Matthew shared how Joseph after being in Egypt with Mary and Jesus, “came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. Matthew continued, “In those days came John the Baptist, and saying, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance. And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you,
that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire”, and in chapter three and verse twelve of his book, John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees who Jesus will, “gather his wheat” and “burn up the chaff” where we read:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
The verse reads, “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, ...” Matthew began with the word, “whose fan” which means “the Messiah's winnowing shovel” “is in his hand” or “is situate within the Messiah's hand”, “and he will thoroughly purge” which means “and he will cleanse perfectly” “his floor” or “the Messiah's threshing floor”. Matthew shared how John the Baptist told the crowd who gathered around him that the Messiah would hold His “threshing fan” within his hand, and He would “cleanse” his threshing-floor perfectly with it.
The verse goes on to say, “... and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew continued with the words, “and gather” which means “and draw together and collect” “his wheat” or “the Messiah's grain” “into the garner” which refers to “in the storehouse or granary”; “but he will burn up” or “moreover and the Messiah will consume wholly” “the chaff” which means “the stalk of grain from which the kernels have been beaten out or the straw broken up by a threshing machine” “with unquenchable fire” or “with fiery fire which is perpetual and never extinguished”. Matthew shared John the Baptist's metaphor for “harvesting” as he declared the Messiah will “collect” His “wheat or grain” and “burn up” the useless “chaff” that is leftover.
When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how John the Baptist employed the agrarian illustration of “wheat harvesting” to demonstrate how the Messiah will attend to people upon the earth. God desires “fruit or grain” within a person's life, and as they yield their lives to Him, they have begun the process of “growth and production” of “fruit” which pleases Him. John the Baptist told his crowd the Messiah was coming and would be busy “harvesting” the “good fruit” and burning up the “chaff” or useless part. Let all who read these words consider their own “wheat bearing”, and should they find there is no “wheat” and only “chaff”, allow today to be the day where a new harvest of “fruit” for the Heavenly Father is borne.
Next time John the Baptist shares how, “then came Jesus from Galilee” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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