Daily Dose of Hope
May 21, 2025
Day 3 of Week 8
Scripture – Matthew 3
Prayer: Amazing Father and Lord, Thank you for who you are. Thank you for how you care for us. We get distracted. We veer away from you and your Word. For that, we are so very sorry. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to abide in you. Help us to remain close so that we can be fruitful and effective for your Kingdom. Help us get outside ourselves and see others as you see them. Lord, we belong to you. In Your Name, Amen.
Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we are taking a look at Matthew 3.
Matthew begins by quoting from the book of the prophet Isaiah about a messenger who would be sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for him. And this person, Scripture says, is John the Baptist. We learn from reading other Gospels that John the Baptist is actually Jesus’ first cousin.
The whole Judean countryside came out to see John the Baptist. Picture this, masses of people were leaving their villages and coming into the wilderness (which looks more like desert than forest) to get baptized by John. But why? I mean, he was a weird dude, wearing camel hair and eating locusts dipped in wild honey. He had taken a vow of poverty. Maybe they wanted to check out this really bizarre guy but that doesn’t explain everything. John was offering them something they desperately needed – good news, forgiveness, cleansing. And the good news he offered wasn’t that they would receive something good when they die, but that there is good news, there is hope, for life right now. And remember, these were dark days. The people were yearning for hope.
He also calls out the Pharisees and Sadducees. He knows their hearts are evil so he refers to them as a brood of vipers. Vipers are venomous so John is not hiding his dislike. He is saying that the Pharisees (the religious teachers) and the Sadducees (the wealthy Jewish aristocracy) are evil, deceitful, hypocritical, and connected to Satan. Those are fighting words. It’s surprising John didn’t get in trouble right then and there.
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