share in the suffering (1 Peter 5:10). As the prince of this world, Satan could offer these kingdoms to Christ (John 12:31; 14:30). But Jesus did not need Satan's offer. The Father had already promised Jesus the kingdom! "Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen [nations] for Thine inheritance" (Ps 2:8). You find the same promise in Ps 22:22-31, and this is the psalm of the cross. Our Lord replied with Deut 6:13: "Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Satan had said nothing about service, but Jesus knew that whatever we worship, we will serve. Worship and service must go together.

Satan slunk away, a defeated foe; but he did not cease to tempt Jesus. We could translate Luke 4:13, "And when the devil had ended every possible kind of temptation, he stood off from Him until a suitable season." Through Peter, Satan again tempted Jesus to abandon the cross (Matt 16:21-23); and through the crowd that had been fed, Satan tempted Jesus to an "easy kingdom" (John 6:15). One victory never guarantees freedom from further temptation. If anything, each victory we experience only makes Satan try harder. Notice that Luke's account reverses the order of the second and third temptations as recorded in Matthew. The word, then, in Matt 4:5 seems to indicate sequence. Luke only uses the simple conjunction "and" and does not say he is following a sequence. Our Lord's command at the end of the third temptation ("Get thee hence, Satan!") is proof that Matthew followed the historical order. There is no contradiction since Luke did not claim to follow the actual sequence. After Jesus Christ had defeated Satan, He was ready to begin His ministry. No man has a right to call others to obey who has not obeyed himself. Our Lord proved Himself to be the perfect King whose sovereignty is worthy of our respect and obedience. But, true to his purpose, Matthew had one more witness to call to prove the kingship of Jesus Christ.

Christ's Ministry of Power (Matt. 4:12-15)

Matthew has already shown us that every detail of our Lord's life was controlled by the Word of God. Remember that between the end of His temptation and the statement in Matt 4:12 comes the ministry described in John 1:19 through John 3:36. We must not think that John the Baptist was thrown into prison immediately after our Lord's temptation. Matthew wrote his book topically rather than chronologically. Consult a good harmony of the Gospels to study the sequence of events. In Matt 4:16, Matthew quoted Isaiah (see Isa 9:1-2). The prophet wrote about people who "walked" in darkness, but by the time Matthew quoted the passage, the situation was so discouraging that the people were sitting in darkness! Jesus Christ brought the Light to them. He made His headquarters in Capernaum in "Galilee of the Gentiles," another reference to the universal outreach of the Gospel's message. In Galilee there was a mixed population that was somewhat despised by the racially "pure" citizens of Judea.
How did Jesus bring this Light to Galilee? We are told in Matt 4:23: through His teaching, preaching, and healing. This emphasis is found often in the Gospel of Matthew, see 9:35; 11:4-5; 12:15; 14:34-36; 15:30; 19:2. Matthew was quite clear that He healed "an manner of sickness and all manner of disease" (Matt 4:23). There was no case too difficult for Him! The result of these great miracles was a tremendous fame for Jesus, and a great following of people from many areas. "Syria" refers to an area in northern Galilee. "Decapolis" means "ten cities" and was a district made up of ten cities originally built by followers of Alexander the Great. The Decapolis was in the northeastern part of Galilee. "Beyond Jordan" means Perea, the area east of the Jordan. News traveled fast, and those who had afflicted friends or family members brought them to Jesus for healing.

Matthew listed some of the "cases" in Matt 4:24. "Diseases and torments" could cover almost any disease. Of course, our Lord often delivered people from demons. The term "lunatic" did not refer to people who were insane. Rather, it was used to describe those afflicted with epilepsy (see Matt 17:15). Palsy meant "paralytic" Miracles of healing were but a part of Christ's ministry throughout Galilee; for He also taught and preached the Word. The "fight" that Isaiah promised was the Light of the Word of God, as well as the Light of His perfect life and compassionate ministry. The word preach in Matt 4:17 and 23 means "to announce as a herald." Jesus proclaimed with authority the Good News that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. The phrase kingdom of heaven is found thirty-two times in Matthew's Gospel. The phrase kingdom of God is found only five times (Matt 6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31,43). Out of reverence for the holy name of the Lord, the' Jews would not mention "God" but would substitute the word "heaven." The Prodigal Son confessed that he had sinned "against heaven," meaning, of course, against God. In many places where Matthew uses kingdom of heaven, the parallel passages in Mark and Luke use kingdom of God.
In the New Testament, the word kingdom means "rule, reign, authority" rather than a place or a specific realm. The phrase "kingdom of heaven" refers to the rule of God. The Jewish leaders wanted a political leader who would deliver them from Rome; but Jesus came to bring spiritual rule to the hearts of people. This does not deny the reality of a future kingdom as we have already noted.

But Jesus not only proclaimed the Good News and taught the people God's truth, He also called to Himself a few disciples whom He could tram for the work of the kingdom. In Matt 4:17-22 we read of the call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, men who had already met Jesus and trusted Him (John 1:29-42). They had gone back to their fishing business, but He came and called them to give up their business and follow Him. The details of this call may be found in Mark 1:16-20 and Luke 5:1-11. The term "fishers of men" was not new. For centuries, Greek and Roman philosophers had used it to describe the work of the man who seeks to "catch" others by teaching and persuasion. "Fishing for men" is but one of many pictures of evangelism in the Bible, and we must not limit ourselves to it. Jesus also talked about the shepherd seeking the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), and the workers in the harvest-field (John 4:34-38). Since these four men were involved in the fishing business, it was logical for Jesus to use this approach.
Jesus had four and possibly seven men in the band of disciples who were professional fishermen (see John 21:1-3). Why would Jesus call so many fishermen to His side? For one thing, fishermen were busy people; usually professional fishermen did not sit around doing nothing. They either sorted their catch, prepared for a catch, or mended their equipment The Lord needs busy people who are not afraid to work.

Fishermen have to be courageous and patient people. It certainly takes patience and courage to win others to Christ - Fishermen must have skill; they must learn from others where to find the fish and how to catch them. Soul-winning demands skill too. These men had to work together, and the work of the Lord demands cooperation. But most of a fishing demands faith: fishermen cannot see the fish and are not sure their nets will enclose them. Soul-winning requires faith and alertness too, or we will fail. Matthew has presented to us the person of the King livery witness affirms, "This is the Son of God, this is the KING!"

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