A Word about the Master of Repentance

Today I want to share a word about the Master of Repentance as I comment on Matthew Chapter 3.

Let’s Start with Matthew 3:1-6. This passage reads,

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

When I was young, I believed my dad could do anything with his hands. He was a vehicle mechanic by trade, but it seemed he could do most anything. For example:

• When our hot water heater died, he plumbed in the new one himself.
• He built an addition on the back of our house using metal studs that he welded himself on top of a concrete slab that he poured himself. He broke open a wall and installed a door so we could have access to this addition.
• He did his own electrical wiring work and his own carpentry. 
• My mom wanted to divide our breakfast nook from our living room, so my dad built her a paneled room-divider from plans that he developed in his head.
• Later, he and mama built a barn and tractor shed from the timber left over from when his family’s old home place was torn down.

I asked him once about all his skills and he told me, “Son, I’m a jack of all trades, but a master of none.” I had no problem believing the first part, but I did wonder about the last half of his comment. He certainly was a master mechanic if nothing else.

If we review the Biblical record of the ministry of Jesus, we will begin seeing something new. The Old Testament is full of the acts of God as He carefully unfolded His plan to redeem the world, but now we will begin seeing him personally. We will begin seeing the Master of the universe walking amongst His creation and demonstrating His power and control. Today we will see Him as the Master of Repentance.

First, Let’s see the Preacher of Repentance: 

We understand situations based on our perspective. Each of us has a role to play in God’s Kingdom. This is reflected in our spiritual gifts, and it is also reflected in our individual callings. Like a football player who plays only in certain game situations, we too have specific roles to play in God’s Kingdom. Paul taught the Corinthian church about this in 1 Corinthians 3:1-10 and this fact still applies to the church today.

One very important but very difficult role is that of prophet. Prophets forth-tell the Word of God and they often confront sinful humanity with the truth of God. At times, this is not a particularly pleasant task as we see in 1 Kings 18:17 & 18: 

And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?  And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.

It is a pretty tense day when the leader of your country and your people calls you a troublemaker to your face! Still, Elijah did not back down, and he continued to share God’s truth!

In our passage today, we see that John, too, was a prophet of repentance. He was only the next in a long line of prophets. Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and many others had come before he did, and each one made calls to repentance. Like Job, however, John specialized in this call. He knew his calling from God and the task that he was required to perform, and he engaged it with every fiber of his being.

We Also Must See The Need For Repentance:

Matthew 3:7-12 reads,

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 repentance: 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. 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.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Why was John sent to call people to repentance? Because repentance is necessary for salvation. Without repentance there is no salvation as Jesus taught in Luke 13:1-3, which reads:

There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

In Acts 3:19 Peter told the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders in the Temple and Jerusalem, the same thing: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” 

But what does it mean to repent?

• It does not mean to just feel sorry, nor to try to do penance.
• It does mean to make a decision of the will to do right.
• It means that we agree with God about our sin, and we have decided to seek His help in blotting it out.
• It means deciding to make a “u-turn” in our lives.

Another vital question to ask is, who needs to repent? To answer that, we must consider the Biblical record which would include:

• The people who know that they are sinners, like the woman who anointed Jesus with oil.
• The people who aren’t sure if they need to repent, like the woman at the well.
• The people who don’t think they need to repent, like the Pharisee who prayed arrogantly.

In short, all people need to repent, Romans 3:10-12 tells us: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Next, We See The Symbol Of Repentance: 

Matthew 3:13-15 reads,

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 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.

Symbols are important, even if they are not important in themselves. They are important because they represent a deeper meaning, like the symbols on a road sign or the symbols on the controls on a car. The symbol of repentance is baptism.

Baptism was a relatively new practice at this time. Converts to Judaism were often baptized as a rite of passage and this might be why a lot of synagogues were located near water. The Essenes, the producers of the Dead Sea Scrolls, also conducted water baptism by immersion. Without the right meaning though, baptism has no effect.

Baptism is an audio-visual symbol of repentance to illustrate that people have decided to repent and allow Jesus to become their Savior and Lord. When you go under water it shows you died to the old life. When you come up it shows you have a new way of life. It is also a symbol of being washed clean of our sin by the shed blood of Jesus.

The proper meaning of baptism is a symbol of repentance & new life in Christ. If there is no internal change in your life before being baptized, then all you have done is gotten wet! However, if you have repented and received new life and are baptized, you have preached a powerful sermon to all who watched!

Finally, Let’s See the Example of Repentance:

Matthew 3:15-17 reads,

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. 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: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus came to the earth for many reasons. He came to seek and save that which was lost. He came to defeat sin, and death, and hell. He came to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He came to bring light to people walking in darkness. He also came to be a model for our lives, which is why Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”

Jesus, being fully God and fully man had lived a sinless life and he did not need to repent. John the Baptist knew this and tried to prevent Jesus. Jesus never sinned and was one with the Father. There was no need for Him to repent because He’s never done wrong. So, what was Jesus doing?

Jesus was leading by example.

Jesus was baptized because it was the right thing to do in His ministry as our spiritual leader. Leadership by example is the best form. The motto of a good leader is, “Follow me and do as I do.” The motto of a bad leader is “Do as I say, not as I do” and this is a poor leadership model. Jesus was baptized to show us what to do. We all need to follow His example.

Conclusion:

Jesus is the master of all things, and in this passage, we see that He is the Master of Repentance. He showed us what we need to do by His example of obedience.

Have you repented of your sin and become a child of God? If you are a child of God, do you have a besetting sin that is holding back your spiritual growth? In either case, Jesus has shown us what to do in these situations, and like John the Baptist, His counsel to us today and forever is: 

Repent!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt