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Matthew 3:1-12
With thanks to Page Sponsor: Jane Williams, Wyomissing, PA
 | Reading the Text:
|
| Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
 | The
Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto. |
| "Repentance,
Confession and Restitution," Comparative World Scriptures from
United Communities of Spirit. |
|
"John's Message,"
"John the Baptist,"
"Kingdom and Repentance,"
The Jesus Database, an online annotated inventory of
the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus. Dr. Gregory C.
Jenks, FaithFutures Foundation. |
| Stephen Carlson's color-coded
Greek Synoptic Parallels:
3:1-6,
3:7-10,
3:11-12. |
| Comparative Primary Texts at Mahlon H. Smith's
Into His Own: Perspective on the World of
Jesus, Rutgers University:
|
|
Chapter XLIX,
Dialogue With Trypho,
Justin
Martyr. (c 160) |
|
III.IX.1,
IV.IV.3,
IV.VII.2,
IV.VIII.3,
IV.XXV.1,
IV.XXXIII.1,
IV.XXXIII.11,
IV.XXXVI.4,
IV.XXXIX.3,
V.XVII.4,
V.XXXIV.1,
Adversus Haereses,
Irenaeus
of Lyons. (c. 180) |
|
Chapter
VI,
Chapter
X,
Chapter
XX, On Baptism,
Tertullian
(c. 198) |
|
Chapter I,
Exhortation
to the Greeks,
Clement of
Alexandria (c 200) |
|
I.9,
Paedagogus,
Clement of Alexandria (c 200) |
|
Chapter III,
The Prescription of Heretics,
Tertullian (c.
200) |
|
Chapter
II,
Chapter
IV, Considering Repentance,
Tertullian
(c. 203) |
|
Chapter XII,
Chapter
XXXVII, Against Hermogenes,
Tertullian (c.
205) |
|
I.6,
To His Wife, Tertullian (c. 206) |
|
Chapter XXI,
On
the Soul,
Tertullian
(c. 210) |
|
Chapter
VI, Exhortation to Chastity, Tertullian (c. 210) |
|
Chapter XIII,
De Corona,
Tertullian (c.
211) |
|
Concerning
Flight in Persecution (paragraph 1)
Tertullian (c.
212) |
|
Chapter
VI, On Monogamy,
Tertullian
(c. 215) |
|
Chapter
XX, On Modesty,
Tertullian
(c. 217) |
|
V.III,
VI.XI,
The
Refutation of all Heresies (Philosophumena),
Hippolytus of Rome.
(c. 225) |
|
Epistle LXII
- Caecilius, on the Sacrament of the Cup of the Lord
--
Cyprian of Carthage (c.
253) |
| Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. Chrysostom (c.
380)
|
| Commentary on a Harmony of the
Evangelists, John Calvin, 1558:
|
| From the
Catena
Aurea, Patristic Commentary by St Thomas Aquinas. |
| From the
Geneva Notes.
 |
"John, who
through his singular holiness and rare austerity of life caused men to
cast their eyes on him, prepares the way for Christ who is following fast
on his heels, as the prophet Isaiah foretold, and delivers the sum of the
gospel, which a short time later would be delivered more fully." |
|
| From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary.
|
"This was not
an uninhabited desert, but a part of the country not thickly peopled, nor
much enclosed. No place is so remote as to shut us out from the visits of
Divine grace." |
|
| From
Wesley's
Notes.
|
"The very
demand of repentance, as previous to it, showed it was a spiritual
kingdom, and that no wicked man, how politic, brave, or learned soever,
could possibly be a subject of it." |
|
| From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871). |
| From
The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
|
"The great
rite of John was baptism, but the great duty commanded was repentance.
Repentance is more than a sorrow for sin; it is a determination to abandon
it and live a new life. It means a change of the will, or heart, new
purposes, a determination to leave off sinning. Sorrow is not repentance,
but 'godly sorrow worketh repentance'." |
|
|
| Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
| Matthew 3:1-12:
Comments
(commentary) and
Clippings
(technical notes for in-depth study), Advent 2A, Chris Haslam, Diocese of
Montreal. |
|
"First
Thoughts on Year A Gospel Passages in the Lectionary: Advent 2,"
William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
| "Put
negatively, there are no favourites: everyone must be immersed in the
waters; everyone must join the transformation. Turned into positive terms,
this also means: no one is to be written off as inferior or worthless.
Every person matters to God." |
|
|
"John the Baptist,"
Gospel Analysis, Sermons from
Seattle,
Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington. Detailed background and exegesis. |
|
"Exegetical Considerations:
Advent 2,"
Richard Carlson, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Using Greek
for Sunday Text Preparations.
| "What does the act of repentance entail
in response to the drawing near of heaven’s reign?" |
|
|
Dylan's Lectionary Blog,
Advent 2A, 2004. (Episcopal Lectionary) Biblical Scholar
Sarah Dylan Breuer looks at readings for the coming Sunday in the lectionary
of the Episcopal Church.
| "I
suspect that the difficulty of trying to figure out just who's in
and who's out arises because God's love is a circle expanding faster
than any person or community can graph. So why not throw out the
graph paper?" |
|
|
Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen at
CrossMarks Christian
Resources.
| "What is repenting? Literally the Greek
(metanoeo) means, "to change one's mind." However, given Matthew's
emphasis on "bearing fruit," his idea of "repentance" probably goes back
to the Hebrew shuv -- "to change one's ways." It involves more than
just thinking in a different way." |
|
|
"Unquenchable Fire," study guide, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at)
"Heaven and Hell," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2002. |
|
"Second Sunday in Advent: Matthew 3:1-12,"
The Matthean Advent
Gospels, James Arne Nestingen, Word & World: Theology for
Christian Ministry, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1992.
| "Repentance is a correlate of
freedom. The tearing away that takes place in detachment is only
possible because a deeper, more powerful and superior attachment has
come: the attachment of faith, the grip of the kingdom." |
|
|
Matthew in the Margins, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in
Western Australia. |
|
"Wheat and Chaff," Ruth A. Meyers, The Christian Century,
2001.
| "John the Baptist’s fiery call to repentance
sounds harsh when we’re in the midst of preparations for the baby
Jesus." |
|
|
"Salvation by
Lineage?"
Jerry Goebel, One
Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study
and activities.
| "John the Baptist; what an
imposing portrait he paints across time. A person with no earthly
desires has no earthly fears – and that summarizes the preaching of
John." |
|
|
Exegesis,
Advent 2A,
by Richard Donovan at lectionary.org.
| "'Kingdom of heaven' means the same
as 'kingdom of God,' and honors the Jewish reluctance to pronounce God's
name." |
|
|
Wellspring of
the Gospel, Advent 2A, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn
Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
| "What is your reaction to John’s
words? How might they
apply to you?" |
|
|
"John the Baptist: A Clear Message and Identity," Advent 2A,
Fr. Gerry Pierse, C.Ss.R., from Sundays Into
Silence: Reflections on the Sunday Gospels in the Light of Christian
Meditation. Claretian Publications.
| "If you wanted a model of the type of
person that you may become through meditation you could hardly find a
better one than John the Baptist as portrayed in our Gospel today. He
comes across as a man with a clear message. That clarity comes from his
unconfused ego-free identity." |
|
|
"Spiritual
Preparation," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic
Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family
Activity, Support Materials.
| "How are your Christmas preparations
coming? Lists and shopping and cards? How have you prepared for the season
in a spiritual sense?" |
|
|
"The
Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible
Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed
textual notes.
| "When the Bible uses the word
"repent", particularly as a response to the gospel, it means something
stronger than sorrow. It is a turning to God for mercy in the face of
his coming judgement." |
|
|
Environmental &
earth-centered reflections from the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota Environmental
Stewardship Commission.
| "How do we announce God's presence in
other holy places where God's nearness is felt profoundly and God speaks
to us clearly?" |
|
|
"The
Church and Proclamation," Lawrence Semel, in Kerux: The
Online Journal of Biblical Theology (Reformed)
|
"Just
as a red carpet is rolled out to welcome a "VIP" and over that
carpet the dignitaries arrive, so also the herald makes a path or clears
a path by which the king comes. That path is the path of repentance." |
|
|
"Fruitful
Faith," Timothy J. Hoyer, Sabbatheology.
| "The rule of Jesus is not just
how Jesus rules me, but how Jesus reigns over all people. So I
cannot think that I am ruled by forgiveness but the next person is
not." |
|
|
"Again,
What Kind of Coming This Year?" Expository Essay, Dr. William
R. Long.
| "There is something very powerful
when a radical person like John tells the 'establishment' that they
can't really repent." |
|
|
| Articles & Background:
|
"John the Baptist,"
wikipedia. |
|
"Repentance
and Forgiveness," David R. Blumenthal, Cross Currents.
| "Teshuvá is the key concept in the rabbinic view of sin,
repentance, and forgiveness. The tradition is not of one mind on the steps one must take
to repent of one's sins. However, almost all agree that repentance requires five elements:
recognition of one's sins as sins (hakarát ha-chét'), remorse (charatá),
desisting from sin (azivát ha-chét'), restitution where possible (peira'ón),
and confession (vidúi)." |
|
|
"Baptism
in the Indian Context: An Event of Separation or Human Solidarity?" David C.
Scott, at Religion OnLine.
| "In the model of the 'Church as an Institution of Salvation`, baptism is an
absolute necessity for salvation, indeed that extra Ecclesiam nulla salus.
However, when we begin to understand the Church as a servant of the Kingdom, and salvation
as effective growth as God's children in freedom and love, into the likeness of the
Christ, then there is a relativization of all rites, including baptism." |
|
|
John
the Baptist at G.J. Goldberg's
Flavius
Josephus Home Page. |
|
| Articles in
ATLAS Journals. (Direct link when you are
subscribed and logged in to
ATLASerials online collection of Religion and Theology Journals.):
| Allen, Ronald J.,
"Removing Anti-Jewish Toxins from Advent Preaching," The Living
Pulpit, 1997.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Blomberg, Craig L.,
"The New Testament Definition of Heresy (or When Do Jesus and the Apostles
Really Get Mad?)," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society,
2002.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Blumenthal, David R., "Repentance and
Forgiveness," Cross Currents, 1996.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Bretscher, Paul, "'Whose Sandals'? (Matt 3:11)," Critical Notes,
Journal of Biblical
Literature, 1967.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Charles, J. Daryl,
"The 'Coming One'/'Stronger One' and His Baptism: Matt 3:11-12, Mark 1:8,
Luke 3:16-17," Pneuma, 1989.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Cousar, Charles B.,
"Disruptive Hope: New Testament Texts for Advent," Journal for
Preachers, 2001. (Section begins on page 27.)
Image Browse -
PDF |
|
Hutchison, John C.,
"Was John the Baptist an Essene from Qumran?" Bibliotheca Sacra,
2002.
Image Browse -
PDF |
|
Keener, Craig S.,
"'Brood of Vipers' (Matthew 3.7; 12.34; 23.33)," Journal for the
Study of the New Testament, 2005.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Kirk, Alan,
"Upbraiding Wisdom: John's Speech and the Beginning of Q,"
Novum
Testamentum, 1998.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Long, Thomas G., "Worship on the
Wrong: Thoughts on Matthew 3:1-10," The Living Pulpit, 2002.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Myers, Ruth A., "Wheat and Chaff,"
The Christian Century, 2001.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Nestingen, James Arne, "The Matthean Advent Gospels,"
Word & World, 1992.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Niedner, Frederick, "Holy Fishes," The Christian
Century, 2004.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Reines, Rabbi Sarah H., "Turning
Ourselves Around," The
Living Pulpit, 2007. (See also
"Atonement," issue focus of The Living Pulpit, 16.2, 2007.)
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Richter, Kimberly Clayton, "The Advent Texts:
Glorious Visions, Dogged Discipleship," Journal for Preachers,
2004.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Roberts, Raymond R.,
"Between Text and Sermon: Matthew 3:1-12,"
Interpretation, 2005.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Taylor, Barbara Brown, "A Cure for Despair: Matthew
3:1-12," Journal for Preachers, 1997. Sermon.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Vinson, Richard, "'King of the Jews': Kingship and
Anti-Kingship Rhetoric in Matthew's Birth, Baptism, and Transfiguration
Narratives," Review & Expositor, 2007.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Wainwright, Elaine,
"Reading Matthew 3-4: Jesus--Sage, Seer, Sophia, Son of God,"
Journal
for the Study of the New Testament, 2000.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Wardlaw, Theodore J., "Preaching the Advent Texts,"
Journal for Preachers, 2007. (Section begins on page 4.)
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Webb, Robert L.,
"The Activity of John the Baptist's Expected Figure at the Threshing Floor
(Matthew 3.12 = Luke 3.17)," Journal for the Study of the New
Testament, 1991.
Image Browse -
PDF |
|
| Reviews:
|
Review:
James A. Kelhoffer, The Diet of John the Baptist. Mohr Siebeck, 2005.
Review by Tobias Nicklas, Review of Biblical Literature, 2006. |
| Lawrence, Jonathan D.,
Washing in Water: Trajectories of Ritual
Bathing in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Literature.
Society of Biblical Literature/Brill, 2006.
Review
by James W. Watts, Review of Biblical Literature, 2007. |
|
| Sermons:
|
Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the
RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors:
|
|
"Let Us Have
It!" The Rev. Bradley Schmeling, Day 1, 2004. |
|
"A Parable: The City and the Wilderness,"
Sermons from Seattle,
Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington. |
|
"Change: The Kingdom
Is Near," John Jewell, 1998. |
|
"An Earth-Shattering Event," Dean William Willimon, Duke University
Chapel Sermon Archive, 1998.
|
|
Father
Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily
|
|
| With Children:
|
The Bible and Epiphany: The Wise Men and the Baptism of Jesus,
crossword puzzle, Bruce Gillette. |
|
"John the
Baptist," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons),
coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts. |
|
"John the
Baptist,"
"Outreach,"
Fr. Max Bowers, Kid's Church. |
|
"Kim Prepares for a Race,"
children's story by Larry Broding, word-sunday.com. |
|
"Be a Trailblazer," Lois Parker Edstrom, Children's Sermon,
Lectionary.org. |
|
"John the Baptist
Speaks Out," Sunday School
Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc. |
|
| Drama:
|
"An Axe Is Laid to the Roots,"
from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal
for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian
Publications. |
|
| Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
| Free Public Domain Clipart for Church Bulletins:
John the
Baptist, Church Bulletin Resources. |
|
Clip Art, Matthew
Matthew 3:7, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators. |
| Clip Art Images:
Matthew 3:1-12, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú. |
|
Matthew 3:1-12 at
Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration.
Liberation emphasis. |
|
Clip Art, Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld woodcuts, World Mission
Collection, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. |
|
Locust
Anyone?
Camo John,
It's
Tough Being a Camel,
John's
Recipes,
Send It
Back, Reverend Fun Cartoon, gospelcom.net. Check for
printing permissions at right-hand side of destination page. |
|
| Hymns and Music:
|
| Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's
Art Index:
|
| Movies scenes with the following themes,
listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
|
| Study Links and Resources for the Book of Matthew |
|
