Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 3:1-2

"And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." — Matthew 3:1-2 (ASV)

While Jesus still remained at Nazareth, His relative, the Baptist, made his appearance. The morning star is seen before the sun. John did not come to the court, but to lone wildernesses, places left to sheep and a handful of rural folk.

The mission of Christ Jesus is to the moral wastes and to the desolate places of the earth. To them the Lord's forerunner makes his way, and there he fittingly preaches the command, "Repent ye." Give up your thorns and briars, O you wildernesses, for your Lord is coming to you!

See how John announces the coming kingdom, how he instructs men to prepare for it, and how he urges them to be prompt in their preparation, "For the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Let me be ready for my Lord's coming and put away all that would grieve His Holy Spirit!

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

There is no entering the kingdom of heaven without leaving the kingdom of darkness. We must repent of sin, or we cannot receive the blessings of salvation. Repentance is required of every person, whoever they may be, whether outwardly moral or openly wicked.

It is the door of hope; there is no other way into the kingdom: Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

His was a preparatory ministry; his work was to prepare people's minds for Christ; and never is the human heart so ready to receive Christ as when it is in a state of repentance. When it is weary of sin, it is then that Christ comes in, and is welcomed by the soul conscious of its guilt, tired of it, and longing to be rid of it.