Matthew 3. As this chapter opens, we have jumped ahead about thirty years and we meet an unusual character, John the Baptist. From the wilderness (about a two day walk from Jerusalem) John the Baptist is calling people to repent, confess their sins, and be baptized.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (3:2) This call-to-action echoes throughout the whole gospel narrative. Repent – recognize your sins, call them what they are, acknowledge that you have failed by the sins you have committed and by the things you have omitted. We are all sinners, born into a heritage of selfish rebellion. God’s call to us is to recognize reality, come to follow Him as king, and turn from our own rebellious ways.

Why is this call urgent now? The kingdom of heaven is at hand – something has changed. Those gathered in the desert with John the Baptist did not understand it yet, but in the coming of Jesus the kingdom of God was breaking into the world. Jesus was opening a way for humankind to be in relationship with God.

When your heart is truly repentant, something changes. “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (3:8) is what John the Baptist told the crowds. A heart that is changed leads to different behavior patterns. Being the prophet that he was, John the Baptist knew that the religious leaders who had come to inspect his activities in the desert were not repentant. In fact, they were relying on their family religious heritage as the key to being in right relationship with God saying, “We have Abraham as our father…” (3:9).

There is a strong parallel in the modern world that we should not ignore. Many Christians come to church, don’t do “lots of bad things”, and live culturally acceptable good lives thinking this puts them in right relationship with God. This passage reveals the flaw in this logic and way of life. Clinging to a religious heritage and living a reasonably good life is not the same as having a repentant heart and coming to Jesus for salvation.

Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist in our text today, which marks the beginning of his ministry. Under Old Testament law a priest could begin his ministry when he turned thirty, so Jesus is keeping with that tradition. God speaks from heaven and affirms Jesus’ identity saying, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.” (3:17)

The Spirit of God descends like a dove and comes to rest on Jesus (3:16). Recall that in the Old Testament (before Pentecost) not everyone had the Holy Spirit – he was present with prophets, priests, and kings who had a role to fulfill in the leadership of the kingdom. The visible arrival of the Holy Spirit on Jesus marked him as one of God’s leaders with a special anointing. Recall also that Jesus gave up his divine powers when he came to earth, so he needed the presence of the Holy Spirit to enable him for ministry. The kingdom of heaven is at hand – his ministry is just getting started!