This passage requires a little deep understanding. In the previous chapter, Matthew 2, we see the promise of Israel receiving a Shepherd to supply all their needs. Now, the Bible turns to speaking about John the Baptist, a man who was prophesied about in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 40:3 (NKJV)
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert[a]
A highway for our God.
and again in the New Testament:
Matthew 3:3 (NKJV)
For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord:
Make His paths straight."
The prophecy (promise) of John the Baptist coming before Jesus to make way for Him is fulfilled in Matthew 3. John the Baptist knew it was time for the Lord to come. He was making a straight path for him, preparing the way for a Savior to come. John makes a bold statement about Jesus and His purpose for the people whom he was baptizing in the Jordan River.
Matthew 3:11-12 (NKJV)
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[b] 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
John the Baptist says that Jesus is "mightier" than he is. John says he is not worthy to carry the sandals of Jesus. He is exalting the Lord Jesus so that others might follow Him. He makes the point that, although he (John) has been baptizing people with water after they repent, there is One coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and...FIRE!
Then John makes a reference to the process of threshing wheat. If you do not understand this process, let me give you a little background.
Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of a grain from the scaly, inedible (useless) outer covering of the grain head (chaff). Winnowing is a refinement process of the wheat where the inner part of the grain is loosened from the chaff. Sometimes the grain is beat on the floor using a tool called a "flail" that separates the wheat from the chaff. In this scripture, FIRE is what God is using to separate the wheat from the chaff. Fire most likely appears in our life through the trials we face that loosen the inner part of us from the outer, more useless parts of who we are. The useful grain head appears and is stored. This can also be known in the church as the process of "sanctification."
According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the word "fire" used in Matthew 3:11 has a very significant definition.
FIRE: a) of the holiness of God, which consumes all that is not consistent with it.
b) of the Divine Judgment, testing the deeds of believers, at the Judgment Seat of Christ
c) of the fire of Divine Judgment against all those who reject Christ
This baptism by the Holy Spirit and with fire is a PROMISE made by God about the purpose of refinement in a believer's life.
The promise is that we WILL be baptized by the Holy Spirit and with the holiness of God, the divine judgment, either as a believer, or one who rejects Christ. Regardless, we will be "threshed" and if we are found to have chaff and not just the good wheat, the chaff is burned off in our lives to reveal what's truly inside of us.
What does it mean for Jesus to clean out His threshing floor?
In Matthew 3:12, he mentions cleaning out or purging the threshing floor. How does this relate to us as believers?
The Greek word used for cleaning out or purging is "diakatharizo", meaning to cleanse thoroughly.
The definition of threshing is "to separate a seed from a harvested plant (mechanically)".
Hmm, so Jesus is said to be the One who cleans out the threshing floor. He gathers the wheat and burns up the chaff (the unworthy part of the plant).
This is a promise of being refined in our lives by the Holy Spirit. As we are baptized by the Holy Spirit with fire, the unworthy, useless parts of us are removed and burned up. The part that remains is the whole grain of wheat, useful for many things, serving a great purpose to feed others with nourishment.
We have a promise that God will REFINE us.
As we are refined, we have another promise when John the Baptist said that Jesus would gather the wheat into the barn. The word used for barn is "apotheke" meaning apothecary. Vine's Dictionary says it is a "storehouse, store chamber, inner room, or secret place."
So after we are baptized by the Holy Spirit and fire, we are gathered into the inner room or secret room. That reminds me of Psalm 91!
Psalm 91 (NKJV)
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in Him will I trust.
We have a promise to be gathered into a secret place where we will remain under the shadow of the Almighty! He will be our refuge and fortress!
That's a pretty awesome promise.
PROMISE PRAYERS:
Father God, I thank you for saving my soul. I thank you for baptizing me with the Holy Spirit and fire, the process of refinement that brings forth all that is good in me. Thank you for making me more useful in your kingdom, and for promising me that You will always be my refuge and fortress. I receive your promise of refinement cheerfully, knowing that you are taking something that was useless and worthless and making it new and useful again! I thank you God for knowledge and understanding of your scriptures, and for using me to share your truth with others. I pray you bless each person today who reads this passage with understanding, help them to hear Your voice and know that what they go through is the process of refinement. Please help me to have peace and joy during all the trials that come into my life, knowing that they are useful for shaping me into the person that You want me to be. Help me to trust You more, and understand the good coming out of the fiery trials of my life. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Your sister in Christ,
Sarah
Isaiah 40:3 (NKJV)
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert[a]
A highway for our God.
and again in the New Testament:
Matthew 3:3 (NKJV)
For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord:
Make His paths straight."
The prophecy (promise) of John the Baptist coming before Jesus to make way for Him is fulfilled in Matthew 3. John the Baptist knew it was time for the Lord to come. He was making a straight path for him, preparing the way for a Savior to come. John makes a bold statement about Jesus and His purpose for the people whom he was baptizing in the Jordan River.
Matthew 3:11-12 (NKJV)
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[b] 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
John the Baptist says that Jesus is "mightier" than he is. John says he is not worthy to carry the sandals of Jesus. He is exalting the Lord Jesus so that others might follow Him. He makes the point that, although he (John) has been baptizing people with water after they repent, there is One coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and...FIRE!
Then John makes a reference to the process of threshing wheat. If you do not understand this process, let me give you a little background.
Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of a grain from the scaly, inedible (useless) outer covering of the grain head (chaff). Winnowing is a refinement process of the wheat where the inner part of the grain is loosened from the chaff. Sometimes the grain is beat on the floor using a tool called a "flail" that separates the wheat from the chaff. In this scripture, FIRE is what God is using to separate the wheat from the chaff. Fire most likely appears in our life through the trials we face that loosen the inner part of us from the outer, more useless parts of who we are. The useful grain head appears and is stored. This can also be known in the church as the process of "sanctification."
According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the word "fire" used in Matthew 3:11 has a very significant definition.
FIRE: a) of the holiness of God, which consumes all that is not consistent with it.
b) of the Divine Judgment, testing the deeds of believers, at the Judgment Seat of Christ
c) of the fire of Divine Judgment against all those who reject Christ
This baptism by the Holy Spirit and with fire is a PROMISE made by God about the purpose of refinement in a believer's life.
The promise is that we WILL be baptized by the Holy Spirit and with the holiness of God, the divine judgment, either as a believer, or one who rejects Christ. Regardless, we will be "threshed" and if we are found to have chaff and not just the good wheat, the chaff is burned off in our lives to reveal what's truly inside of us.
What does it mean for Jesus to clean out His threshing floor?
In Matthew 3:12, he mentions cleaning out or purging the threshing floor. How does this relate to us as believers?
The Greek word used for cleaning out or purging is "diakatharizo", meaning to cleanse thoroughly.
The definition of threshing is "to separate a seed from a harvested plant (mechanically)".
Hmm, so Jesus is said to be the One who cleans out the threshing floor. He gathers the wheat and burns up the chaff (the unworthy part of the plant).
This is a promise of being refined in our lives by the Holy Spirit. As we are baptized by the Holy Spirit with fire, the unworthy, useless parts of us are removed and burned up. The part that remains is the whole grain of wheat, useful for many things, serving a great purpose to feed others with nourishment.
We have a promise that God will REFINE us.
As we are refined, we have another promise when John the Baptist said that Jesus would gather the wheat into the barn. The word used for barn is "apotheke" meaning apothecary. Vine's Dictionary says it is a "storehouse, store chamber, inner room, or secret place."
So after we are baptized by the Holy Spirit and fire, we are gathered into the inner room or secret room. That reminds me of Psalm 91!
Psalm 91 (NKJV)
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in Him will I trust.
We have a promise to be gathered into a secret place where we will remain under the shadow of the Almighty! He will be our refuge and fortress!
That's a pretty awesome promise.
PROMISE PRAYERS:
Father God, I thank you for saving my soul. I thank you for baptizing me with the Holy Spirit and fire, the process of refinement that brings forth all that is good in me. Thank you for making me more useful in your kingdom, and for promising me that You will always be my refuge and fortress. I receive your promise of refinement cheerfully, knowing that you are taking something that was useless and worthless and making it new and useful again! I thank you God for knowledge and understanding of your scriptures, and for using me to share your truth with others. I pray you bless each person today who reads this passage with understanding, help them to hear Your voice and know that what they go through is the process of refinement. Please help me to have peace and joy during all the trials that come into my life, knowing that they are useful for shaping me into the person that You want me to be. Help me to trust You more, and understand the good coming out of the fiery trials of my life. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Your sister in Christ,
Sarah
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