Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 3:1-3

"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. For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight." — Matthew 3:1-3 (ASV)

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The sun, as it approaches the horizon and before it is yet visible, sends out its rays and makes the eastern sky glow with light, so that the dawn may go before and herald the coming day. In the same way, the Lord at His birth on this earth, and before He showed Himself, enlightened John with the rays of His Spirit's teaching, so that he might go before and announce the Savior who was to come. Therefore, after relating the birth of Christ, and before proceeding to His teaching and baptism (in which He received such testimony), Matthew first introduces something about the Baptist and forerunner of the Lord.

"In those days, etc."

Remigius of Auxerre: In these words, we have not only the time, place, and person of St. John, but also his office and work. First, the time is given generally: "In those days."

St. Augustine of Hippo: Luke describes the time by the reigning sovereigns (Luke 3:1). But Matthew must be understood to be speaking of a wider span of time with the phrase "those days" than just the fifteenth year of Tiberius. After relating Christ's return from Egypt—which must be placed in His early boyhood or even infancy to agree with Luke's account of Him being in the temple at twelve years old—Matthew immediately adds, "In those days." By this, he does not mean only the days of Christ's childhood, but all the days from His birth until the preaching of John.¹

Remigius of Auxerre: "The man" is mentioned in the words "came John," meaning he showed himself, having lived for so long in obscurity.

St. John Chrysostom: But why must John go before Christ in this way, preaching Him with a testimony of deeds? First, so that we might learn from this of Christ's dignity—that He, like the Father, has prophets, according to the words of Zechariah, And thou, Child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest (Luke 1:76).

Secondly, so that the Jews might have no cause for offense, as He declared, John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a gluttonous man (Luke 7:33-34).

Moreover, it was necessary that the things concerning Christ should be told first by someone else, and not by Himself. Otherwise, what would the Jews have said, who after John's testimony complained, Thou bearest witness of thyself, thy witness is not true (John 8:13)?

Remigius of Auxerre: His office was "the Baptist." In this, he prepared the way of the Lord, for if people had not been accustomed to being baptized, they would have shunned Christ's baptism.²

His work was "Preaching."

Rabanus Maurus: Because Christ was to preach, John began his own preaching at the fitting time—that is, around thirty years of age—to make ready the way for the Lord.

Remigius of Auxerre: The place was "the desert of Judea."

St. Maximus the Confessor: There, neither a noisy mob would interrupt his preaching, nor would any unbelieving hearer wander away. Instead, only those would listen who were drawn to his preaching by motives of divine worship.³

St. Jerome: Consider how the salvation of God and the glory of the Lord are preached not in Jerusalem, but in the solitude of the Church—in the wilderness, to multitudes.⁴

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, he came to Judea, which was a desert because of the absence of God, not because of a lack of population, so that the place of preaching might itself testify to the few to whom the message was sent.

Glossa Ordinaria: The desert typically signifies a life removed from the temptations of the world, such as is fitting for the penitent.⁵

St. Augustine of Hippo: Unless a person repents of their former life, they cannot begin a new life.⁶

St. Hilary of Poitiers: He therefore preaches repentance as the Kingdom of Heaven approaches. Through repentance, we return from error, escape from sin, and after feeling shame for our faults, we profess to forsake them.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: In the very beginning, he shows himself to be the messenger of a merciful Prince. He does not come with threats for the offender, but with offers of mercy. It is a custom for kings to proclaim a general pardon on the birth of a son, but first they send officers throughout their kingdom to exact severe fines.

But God, willing to grant a pardon for sins at the birth of His Son, first sends His officer to proclaim, Repent ye. Oh, what a demand that leaves no one poor, but makes many rich! For even when we pay our just debt of righteousness, we are not doing God a service but are only gaining our own salvation. Repentance cleanses the heart, enlightens the mind, and prepares the human soul to receive Christ, as John immediately adds, For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

St. Jerome: John the Baptist is the first to preach the Kingdom of Heaven, so that the forerunner of the Lord may have this honorable privilege.

St. John Chrysostom: And he preaches something the Jews had never heard, not even from the Prophets: namely, Heaven and the Kingdom that is there. Of the kingdoms of the earth, he says nothing. Thus, by the novelty of the things he speaks about, he gains their attention for Him whom he preaches.

Remigius of Auxerre: "The Kingdom of Heaven" has a fourfold meaning. It refers to Christ, as in, The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). It refers to Holy Scripture, as in, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (Matthew 21:43). It refers to the Holy Church, as in, The kingdom of heaven is like unto ten virgins (Matthew 25:1). And it refers to the dwelling place above, as in, Many shall come from the East and the West, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 8:11). All these meanings may be understood here.

Glossa Ordinaria: "The Kingdom of Heaven" will come near you; for if it did not approach, no one would be able to attain it. For being weak and blind, they did not have the way, which was Christ.⁷

St. Augustine of Hippo: The other Evangelists omit these words of John. Regarding what follows—"This is He..."—it is not clear whether the Evangelist is speaking in his own person, or whether these words are part of John's preaching. It is uncertain if the entire section from "Repent ye" to "Isaiah the prophet" should be attributed to John.

It is of no importance that the text says, "This is he," and not, "I am he." For Matthew, when speaking of himself, says, He found a man sitting at the tax collector's booth (Matthew 9:9), not "He found me." However, when John was asked what he said of himself, he answered, as John the Evangelist relates, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.⁸

St. Gregory the Great: It is well known that the Only-begotten Son is called the Word of the Father, as in John: In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1). But it is by our own speech that we are known; the voice sounds so that the words may be heard. Thus John, the forerunner of the Lord's coming, is called "the voice," because through his ministry the Word of the Father is heard by humanity.⁹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The voice is an indistinct sound, revealing no secret of the heart, only signifying that the one who utters it desires to say something. It is the word that is the speech that opens the mystery of the heart. Voice is common to humans and other animals; the word is unique to humanity. John, then, is called the voice and not the word, because God did not reveal His counsels through him. Instead, God only signified that He was about to do something among humanity. Afterwards, however, through His Son, He fully opened the mystery of His will.

Rabanus Maurus: He is rightly called "the voice of one crying" on account of the loud sound of his preaching. Three things cause a person to speak loudly: when the person they are speaking to is at a distance, or is deaf, or if the speaker is angry. All three of these conditions were found in the human race at that time.

Glossa Ordinaria: John, then, is, as it were, the voice of the crying Word. The Word is heard through the voice—that is, Christ is heard through John.

The Venerable Bede: In the same way, He has cried out from the beginning through the voice of all who have spoken anything by inspiration. And yet John alone is called "the voice," because the Word, whom others only pointed to from afar, he declares as being near.¹⁰

St. Gregory the Great: "Crying in the desert," because he shows to a deserted and forlorn Judea the approaching consolation of her Redeemer.¹¹

Remigius of Auxerre: Although, as a matter of historical fact, he chose the desert to be removed from the crowds of people. The purpose of his cry is suggested when he adds, Make ready the way of the Lord.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Just as a great king on a journey is preceded by couriers to cleanse what is foul and repair what is broken, so John preceded the Lord. He came to cleanse the human heart from the filth of sin with the broom of repentance, and to gather up by an ordinance of spiritual precepts those things that had been scattered.

St. Gregory the Great: Everyone who preaches right faith and good works prepares the Lord's way into the hearts of the hearers. They make His paths straight by cleansing their thoughts with the word of good preaching.¹²

Glossa Ordinaria: Or, faith is the way by which the Word reaches the heart. When a life is amended, the paths are made straight.¹³

1. de Cons. Evan., ii, 6
2. ap. Anselm
3. Hom. in Joan. Bap. nat. 1
4. Isa 40. 3
5. ap. Anselm
6. Serm.
7. ord.
8. de Cons. Evan., ii, 12
9. Hom. in Ev., i. 7
10. gloss. ord. in cap. iv. 1
11. Hom. in Ev., i. 7. 2
12. Hom. in Ev. i. 20. 3
13. interlin.