The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 87

Vere. 13-17.-Tlra BAI'TISH OF JEBUB. quite 'absolutely, but oh. vii. ·4 slightly (Pare.lie] paseagee: Mark i. 9-11 ; Luke favours the Revised Version me.rgin. Now, iii. 21, 22.) e.t this special season (lfpT1) ; in contrast to the more permanent relation which shall be Ver. 13.-Then; tempore.J. (ver. 5, note). recognized !at.er. Our Lord thus slightly Wbon John was preaching aad baptizing. removes the trial to John's faith, which 11, Cometh (vor. 1, note). From Oalil.ee. Muk mere refusal might have e.ggravat.ed. Observe ndds, " from Nazareth of Galilee" (for this the implied consciousness of his Messiah- i■ his first historical mention of our Lord), ship, even before the baptism. Several of thereby implying that our Lord had lived the Fathers ("l)ide Meyer) infer from these in Na1.arcth since our eh. ii. 22, etc. In words that John was afterwards baptized by C'ontrast to Lhe representative teachers from Jesus; but this is to completely miss the J crusulcru, nnd tlie crowds both from there point of the expression. For thus. Not ex- and from the Jordan valley (ver. 5), this actly" by this baptism," but" by the spirit of Stranger ea.me from Galilee. To 1ordan. It submission in us both, which in this ca.se will is hard to see why the Revised Version issue in my baptism." It becometh (.,,.p,.,,.011 inserts" the" here and leaves the Authorized l<TTlv). Not a me.tter of a.bsolute necessity Vension unaltered in ver. 5. To be ba.ptized (8,., eh. xvi. 21; xxvi. 54), nor of absolute ( .,-oii /3a..,,..,-1<T6i)va.1) ; oh. ii. 13, note. By him; duty (l,cp,1,-.,, John xiii. 14), but of moral and no other. Not mere baptism, but fitness (Heb. ii. 10). It befits us, in our baptism at the hands of John, was our respective che.ract.ers, to perform this sym- Lord's motive for coming. He would link bolical act. Compa.re Melchizedek and his own work on to that of John (mde infra). Abraham; the representative of the older Ver. 14.-Vers. 14 and 15 are peculiar to blesses the representa.tive of the coming e.ge St. Matthew. But John. In John i. 31, (Lukexvi.16). Us; theea.ndme. Tofulfil; 33 the Baptist says that be knew him not here only with "righteousness" ( cf. oh. v. till the descent of the Holy Spirit; i.e. knew 17). All righteousness (7ra<Ta.v 811,a.io<T61nw). l1im not 1n his full Messianic character. Not the whole circle of righteousness ('ll'a<Ta.v Here, either by an involuntary and miracu- .,-~,. 8,,ca.w<T6v71v), but every pa.rt of righteous- lous impression, psychologically due to the ness, as each is presented to us (simile.rly, previous revelation he had received ( of. Acts xiii. 10; of. e.lso 81,ca1o<T6va1 in Ecolus. Meyer); or, as is on the whole more probable, xliv. 10; Tobit ii. 14, where, e.lthough from his previoUB knowledge, direct or in- Neubauer and Fuller explain it e.s " alms," direct, of Jesus, he recognizes his superior this is improbable after the preceding l>..,11- aancti ty. John's inmost thoughts mnat there- µ.o<Twa.,), and that not merely every part of fore have been Mmewhat as follows. "I have the righteousness included under the Moaaio come to announce the advent of Messiah; Law (of. Alford," requirements of the Law" here is One wilo is much holier than I; it and especially Lowe, 'Pesa.eh. Fra.gm.,' p. may be that he is Messiah, but I have no 100: 1879), but of that wider righteousneBB certainty till the sign promised has been of which that was itself only a part and 11, vouchsafed." Forbade; would ha'tJe hindered type. "Let me be baptized by thee now," our (Revised Version), for 8mc0>>..u,v doea not in Lord says to John, "for it is fitting for ns, in itself imply speech. (For a similar imperfect this spirit of submission, to fill up every of that which was not fully carried out, of. part of righteousness." Our Lord thus Luke i. 59.) It is noticeable, though doubt- pleads for the absolute submission of John less merely as a coincidence, that the strong and himself to every portion of righteous- compound word B,a.,ccoA6ro and /3a.'ll'T!(oµ.a., also ness as it may be proposed to them by God occur togetiler in Judith xii. 7. I have need to perform; his words thus somewhat re- to be baptized of thee. Many see here a. sembling those to St. Peter, "If I wash thee rtference to the baptism of the Spirit and not, thou hast no po.rt with me" (John xiii. fire, mentioned in ver. ll. But the follow- 8). Thy duty is to baptize, mine to be ing dause, "and dost thou come to me?" baptized. It has generally been thought imvlies that the ilaptisms are identical, viz. that in this verse our Lord implies that his baptism Ly water. The sentence is equiva- baptism was to constitute his own formo.l lent to "I John, who myself administer the recognition and acceptance of his distinctly Laptism of repentance, need to profess repent- Messianic duties-an act which involved the ance myself, and ought rather, therefore, to complete leaving of his po.et life and the receive such a baptism at thy hands, who giving himself up to a new and public life 111t so far holier than I" (cf. further Weiss, (cf. Weiss, 'Life,' i. 322). But have we 'Life,' i. 320). any evidence that our Lord came to the Ver. 15.-Su.Jrer it to be so now; 1ujfer baptism with this self-consciousness? May it now (Revised Version) ; " suffer me now" he n,Jt very well have known that he wus (Revised Version margin); ll,pu If.,,,,-,, only to be the Ales~iah, and yet not have known here (apparently) in the New Testament , that his official life was to begin now? May on. m. 1-17.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 75