Herod died horribly, suffering a very painful and disgusting malady over a period of time, possibly kidney disease. Five days before he expired, he had his son Antipater executed. This latter had put himself in line for the throne by having his two elder brothers killed. Thus, Herod's kingdom was divided between three surviving sons. Archelaus was as nasty as his father, and had control of Judea. So cruel was he Caesar Augustus later deposed and banished him. Meanwhile, his brother Antipas was given Galilee. Antipas was no friend of his brother, and generally wiser. Intent on building Tiberias and Julias into great cities, he offered tax exemptions and other accommodations to persuade folks to immigrate and build up the economy.
There is no reason to suppose Joseph did not prosper those couple of years in Egypt. When the angel came to call him and his family back home, he was headed to Bethlehem. Having established himself there after Jesus' birth, it was natural he would resume his business there. Knowing Archelaus would have delighted in sending troops to murder Jesus, Joseph worried how he would obey God's command. Being warned away from Judea by the angel, Joseph took the logical course of returning to Nazareth, where this had all began. Sensible indeed for a man in the building trades, for Antipas was also rebuilding Sepphoris, the great city his father had destroyed, just a few miles from Nazareth. Joseph would have more business than he could handle alone, and may well have been in a position to work as a building contractor, employing many others to do the work with him. This was the setting into which Jesus grew to manhood.
Matthew again presents a quandary to Western readers in verse 23. Saying it was prophesied Jesus would "be called a Nazarene" is not a direct quote. Indeed, the name of the town Nazareth isn't found anywhere in the Old Testament. Rather, this is a typical Hebraic play on words. Matthew is taking advantage of the ambiguity of Greek words translated from Hebrew, and applying all the meanings to His Lord. In this case, there is the Hebrew word netser, for "branch" (Isaiah 11:1), a specific reference to the Messiah. However, there is also a play on the word from which Nazarite comes, the term for one who has taken a special vow of purity (Numbers 6). The root word for "Nazarite" is naziyr: separate, as in holy. It is taken from nazar -- to hold (oneself) aloof, especially from sin. There is nothing indicating Jesus was under the Nazarite vow, for something like that was too important to ignore; it would have to be stated. We note John the Baptist, who gets far less play in the text, is described as a Nazarite (Luke 1:15), while Jesus was called a drunkard (Matthew 11:18-19). Thus, Jesus fulfills the Messianic prophecies in ways we don't expect.
Matthew makes no mention John and Jesus were cousins. Nothing is made of Jesus' youth here, simply because little of significance to the central message took place. Rather, "in those days" when Jesus began to operate as Messiah, we first see His cousin. John's message was repentance, for he was the prophesied forerunner, announcing the Kingdom of Heaven was right on top of them. Most listeners would have taken this for what it was: Messiah was about to manifest Himself. This was a very popular message, drawing large crowds to the rural settings where John preferred to preach. His choice of attire echoed that of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), and had become a standard symbol of prophets preaching repentance (Zechariah 13:4). The description of his diet was a phrase commonly used to depict a complete reliance on whatever God provided, which in that region would have included a great deal of kosher insects. John exemplified symbolically the message he preached of turning back to simple and pure obedience to the Law, Israel's one last chance to get it right.
The requirements of John's teachings, however, were not so popular. Many seized by enthusiasm would have struggled to find ways to apply it, but very few really absorbed the message deeply. Repentance, turning from lack of concern to a state of high sensitivity to the Lord's concerns, was depicted by the ancient practice of conquering monarchs sending advance parties to prepare the people for their new ruler. Even the roads themselves were prepared by widening narrow mountain passes, carving cuts through hilltops, filling in ravines, and smoothing the surface (Isaiah 40:3). John called everyone to prepare for their new King. Should there be resistance to His requirements, you can be sure He would not take it lightly. John advised the people to set their minds on righteousness now, so the transition will be less shocking, less destructive. True repentance requires wholly accepting the justice in the ultimate penalty for sin, and relying on God's mercy to withhold what we deserve. The ritual of baptism symbolized this, and added to the image of newness, something fresh and exciting to the crowds.
For the peasants, there was little to hinder their repentance. They had long been told their poverty was a mark of God's disfavor, as wealth was the primary proof of His favor. The wealthy frequently called the peasants "accursed," so it was nothing new to be told they were under judgment. For the socially prominent Pharisees and Sadducees, repentance was a far bigger issue. Convinced their wealth and power made them God's proctors for righteousness, they hardly felt sinful. Many sought merely to make sure John wasn't suggesting anything illegal or dangerous to their position. As some became enamored with the possibilities of political gain from getting involved, John rebuffed them. Their patronizing attitude was obvious to all. The Pharisees were empty legalists ("conservatives"); the Sadducees were gnostic materialists, generally denying the spirit realm ("liberals"). The former had their tickets all punched, and this was another punch. The latter didn't believe any of it in the first place, but played along for the good of the rabble. Neither group by nature had any grasp of what John's message really meant. He called them children of snakes, a reference to Satan.
John asked them, "Who warned you to flee...?" The words mean specifically, "Who came to you privately and gave you a conscience?" It was a reference to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, whose divine presence had always brought a sense of sin (Isaiah 6). Theirs was no conviction from Jehovah, for they had never faced Him. Their intentions were purely a public sham; they made no room for the workings of God's Spirit. Citing imagery from Jeremiah (46:22f) and Ezekiel (31:3ff), John warns them their time is gone; the woodman was measuring the stroke for his ax. Having Hebrew DNA would mean nothing, since God could make better men from rocks. Genuine repentance would bring massive changes in life, not merely in a few habits. John would not let them use him to advance their social standing on his back. They would not be allowed to identify with him until they changed their identity, and showed true fruit of repentance.
John did not claim any strong identity. We so easily miss the profound symbol in Eastern societies of a person's footwear. To have charge of another's shoes and pedicure was the ultimate in degrading tasks, a mark of utter insignificance. The master calling for his shoes would not so much as acknowledge the presence of the shoe slave, only the shoes. John declared his place in the Kingdom was even lower, a profound statement of humility to the Jewish audience, considering he was the one stirring up so much interest in this Messianic Kingdom. If his readily apparent holiness was insufficient to merit the Messiah's notice, what would it say of the fakes unworthy for ritual washing at his hands?
John's baptism was merely a water symbol, an inconvenience to those who did not come prepared to participate. The Messiah's baptism would bring wholesale destruction of everything in a man's life, immersing the soul in the Holy Spirit of God, whom no human can see and live. His standard of separation between the righteous and the sinners would draw a stark contrast. Those who failed would find themselves in a far worse situation than the garbage smoldering in the Gehenna Valley below Jerusalem, while the rest would see a Heaven no man can describe.
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By Ed Hurst
29 July 2007
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