(1) We Are to Fulfill All
Righteousness
Matthew 3:15 “Let it be so now; it
is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”
At
first this passage seems enigmatic and difficult to understand but it is quite
simple. Jesus is merely stating to John the Baptist that He is fulfilling all
righteousness (or all that is righteous) which is called of for all believers. In this way He is being
perfectly obedient to the will of God as is John by doing the baptism in question here. So we see that it is possible for Jesus and a regular man to fulfill all righteousness in a joint effort. Jesus is fulfilling to the letter the
predictions of Him in the Old Testament...in obedience to God the Father. Part
of that total obedience was that Jesus would need to be baptized as our role
model of public confession of our faith and initiation into our ministry in the
Lord. It is necessary that one repents of their sin to reach this point though.
Please
note also that Jesus said that it is proper ἡμῖν/"to us" . It is
proper to fulfill all righteousness. It is something that man can do too, not
just Jesus. I have often seen this simple fact overlooked by expositors and
teachers of the word. It isn't so much about someone getting saved as it is a response to God's grace. A righteous person is the one who lives in harmony and obedient to the will of God through Christ. In this way for sinners it is an ethical righteousness but true righteousness can only come from God. This is just as John the Baptist did in this instance.
The
word righteousness is synonymous with the Christian's life. We too are to be to
fulfill righteousness. Why? Because Jesus was perfectly righteous…as Christians
we are called to be exactly like Christ...in obedience to Him and like Him.
But we can't. So how do we fulfill this righteousness that we are called to? We
fulfill it through the very One who is God who is perfectly righteous: Jesus Christ himself. We gain
our righteousness through nothing we do but through everything Jesus did. Jesus
identified Himself with sinners and was the friend of sinners. We as sinners
need to reciprocate that relationship and realize our total dependency on
Him.
(2) We're Don't Live Just by
Things of the World. We Are to Live By the Word of God.
Matthew 4:4 ~ “Jesus answered, “It
is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.”
Here
we see another statement from Jesus. Satan is tempting Jesus and is rightfully
asserting that the Lord of all does not need to suffer privation as He has the power
to feed Himself any time He wants. What needs to be seen here is that this
privation or suffering is by choice. To take it even further it is a choice according to a predestined plan. Later miracles by Jesus prove Satan
correct as Jesus creates bread and fish from mere child's snacks in the feeding
of the 5000 (Matthew 14:13-21). So what is Jesus really saying here?
Jesus
understood that the very fact that he was starving in this situation was for
the benefit of believers in the very retelling of this story (like now in your hearing). It was
to teach the lesson alluded to in Deuteronomy 8:3
.
Deuteronomy 8:3 ~ “He
humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which
neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live
on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
In
other words we are to allow ourselves to suffer privation, persecution and
suffering on a continued basis for the sake of God’s will and word and in a greater
aspect…God’s Kingdom. Just as the Israelites suffered to some extent in the
wilderness and needed to walk by faith in God to truly survive the forty year
wandering.
For
Jesus to focus on His own needs would cause Him to draw focus away from what
was really important…which was active obedience to the Word which leads people to
repentance and leads to salvation in the eternal scheme of things. Feeding on
the Word of God in the long run is more important than anything physical or
materialistic that this world can offer a person.
(3) We're Only to Worship God-There Are No Other Gods Before Him-We Are Only To Serve God
Exodus 20:3 ~ “You shall have no
other gods before me.”
Deuteronomy 6:13 ~ “Fear
the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in
his name.”
Matthew 4:10 ~ “Jesus said to him,
“Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve
him only.’”
Again
we are involved in a temptation from Satan. Again we see a rebuke from the Lord
towards that snake. Satan had taken Jesus to a high mountain and offers Jesus
all the Kingdoms of the world if only He will worship Satan. In this way Jesus
would be king over the world but be able to avoid the Crucifixion. This of
course would require that Jesus disobey the will of the Father. That is not
going to happen and Jesus is emphatic in His response. By taking Satan’s
shortcut to ruling the kingdoms of the world not only is Jesus not being
obedient, He would be disproving the truth of Scripture. This is a no-go. Again
we see perfect obedience. It shows that God’s way is the right way since it
fulfills His perfect will in accordance with a perfect plan that leads to the
salvation of repentant humanity all to the glory of God.
Again
we see Jesus jump back to the Law and the prescribed reaction to situations
like this outlined in the law. We see Jesus do this exactly to act as a role
model for the believer in the same or similar situations. There are no
shortcuts to the will of God. At times we will need to walk directly through
the flame.
In
the end we see something definitive in Jesus reaction to Satan. He is sovereign
and in control over Satan. Jesus in His supremacy over all of the created order
dismisses him with what seems to be a resolute distain: “Away from me” or “be
gone.” Satan is powerless to resist and his departure is as succinct as Jesus
statement: (v.11) “Then the Devil left Him.” It is good to know that Jesus has
this control over the other elements in the creation (including Satan) and
therefore our lives. I am comforted by this fact.
(4) We Are To Seek First the
Kingdom of God and God's Righteousness
Matthew 6:33 ~ “But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well”
In
contrast to unbelievers (or the Gentiles) in Matthew’s context, believers are
called to seek the things of the Kingdom over the things of the world like
food, drink, clothing, etc. The verb used here is ζητεῖτε or “you all be seeking.”
It is in the present active indicative. In other words believers are to be
constantly seeking the Kingdom things first in a manner in which to actually
obtain them. This is not to be done in a half-hearted or token manner. This is
not a suggestion, it is an emphatic command to action. In other words we as
believers should always be striving or seeking to give God His proper due which
is to say that we should constantly be seeking to glorify Him. We are being
exhorted to recognize God as supreme over our lives in all that we do whether
it be in our work, everyday actions, recreation and so on. That is because when
we do this we will be seeking and pursuing holiness. If this is the case, than
we will become more holy. In so doing righteousness prevails and gets the upper
hand now over the system of the world which is under control of Satan and the
evil of the world. Where God reigns in a believers heart…therein lies the
Kingdom and therefore righteousness.
What
is ironic about these pursuits is that the very things we are exhorted to
pursue are in themselves part of the gifts that will be gracious bestowed or
promised in this very passage. If we pursue the Kingdom or Christ,
righteousness therefore holiness is given. If righteousness and holiness in and
of itself is pursued through Christ…the reward is a piece of the Kingdom arriving
before Christ’s Second Advent becomes manifest through His Spirit (the Holy
Spirit) in us as He sanctifies lives. Not a bad deal if you ask me. It is in
the act of a diligent search that we gain more and more knowledge. In this case
it is a diligent search of knowledge about God and His will. In so doing we
find the beginnings of true wisdom which is actually a fear or true knowledge
of God. (Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 111:10; Job 28:28)
(5) We Must Be Born Again
John 3:3 ~ “Jesus replied, “Very truly
I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
The
last thing that pleases God that I will mention for this post is salvational
and is again--a statement from the Lord’s mouth. It is being given to Nicodemus.
Nicodemus has just told Jesus that he and others know He is a teacher that has
come from God because no one could possibly perform the signs (miracles) Jesus
has if He hadn’t come directly from God. Our verse in question is Jesus’
response. Why does Jesus say this? I believe this is self-explanatory.
A
child inherits part of the nature of the parents. The nature of human parents
is clearly sinful. The nature of our Father is holy and righteous. We must
inherit or take hold of the nature of our divine Father and that is done
through acceptance of the life laid down by His Son for our sin. In this way we are
born again from above. Nicodemus was thinking of only physical birth but Jesus
was looking in the broader perspective. Jesus is speaking specifically of
believing to be born again. He is also asserting that it “must” take place. It
is an imperative and it is conditional as we will see in verse 7. One must be
born again to enter the Kingdom. Once a person is born again, they are in the
Kingdom instantly…even while still alive in this physical life. The implication is staggering. We can have
the Kingdom here now if we truly believe.
John 3:7 ~ “You should not be
surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”
Additionally,
the idea of a birth implies some type of future that includes life. In a
physical birth there is a physical life, in a spiritual birth there is a
spiritual life. The first gives life temporarily, the second gives it
permanently and eternally. The instant that belief in Christ takes place, the
eternal life starts. The difference and dividing line is in the person’s faith. The more we believe the more probably our ability to see the Kingdom more clearly. Paul alluded to this when he said:
1 Corinthians 2:14 ~ The person without the Spirit does not
accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but
considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because
they are discerned only through the Spirit.
Nicodemus
must have been totally befuddled at this point. Jesus’ next statement alludes
to this fact, “Do not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
” If Nicodemus had to be born again…that means being a Jew in and of itself
does not grant one's salvation. Salvation therefore is not being anything nor is
it a work. This must have obliterated Nicodemus’ understanding of the Law,
salvation and most of his understanding of the Old Testament. Jesus introduces
a paradigm shift into Nicodemus’ life and thinking. It is clear he wanted to understand the
path to life. Jesus essentially tells him he must be born again or born in a
radically new manner. It is in this radical new rebirth that we see the work of
God from Heaven. It is a change that only God can affect and make happen.
Again, it is not a work of man. This new life only comes to those who believe and trust in
God and the fact He has sent His Son Jesus to cover mankind’s sins. In this way it is quite exclusivist and that is why it is so despised in our pluralist society and societies like ours.
One
additional thing that needs to be said about Nicodemus is this. He is a man in
the dark. He is in the dark about what it takes to be saved or enter the
Kingdom. He comes to Jesus in the darkness of night which appears to be a
reflection of his spiritual condition as a Pharisee (since this is an oft used
theological metaphor by John in his gospel and letters). It is ironic
though that he will come to Jesus in the dark of night and it is in the depth
of his spiritual and physical darkness that Nicodemus will finally stumble
upon the light. In John's thought, darkness is the realm of evil and untruth (it
is where Judas goes out into when he betrays Jesus in John 13:30). In choosing to approach
Jesus in his darkened state, Nicodemus has chosen to leave the darkness (evil and
untruth) and enter the light (Jesus and truth).
This
of course would please God immensely.
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