Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

Let us observe in this passage how true it is that the rulers of this world are seldom friendly to the cause of God. The Lord Jesus comes down from heaven to save sinners, and at once we are told that Herod the king seeks to destroy him.

Greatness and riches are a perilous possession for the soul. Those who seek to have them know not what they seek. They lead men into many temptations. They are likely to fill the heart with pride, and to chain the affections down to things below. "Not many mighty; not many noble are called.""How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:26; Mark 10:23)

Do we envy the rich and great? Does our heart sometimes say, "Oh, that I had their place, and rank, and substance?" Let us beware of giving way to such feelings. The very wealth which we admire may be gradually sinking its possessors down into hell. A little more money might be our ruin. Like Herod, we might run into every excess of wickedness and cruelty. "Take heed and beware of covetousness." "Be content with such things as ye have." (Luke 12:15; Hebrews 13:5)

Do we think that Christ's cause depends on the power and patronage of princes? We are mistaken. They have seldom done much for the advancement true religion; they have far more frequently been the enemies of the truth. "Put not your trust in princes." (Psalm 146:3) They who are like Herod are many. They who are like Josiah and Edward the Sixth of England are few.

Let us observe for another thing how the Lord Jesus was a "Man of Sorrows," even from His infancy. Trouble awaits Him as soon as He enters into the world. His life is in danger from Herod's hatred. His mother and Joseph are obliged to take him away by night, and "flee into Egypt."It was only a type and figure of all his experience upon earth. The waves of humiliation began to beat over him even when he was a sucking child.

The Lord Jesus is just the Saviour that the suffering and sorrowful need. He knows well what we mean when we tell him in prayer of our troubles. He can sympathize with us when we cry to him under cruel persecution. Let us keep nothing back from him. Let us make him our bosom friend. Let us pour out our hearts before him. He has had great experience of affliction.

Let us observe for another thing how death can remove the kings of this world like other men. The rulers of millions have no power to retain life, when the hour of their departure comes. The murderer of helpless infants must himself die. Joseph and Mary hear the tidings that Herod is dead and at once they return in safety to their own land.

True Christians should never be greatly moved by the persecution of man. Their enemies may be strong, and they may be weak; but still they ought not to be afraid. They should remember that "the triumphing of the wicked is but short." (Job 20:5) What has become of the Pharaohs, Neros and Diocletians who at one time fiercely persecuted the people of God? Where is the enmity of Charles IX of France, and bloody Mary of England? They did their utmost to cast the truth down to the ground. But the truth rose again from the earth, and still lives; and they are dead and mouldering in the grave. Let not the heart of any believer fail. Death is a mighty leveller, and can take any mountain out of the way of Christ's church. "The Lord liveth" for ever. His enemies are only men. The truth shall always prevail.

Let us observe in the last place, what a lesson in humility is taught us by the dwelling place of the Son of God, when he was on earth. He dwelt with his mother and Joseph "in a city called Nazareth."

Nazareth was a small town in Galilee. It was an obscure retired place, not so much as once mentioned in the Old Testament. Hebron, and Shiloh, and Gibeon, and Ramah and Bethel were far more important places. But the Lord Jesus passed by them all, and chose Nazareth. This was humility!

In Nazareth the Lord Jesus lived thirty years. It was there he grew up from infancy to childhood, and from childhood to boyhood, and from boyhood to youth, and from youth to man's estate. We know little of the manner in which those thirty years were spent. That he was subject to Mary and Joseph we are expressly told. (Luke 2:41) That he worked in the carpenter's shop with Joseph is highly probable. We only know that almost five-sixths of the time that the Saviour of the world was on earth was passed among the poor of this world and past in complete retirement. Truly this was humility!

Let us learn wisdom from our Saviour's example. We are most of us far too ready to "seek great things" in this world: let us "seek them not." (Jeremiah 45:5) To have a place and a title and a position in society is not nearly so important as people think. It is a great sin to be covetous and worldly and proud: but it is no sin to be poor. It matters not so much what money we have, and where we live, as what we are in the sight of God. Where are we going when we die? Shall we live forever in heaven? These are the main things to which we should attend.

Above all, let us daily strive to copy our Saviour's humility. Pride is the oldest and commonest of sins; humility is the rarest and most beautiful of graces. For humility let us labour; for humility let us pray. Our knowledge may be scanty, our faith may be weak, our strength may be small; but if we are disciples of him who "dwelt at Nazareth," let us at any rate be humble.

These verses describe the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ: it is a ministry that deserves close attention. Few preachers ever produced such effects as John the Baptist: "There went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan."None ever received such praise from the great head of the church: Jesus called him "a burning and a shining light" (John 5:35); the great Bishop of souls Himself declared, that "among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist." Let us then study the leading features of his ministry.

John the Baptist spoke plainly about sin. He taught the absolute necessity of repentance before anyone can be saved; he preached that repentance must be proved by its "?fruit?s"he warned men not to rest on outward privileges, or outward union with the church.

This is just the teaching that we all need. We are naturally dead, and blind, and asleep in spiritual things; we are ready to content ourselves with a mere formal religion and to flatter ourselves that if we go to church we shall be saved: we need to be told that, except we "repent and are converted" we shall all perish.

John the Baptist spoke plainly about our Lord Jesus Christ. He taught people that one "mightier than himself" was coming among them. He was nothing more than a servant: the coming one was the King. He himself could only baptize with water: the coming one could "baptize with the Holy Ghost," take away sins, and would one day judge the world.

This again is the very teaching that human nature requires. We need to be sent direct to Christ: we are all ready to stop short of this; we want to rest in our union with the church, our regular use of the sacraments, and our diligent attendance on an established ministry. We need to be told the absolute necessity of union with Christ himself by faith. He is the appointed fountain of mercy, grace, life, and peace. We must each have personal dealings with him about our souls. What do we know of the Lord Jesus? What have we got from him? These are the questions on which our salvation hinges.

John the Baptist spoke plainly about the Holy Ghost. He preached that there was such a thing as the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He taught that it was the special office of the Lord Jesus to give this baptism to men.

This again is a teaching which we greatly require. We need to be told that forgiveness of sin is not the only thing necessary to salvation. There is another thing yet, and that is the baptizing of our hearts by the Holy Ghost. There must not only be the work of Christ for us but the work of the Holy Ghost in us; there must not only be a title to heaven purchased for us by the blood of Christ, but a preparedness for heaven wrought in us by the Spirit of Christ. Let us never rest till we know something by experience of the baptism of the Spirit. The baptism of water is a great privilege: but let us see to it that we have also the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

John the Baptist spoke plainly about the awful danger of the impenitent and unbelieving. He told his hearers that there was a "wrath to come;" he preached of an "unquenchable fire" in which the "chaff" would one day be burned.

This again is a teaching which is deeply important. We need to be straightly warned that it is no light matter whether we repent or not; we need to be reminded that there is a hell as well as a heaven, and an everlasting punishment for the wicked as well as everlasting life for the godly. We are fearfully apt to forget this. We talk of the love and mercy of God, and we do not remember sufficiently his justice and holiness. Let us be very careful on this point. It is no real kindness to keep back the terrors of the Lord. It is good for us all to be taught that it is possible to be lost forever, and that all unconverted people are hanging over the brink of the pit.

In the last place, John the Baptist spoke plainly about the safety of true believers. He taught that there was "a garner" for all who are Christ's "wheat" and that they would be gathered together there in the day of His appearing.

This again is a teaching which human nature greatly requires. The best of believers need much encouragement. They are yet in the body; they live in a wicked world; they are often tempted by the devil. They ought to be often reminded that Jesus will never leave them nor forsake them. He will guide them safely through this life, and at length give them eternal glory. They shall be hid in the day of wrath; they shall be as safe as Noah was in the ark.

Let these things sink down deeply into our hearts. We live in a day of much false teaching. Let us never forget the leading features of a faithful ministry. Happy would it have been for the church of Christ if all its ministers had been more like John the Baptist!

We have here the account of our Lord Jesus Christ's baptism. This was his first step when he entered on his ministry. When the Jewish priests took up their office they were washed with water (Exodus 29:4), and when our great High Priest begins the great work he came into the world to accomplish he is publicly baptized.

We should notice firstly in these verses the honour placed upon the sacrament of baptism. An ordinance of which the Lord Jesus himself partook is not to be lightly esteemed. An ordinance to which the great head of the church submitted ought to be ever honourable in the eyes of professing Christians.

There are few subjects in religion on which greater mistakes have arisen than baptism. There are few which require so much fencing and guarding. Let us arm our minds with two general cautions.

Let us beware, on the one hand, that we do not attach a superstitious importance to the water of baptism. We must not expect that water to act as a charm. We must not suppose that all baptized persons as a matter of course, receive the grace of God in the moment that they are baptized. To say that all who come to baptism obtain like an equal benefit, and that it matters not a jot whether they come with faith and prayer or in utter carelessness—to say such things appears to contradict the plainest lessons of Scripture.

Let us beware, on the other hand, that we do not dishonour the sacrament of baptism. It is dishonoured when it is hastily slurred over as a mere form, or thrust out of sight and never publicly noticed in the congregation. A sacrament ordained by Christ himself ought not be treated in this way. The admission of every new member into the visible church, whether young or grown up, is an event which ought to excite a lively interest in a Christian assembly. It is an event that ought to call forth the fervent prayers of all praying people. The more deeply we are convinced that baptism and grace are not inseparably tied together, the more we ought to feel bound to join in prayer for a blessing whenever anyone is baptized.

We should notice, secondly, in these verses the peculiarly solemn circumstances by which the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ was attended. Such a baptism never will be again so long as the world stands.

We are told of the presence of all three persons of the blessed Trinity. God the Son, manifest in the flesh, is baptized; God the Spirit descends like a dove, and lights upon him; God the Father speaks from heaven with a voice. In a word, we have the manifested presence of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We may regard this as a public announcement that the work of Christ was the result of the eternal councils of all the three persons of the blessed Trinity. It was the whole Trinity which, at the beginning of the creation, said, "Let us make man," it was the whole Trinity again which, at the beginning of the Gospel, seemed to say, "Let us save man."

We are told of "a voice from heaven" at our Lord's baptism; "the heavens were opened," and words were heard. This was a most significant miracle. We read of no voice from heaven before this, except at the giving of the law on Sinai. Both occasions were of peculiar importance. It therefore seemed good to our Father in heaven to mark both with peculiar honor. At the introduction both of the Law and Gospel he himself spoke. "God spake these words." (Exodus 20:1)

How striking and deeply instructive are the Father's words: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." He declares, in these words, that Jesus is the divine Saviour, sealed and appointed from all eternity to carry out the work of redemption. He proclaims that he accepts him as the mediator between God and man. He publishes to the world that he is satisfied with him as the propitiation, the substitute, the ransom-payer for the lost family of Adam, and the head of a redeemed people. In him he sees his holy "law magnified and made honourable."Through him he can "be just and yet the justifier of the ungodly. (Isaiah 42:21; Romans 3:26)

Let us carefully ponder these words. They are full of rich food for thought; they are full of peace, joy, comfort, and consolation for all who have fled for refuge to the Lord Jesus Christ and committed their souls to him for salvation. Such may rejoice in the thought that, though in themselves sinful, yet in God's sight they are counted righteous. The Father regards them as members of his beloved Son. He sees in them no spot, and for his Son's sake is "well pleased." (Ephesians 1:6)