Advent 1– Year C
Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People
RCL Readings – Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12
ACNA Readings – Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-19; Romans 15:1-13; Matthew 3:1-12
Seasonal Introduction. The season of Advent is the beginning of the Church calendar. It directly precedes and leads up to the season of Christmas. While Christmas music starts to be sung in churches around the world, Advent is more than an introduction to the Christmas season—it is a season of expectation that God will fulfill His promises.
Adventus speaks of an arrival—God coming to earth. The Nicene Creed states of Jesus: “For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” But the Nicene Creed also states: “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end.”
Common Theme. The Messiah will come to judge all nations. His judgment is on all who are wicked—on both Israel and the nations. But where He is King, there will be peace—for both Jew and Gentile.
Hebraic Context. The Hebrew Scriptures provide clear instructions on various forms of washing and immersion. The washing that God dictated functioned as part of the ritual process of purity through which someone in the community moved from a state of uncleanness to a state of purity.[1] While the Torah provides some methods, reasons, and consequences for disobedience regarding these rituals, not every detail is recorded. Traditions developed that became part of the common understanding of ritual immersion, such as the use of living rather than stagnant water.[2]
John the Baptist followed this tradition of using living water (the Jordan River). The instructions of baptism in the early church also preferred living water, however, if such water was unavailable, baptism was not prevented even if less preferred methods were used.[3]
While the primary biblical reasons for immersion were physical purity (such as following childbirth, bodily discharges, and skin disease), it was also acknowledged that some impurities were caused by sin.[4] The Dead Sea community at Qumran[5] was famous for their meticulous adherence to ritual immersion, but their understanding was that it was required for more than just ritual impurity. The Thanksgiving Hymn (1QH 9.31-33),[6] which may have been prayed during daily ritual immersion, says, “You have cleansed it from the abundance of iniquity,” indicating a belief that baptism by both water and spirit was part of the process of repentance. Further, the Dead Sea sect had a community rule that described that the right to perform the ritual washing came only after repentance. It explained that regarding a man who had transgressed, he “shall not enter the water to partake of the pure Meal of the men of holiness, for they shall not be cleansed unless they turn from their wickedness.”[7]
John’s baptism certainly looks quite different from the ritual cleansings in the Torah, or, in fact, from all other known forms of immersion for physical purity alone—John seems to be primarily focused on repentance. What we learn from Qumran shows that in the Second Temple period, water immersions were part of the process of preparing for both repentance and purity. Those who came to John’s baptism of repentance did not do so by accident. It took effort and time to travel to the Judean desert and the Jordan river, the area where John preached and required repentance as preparation for baptism.
Later, when it came to baptism in the early church, the Didache didn’t simply state how someone should be baptized. It also detailed the preparation that accompanied the ritual. The baptismal candidate had to choose between following God—loving Him with all their hearts and their neighbour as themself—and following the way of death: “Loving vanities,... not pitying a poor man, not labouring for the afflicted, not knowing Him that made them.”[8] After this, the one to be baptized (and the one performing the baptism) would fast before God prior to the ritual.
Formal ritual that lacks any inner spiritual reality is the basis for religious hypocrisy. The prophets spoke out against such hypocrisy: “This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.” Moses declared that we should write the Torah on our hearts, from which a true love towards God should spring forth. The call of the prophets was to return to that place where the people of God love the Lord with all their hearts. This is the very context in which John preached a message of baptism contingent on repentance. The prophetic call to repentance is meant to shake us from complacency and lead us to engage fully in our walk of faith in a manner both purified and holy.
Isaiah 11:1-10. Isaiah 9-10 alternates between hope, warnings, and judgment on both Israel and the nations. Those who attacked Israel would be cut down in their pride and wickedness. But Isaiah declared, “Though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return.”[9] Isaiah 11:1 transitions from Assyria (who ruled with a rod and staff and would be struck down) and Israel (who though struck down would remain) to a king and judge.
Olive trees can be burned or cut down, yet a shoot can still grow from the stump and flourish. In Isaiah 9-10, a motif of a rod and staff (מטה mateh and שבט shavet) speaks of judgment.[10] But now Isaiah uses two rare parallel words: a shoot and a branch (חטר hoter and נצר netzer).[11] It is from branch, נצר, that Matthew 2 states, “He went and lived in a city called Nazareth (נצרת, Natzrat), so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that He would be called a Nazarene.[12]
The specificity of the shoot coming from the stump of Jesse indicates that the passage is no longer speaking of Israel or the Assyrians anymore, but of the promised king in the line of David. Just as the Spirit of the LORD rested on David, while leaving King Saul, it would now rest on David’s descendant.[13] Matthew highlights this connection when Jesus was baptized in Matthew 3:16, “And He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him.”
Isaiah 11:2 is likely the source of one of the Bible’s mysteries.[14] Revelation 1, 3, 4, and 5 all speak of the seven Spirits of God.[15] God, the Almighty and the Lamb upon the thrones, are surrounded by elders, angels, angelic beings, along with these seven Spirits. The Hebrew names seven different spirits: The Spirit of the LORD, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. The Septuagint adds the Spirit of godliness in Isaiah 11:2 and the Spirit of the fear of God in Isaiah 11:3. The Spirit of the LORD may be seen in this interpretation and translation as the overarching presence rather than one among the other six.[16]
This ruler, endowed with the Spirit of the LORD, would judge rightly. Deuteronomy 16:18-20 is the standard God gives by which a judge should judge with righteousness and justice: “You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe… Justice, and only justice, you shall follow.” Who is the judge who rules without partiality? Surely it is God. Sirach 35:14-19 states that God will not accept a bribe or dishonest sacrifice, “for the Lord is the judge, and with Him there is no partiality. He will not show partiality to the poor, but He will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged. He will not ignore the supplication of the orphan or the widow when she pours out her complaint.” God is the righteous judge and expects His people to be full of justice, along with loving kindness and humility.
But the responsibility to pronounce judgment belonged to the Messiah. Isaiah notes that God appointed the Messiah as a regent to rule and to judge as His representative on earth.[17] Intertestamental literature picked up on this theme of God commissioning judges. One of the Dead Sea Scrolls identified Melchizedek as the coming messiah and spoke of a day when he would execute judgment. This king would judge with righteousness and great power.
On the one hand, just as the Assyrians struck with the rod and lifted up their staff to harm the people of Zion, the righteous descendant of Jesse would rule with a rod—with a single breath he can kill the wicked. On the other hand, this judgment would bring more than pain, fear, and anguish. The righteous judgment of the descendant of Jesse would bring peace—not only in Israel but throughout all creation.
It was sin that brought pain and death. Rather than sin, this king would bring knowledge of the LORD. Hosea speaks of a time when there is “no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land.” This results in “swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed… My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”[18]
Without knowledge of God, the opposite of Isaiah 11:6-9 occurs, “Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away.”[19] Paul also states, “for the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility.”[20]
Jeremiah connects knowledge of God with forgiveness of iniquities and sins.[21] Isaiah adds, “By His knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities.”[22] Unlike some Greek and Gnostic traditions, the Hebraic understanding of “knowledge” is not merely intellectual understanding—it is relational and expressed through actions. How did Jesus’ knowledge that led to bearing iniquities occur? Peter states that “He Himself bore our sins on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” Peter ensures that we recognize the connection to Isaiah 53 by stating, “By His wounds you have been healed.”[23]
The New Testament is clear that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah 11:1-10. The Spirit of the LORD rested on Him.[24] By His righteous judgment the wicked “will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”[25] And by his justice and mercy, peace will rule in Zion and among all those who inquire of the LORD.
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19.[26] Many psalms begin with a simple superscription. Psalm 72 does the same, stating “לשלמה” (lishlomo). This could mean it was written by Solomon or dedicated to Solomon. Psalm 72:20 may indicate that, rather than being written by Solomon, it was composed by David for his son Solomon.
David’s first prayer for Solomon is that God would give him justice and righteousness so that he would judge with righteousness and justice. Solomon prayed for the same thing, saying, “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”[27] These prayers did not fall on deaf ears.
Early in Solomon’s reign, two prostitutes came to him seeking judgment. Both had borne a child, but one had died due to negligence of the mother. The negligent mother had then secretly stolen her neighbor’s living child, and it was up to the young king to decide who was the true mother of the living child. Famously, King Solomon devised a plan to reveal which mother was compassionate, and thus the true mother, and awarded that mother the child.[28] “All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.”[29]
The second prayer was that the land would be prosperous. God brought Israel to “a land that the LORD your God cares for… And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, He will give the rain for your land in its season.”[30] Deuteronomy makes it clear that the land of Canaan was not like Egypt. It did not have a great source of water and food like the mighty Nile. Instead, it had a greater source of water and food: God Himself—”If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today, being careful to do them, and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”[31]
The request for prosperity and righteousness for the people, and the request that the poor and needy receive deliverance, are—if not identical—directly related in Deuteronomy. God gives the rains when the people fear Him. When they obey Him, the righteous flourish and peace abounds.[32] King Solomon was known for his great wealth. Israel was extremely prosperous under his reign, with “silver as common in Jerusalem as stone.”[33] The kings of Tarshish and the queen of Sheba came to Solomon with trade goods and gifts. He also “had peace on all sides around him.”[34]
However, the Scriptures do not speak of Solomon defending the cause of the poor or delivering the children of the needy beyond his initial justice for one prostitute and her newborn child. And so, Psalm 72 became known as a messianic psalm. The Aramaic translation of Psalm 72:1 reads, “By the hand of Solomon, it will be said in prophecy, ‘God will grant your justice to King Messiah and your righteousness to the descendants of King David.’”
Who is this psalm about? Solomon, the royal son of David? Almost certainly. But perhaps it also points to the promised descendant of David who would reign as King Messiah. Unlike Solomon, He will deliver the needy, the poor, and those who have no helper. He will have pity on the weak and the needy. He will save the lives of many and redeem their life from oppression and violence. “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen!”
Romans 15:4-13.[35] Romans 13:8 states that we should “Owe no one anything, except to love each other.” Paul elaborates on what that looks like in Romans 15: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak.” Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Who is strong? Paul uses Jesus as his illustration of strength and as the one who bears with the failings of the weak.
Paul states that Jesus “became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.” He quoted Psalm 69:9, showing both the depths to which Jesus went in bearing our reproaches, and also a reason to bear with the failings of the weak.
In the Second Temple period, when a sentence from Scripture was quoted, the speaker expected the listener to understand the wider context. In a time of trial and tribulation, David prayed: “Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.”[36] Jesus is a living example to those whose hope is in God and seek Him. Jesus was the Christ—the promised Messiah—and His life and actions confirmed God’s faithfulness. And we should have hope and seek after God. Though we may have to endure, God’s words in Scripture encourage us with hope: He is faithful, He is merciful, He is true.
If Jesus was willing to bear the reproach of those who insulted God—welcoming even us, for the glory of God—then we ought to live in harmony with one another. We too can build up our neighbors and welcome one another. And this welcome should be extended to all who hope in the GOD of hosts and seek the God of Israel—including the Gentiles.
David’s poetry constantly went beyond Jerusalem and Israel, speaking of God’s grace to all people—young, old and those not yet born, from both Israel and the Nations. Likewise, the prophets like Isaiah included passages speaking of the judgment of the nations, but also of God’s salvation and the worship of God even among Israel’s enemies. All who hope in God and seek after Him can see the faithfulness of God in the Scriptures and the Messiah. In turn, we ought also to be a testimony and witness, overflowing with God’s hope and willingness to serve, to build one another up, and to bear with the failings of the weak.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy spirit you may abound in hope.”
Matthew 3:1-12. Matthew 2 concludes with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus traveling from Egypt to the Galilee and Nazareth to escape the reign of Herod Archelaus.[37] Meanwhile, his cousin, John the son of Zechariah, grew up near Jerusalem and began preaching in the wilderness of Judea. John, though descended from a priestly family—his father Zechariah served in the Temple, and both his parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, hailed from the tribe of Levi—did not follow in the family tradition of priestly service in the Temple. Instead, filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, John stepped into the role of a prophet, anointed to prepare the way for the Messiah.[38]
All four Gospels record John preaching in the wilderness and quote Isaiah 40:3. Why was the wilderness so important in the advent of the Messiah? Isaiah 40:3 is commonly translated in one of two ways in English, first: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”[39] This highlights the prophetic use of Isaiah 40:3. The second way to translate Isaiah 40:3 is: “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”[40]
Why would John and others go to the desert?[41] Because Isaiah 40:3 wasn’t simply a prophecy, it was also considered to be a command. The desert was the place of messianic expectation.[42] Godly men and women took Isaiah 40:3 very literally and went out into the wilderness to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. The people were willing to go out into the wilderness even though it presented a considerable amount of danger.
The wilderness was not a safe place in general and, on the surface, a place unfit to herald the coming of the redeemer. It was without law, filled with dangers, bandits, and wild animals.[43] By the time of John, Jesus, and the apostles, it was also seen as the abode of demons.[44] Yet it is precisely in such darkness that the light shines brightest. John was the voice calling the people to prepare, and his call carried an element of warning, both for the individual and for the nation.
Matthew and Mark both highlight that John, the son of Zechariah, was wearing a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. The authors highlight that John was the new Elijah, “‘He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.’ And he said, ‘It is Elijah the Tishbite.’”[45] Elijah came with fire. Yet a captain, sent by an evil king with fifty men against Elijah, was spared when he bowed down.[46]
John called for repentance, saying, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus also came to “preach the good news of the Kingdom of God[47] … because that is why I was sent.”[48] The Kingdom of Heaven was a familiar Second Temple period term used to describe the rule and reign of God in the universe.
God’s rule and reign are not just something occurring in the future but are a present reality. Exodus 15:18 is the first kingly image of God in the Scriptures: “The Lord reigns forever and ever.”[49] God became King when He redeemed Israel from Egypt and when they accepted His kingship at Mount Sinai. It was at Mount Sinai that the Lord addressed them as a “kingdom of priests.” In rabbinic tradition, repentance is also linked to the messianic kingdom, for repentance brings the King Messiah near and makes us expectant that God will rule and reign even more through His Messiah.[50]
John’s message in the wilderness was not one of predicting when the Messiah would come, but rather one of warning that He was coming soon—requiring repentance. The call to prepare has an element of warning. He warned that, “His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor,” implying that when the Messiah arrives He will start the eschatological judgment of the world. The looming judgment adds impetus for the call to prepare and the way you prepare for the Messiah is to repent.
John’s message was quite popular, as verse 5 says, “Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” John’s preaching created a sense of corporate expectation that resulted in an action of repentance and baptism. He was in every sense preparing the way of the Lord. Yet John’s tone was not soft.
Luke records a rebuke against the people and, despite John’s severe words, the people respond with a heartfelt question: "What then shall we do?"[51] The people did not ask what to believe—they already believed in God and His promise of a Messiah. Instead, they asked what they should do. Their faith was active, rooted in a desire to align their lives with God’s will. John’s response was simple, "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance."[52]
Matthew records John’s harsh rebuke directed at the Pharisees and Sadducees. Throughout the Torah and Prophets, having a position or performing a cultic ritual did not suffice to please God. Dathan, Abiram, and Korah were Levites, but were swallowed up due to their rebellion—yet Korah’s sons survived as they sided with Moses and the LORD. If the people of Jerusalem brought their sacrifices to God but did not have love for their neighbors, God despised their actions and would pour out his wrath upon them.
John came to the wilderness to prepare the way, calling the people of Israel to repentance. While John was not the coming Messiah, he was the forerunner of the Messiah. He knew that the Messiah was bringing a baptism of the Holy Spirit and a baptism of fire, heralding the day of judgment.[53]
Hebraic Perspective. The desert, a place of chaos and death, became associated with demons quite early in Jewish thought. Leviticus 16:10 speaks of the Yom Kippur scapegoat being sent into the wilderness to Azazel. Leviticus 17:7 spoke of goat demons that were quickly associated with this wilderness of Azazel. Jewish literature of the 2nd Temple period spoke of a demon, Azazel,[54] that was bound and cast into the desert.[55] Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14 both speak of creatures in deserted places that were also associated with demons in the 2nd Temple period.[56]
But the wilderness was also a place where God had told Israel to prepare for the coming of the Lord. And so the wilderness became known as a battleground to go out and fight against Satan and all demons and announce the good news of God’s victory—the gospel. Many early leaders of the church went to the desert to pray, prepare themselves to follow God, and fight against Satan. They became known as the Desert Fathers.[57] The Orthodox and Coptic churches continue to send monks to the desert to fast, pray, and battle against the forces of Satan to this day. These men and women are almost always ascetics—people of great spiritual discipline who abstain from the things of this world.
The Scriptures state that demons are real and are constantly fighting against us. This was self-evident to Jesus, as He encountered demons throughout His ministry. It was also self-evident to Paul, who was obstructed by Satan several times. It is also a reality that should be self-evident to us. How do we fight against Satan and all the spiritual forces that battle against us? There are many books titled along the lines of 103 Scriptures to Fight Demons or 10 Aspects of Faith to Defeat Satan but from study of scripture, there is one very simple and clear way to fight Satan.
Humble yourself before the Lord—submit yourself to God.
Submitting ourselves to God is an incredibly active endeavour—we must cleanse our hands and purify our hearts; we must mourn, weep, and repent; and we must bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Those who went to the desert to become God’s leader, those who went to the desert to prepare the way for Him, and those who went to the desert to pray all had one thing in common. They had to rely on God.
The battle that we are in is not easy, but we have the good news of God’s victory. Satan has already been defeated by God. Even if we were to go to the stronghold of the enemy, such as the desert, if we come to God with repentance and humility we are joining an army that is already victorious.
Endnotes
[1] For instance, The bronze laver was used by the priests before they entered the tabernacle or offered offerings on the altar. They were to wash their hands and feet or they would be struck down by God. (Exodus 30:17-21) The leper was to wash themselves twice in order to reenter society, once after the priest declared them clean and then again after seven days. (Leviticus 14:1-9) Those who touched the dead were to cleanse themselves after three days and again after seven days. Additionally, the dwelling place would also be cleansed by sprinkling. If they do not ritually cleanse themself, that person would no longer be part of the community. (Numbers 19:11-22)
[2] The 6th tractate of the Mishnah is called Mikva’ot, or immersion baths, and consists of 10 chapters discussing ritual purity immersion.
[3] Didache 7 “Baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit in living water. But if you have not living water, baptize into other water; and if you can not in cold, in warm. But if you have not either, pour out water thrice upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit.”
[4] For instance, Miriam, in Numbers 12:10, became leprous when God was angered by her and Aaron’s dispute against Moses.
[5] During the late 2nd century BC a religious community left Jerusalem, unhappy with the corruption they saw under the Hasmonean and Temple leadership and continued until the destruction of Jerusalem. They are most famous today for the discovery of thousands of preserved scrolls in the deserts surrounding Qumran, including portions from every book of the Hebrew Scriptures except Esther. However, they also wrote their own scrolls which, among other things, detailed their strict code for communal living.
[6] One of the many scrolls found near Qumran, classified as 1QH, was a contemporary hymn written by the Qumran community similar to the Psalms of the Scriptures. It has been named the Thanksgiving Hymn as its refrain was one of great thanks.
[7] Community Rule 5.13-14. Another scroll found near Qumran, designated 1QS (The Community Rule), wrote out what the ideals of the community should be, who made up the community (and who did not make up the community), and the rules that would govern the community.
[8] Didache 5
[9] Isaiah 10:22
[10] Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 10:5, 15, 24-26. See also: Isaiah 11:4, Isaiah 14:5, 29; Isaiah 28:27; Isaiah 30:31;
[11] Branch, from נצר, is used only four times in Scripture: Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 14:19; Isaiah 60:21; Daniel 11:7. חטר, hoter, is only used in Isaiah 11:1 and Proverbs 14:3, “By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back.”
[12] The term Nazirite, though somewhat similar in English, is quite different from Nazerene. Nazarite is (נזיר, nazir) in the Hebrew and (αγνισμου, hagnismou) in the Greek.
[13] I Samuel 16:13-14
[14] God did not give us all knowledge. God has left many things as a mystery.
[15] Revelation 1:4; Revelation 3:1; Revelation 4:5; Revelation 5:6
[16] “…πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ, πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως, πνεῦμα βουλῆς καὶ ἰσχύος, πνεῦμα γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας ἐμπλήσει αὐτὸν πνεῦμα φόβου θεοῦ.”
[17] Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-5; Isaiah 16:1-5; Isaiah 42:1-4. See also: Jeremiah 23:5-6; Jeremiah 33:14-16; Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 2:8-9; Matthew 3:11-12; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 25:31-46; Acts 10:42; II Timothy 4:1; I Peter 4:5; John 5:22: “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.”
[18] Hosea 4:1–6. See also: Romans 1:18-31
[19] Hosea 4:3
[20] Romans 8:19-20
[21] Jeremiah 31:34
[22] Isaiah 53:11
[23] Isaiah 53:5; I Peter 2:24
[24] Matthew 3:16
[25] Matthew 25:46
[26] ACNA includes Psalm 72:8-17
[27] I Kings 3:9
[28] I Kings 3:16-27
[29] I Kings 3:28
[30] Deuteronomy 11:10-14
[31] Deuteronomy 28:13-14
[32] These blessings are specific to Israel as they entered the land of Canaan.
[33] II Chronicles 9:27. See also: I Kings 3:13; 4:20-25; 4:22-23; 7:1-51; 9:10-28; 10:1-29; II Chronicles 1:12, 14-17; 2:1-18; 8:1-18; 9:1-28; 9:26-27
[34] I Kings 4:24
[35] ACNA includes Romans 15:1-3
[36] Psalm 69:6
[37] Herod the Great, who ruled from 41/37-4 BC, was well-known for his building projects, including the expansion and renovation of the Temple Mount and Temple. But he was also the antagonist of Matthew 2:1-18. Matthew records Herod’s terrible rage and executions of all male infants in Bethlehem, but other sources also speak to his evil. Josephus speaks of Herod’s death in Antiquities of the Jews 17.6.5. First, Herod summoned the Jewish leaders to Jericho on pain of death. Then, in order that the nation would mourn his death rather than rejoice, he ordered “that as soon as they see he had given up the ghost, they shall place soldiers round the hippodrome, while they do not know that he is dead; and that they shall not declare his death to the multitude till this is done, but that they shall give orders to have those that in custody shot with their darts.”
His son, Herod Archelaus, though not nearly as ambitious, clever, or politically important, still posed a threat to Jesus. Josephus records that he had the army kill 3,000 men in the temple due to possible sedition. Herod Archelaus only ruled from 4 BC-6 AD while Herod Antipas, who was involved with John the Baptist and Jesus’ death ruled from 4 BC-39 AD.
[38] Levites were all from the tribe of Levi, and priests served in hereditary positions within the tribe of Levi. While some Levites and priests became prophets—such as Moses, Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist—the role of a prophet, unlike the priesthood, was not typically passed from father to son.
[39] NKJV, see also: KJV, NASB.
[40] ESV, see also: NIV, NLT, NASB 1977.
[41] The community of Qumran also went to the desert. Many of the great saints began their ministry in the wilderness or desert: Moses and David, along with John, Jesus, and Paul.
[42] The other place of great messianic expectation was the Temple. According to the prophet Malachi, the Messiah was going to suddenly appear in the House of God. As it is written in Malachi 3:1 ‘The Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His Temple’. This was fulfilled when Joseph and Mary presented the baby Jesus in the Temple to Simeon and Anna who waited in the Temple.
[43] Reports of explorers travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho and vice-versa speak of death through sun stroke and dehydration. The wilderness has little food or water, except when flash floods roll through and kill hikers even to this day. David, when he was forced to live as a rebel, ran to the wilderness and the dead sea. Not everyone acted as righteously as David towards their neighbours, resulting in stories such as the Good Samaritan which, while a parable, may have been influenced by real stories of robbery along the desert roads. Isaiah 34:13-14 writes of a time when Jerusalem would be as desolate as the wilderness, complete with the wild animals that were so often terrifying when heard at night in the desert.
[44] For instance, Tobit 8:3 speaks of a demon fleeing to the deserts of Egypt, where he was then bound by Raphael.
[45] II Kings 1:8
[46] II Kings 1:9-16
[47] The terms, “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” are synonymous. During the late 2nd Temple period, the pronunciation of the name of God was prohibited as a way to avoid taking the Lord’s name in vain. Taking the name of the Lord in vain was not just a question of words but also of action. Nonetheless, because disobedience in regard to taking the name of God in vain was considered to be a terrible sin (Yoma 86a), even the word “God” was replaced by words such as Adonai (my Lord), haMakom (the Place), haShamayim (the Heavens) or, currently, the preferred haShem (the Name). Matthew prefers to use the term Kingdom of Heaven, while Luke makes use of both expressions.
[48] Luke 4:42-43
[49] The Hebrew reads יְהוָה יִמְלֹךְ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד literally translate, “God will reign forever” while the Greek Septuagint translates Exodus 15:18 as κύριος βασιλεύων τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἐπ αἰῶνα καὶ ἔτι where the Greek verb βασιλεύω is in the present active tense, indicating the understanding that God is actively reigning now and forever.
[50] Yoma 86b.2
[51] Luke 3:10. This question mirrors the one asked of Peter after his sermon during Pentecost in Acts 2:37.
[52] Luke 3:8
[53] See Joel 2
[54] Apocalypse of Abraham 2.1.4; I Enoch 6:13
[55] I Enoch 10:4; Tobit 8.2
[56] Lilith, translated as night bird in the ESV, was understood to be a demon in several translations such as the Septuagint and Aramaic translations. In much later Jewish traditions, this presumed demon became the first wife of Adam according to the Alphabet of Sirach.
[57] Long before the Desert Fathers, many of God’s leaders went to the desert to be prepared for their positions: Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, and even Jesus.
The Qumran community also went into the wilderness to fulfill God’s commandment to prepare the way while in the wilderness while battling the forces of darkness.