Matthew 3:13-4:1 Bible Teaching

WELCOME

6 Matthew 3.13-4.1

February 22nd 2026

At this point Matthew enters into describing what followed after John the Baptist conversed with the religious leaders. Verse 13

Matthew 3:13 Then cometh Yeshua from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

15 And Yeshua answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

16 And Yeshua, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

John has been out baptizing in the wilderness, in the vicinity of the Jordan.

We do not know how long John was involved in this work, so between verses 12 and 13 we have an indeterminate amount of time.

But at some point (and through a means of which we are unsure) Yeshua the Anointed One catches wind that this was occurring (no one tells us how He knew) and so we read . . . (verse 13)

Matthew 3:13 Then cometh Yeshua from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

Interestingly, what we do know, however, is YAHAVAH waited to be baptized last and it is Luke 3:21 is the one who brings us this important addition:

"Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Yeshua being baptized,"

This somewhat implies that Yeshua waited until all other applicants for baptism that day had been baptized and then He stepped forward. Why?

First of all, was Yeshua’s baptism unto repentance? Not in the least.

He participated (to fulfill all righteousness) but he was not doing it for the same reason that others came to John.

Remember, Yeshua rode into Jerusalem on a donkey that was . . .

“ridden by everyone in town?” No . . .

A donkey that had never been ridden before, right?

And when Yeshua died, He was buried in a “common grave used by many?” No.

He was laid in a sepulchre "wherein was never man yet laid" (John 19:41).

He baptism was no different.

Additionally, because John was baptizing to prepare the way for the arrival of the Messiah to launch that ministry with a proper washing and anointing that Kings and Priests would receive anciently, He came forward last in what seemed like His submitting to John’s mission put an end to that and launched the beginning of the New economy to come.

Did John the Baptist know Yeshua? Let’s read verse 14 before we embark on answering this question:

14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

How did John know this was the Messiah? Or that he was important?

In John 1:29-31, it reads:

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Yeshua coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

Taking what it says here in Matthew three and coupling it with what it says here in John 1 we come to some conclusions which include,

John was not personally acquainted with Yeshua. Though they were remotely related to each other it seems that they had not heretofore had any personal acquaintance with each other as adults.

Remember, John had chiefly resided in the hill country of Judea and Yeshua lived in Nazareth.

So, until Yeshua came to be baptized it seems that John had never met him.

OR

Yeshua and John knew of each other, maybe to the point that John had even known his identity, but he did not KNOW Yeshua was the Messiah, so when he says, “And I knew Him not,” he was speaking of not knowing that He was the Savior.

So, again we do know that John knew he was going to announce the arrival of the Messiah and that he was going to pave the way for His arrival, but prior – he either didn’t know Him personally OR he didn’t know for a surety He was the Messiah.

We get insight to this situation by reading further in the first chapter of John where the Baptist says:

John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, (meaning God) the same said unto me, “Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.”

Taking this verse into account, all we can conclude is what we read here in Matthew verse 14 is that John, being the greatest prophet born of a woman must have seen the Holy Spirit rest Yeshua prior to His being baptized.

The only other explanation would be John knew Yeshua was important (but not the Messiah in the truest sense of knowing) so it makes sense in verse 14 that when Yeshua came forward to be baptized of him last, John replied,

But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

Whatever it was that caused John to recoil from doing the baptizing, it also caused him to say to Yeshua, “I have need to be baptized of you, and you come to me?”

These words have been understood in many ways but I would suggest this is the meaning - John the Baptist came to baptize unto repentance with water, right?

Yeshua came to baptize with ?????

That’s right, “the Holy Spirit and with fire.” In the face of this John says, “Hey, whoa, it’s more fit that I should be baptized with your baptism Yeshua, than you should be baptized in water by mine.

(sort of like)

I am a sinner and in need of your baptism, but you are the Messiah who is not in need of my ritual. But Yeshua replies:

15 “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

It is kind intriguing that Yeshua joins them together in the act, saying to join that it is “important for them to fulfil all righteousness.”

I mean there was no particular precept in the Old Testament requiring them to do this but the phrase "all righteousness," is the same as a divine appointment.

Obviously, Yeshua had no sin and needed no repentance but he was about to enter into his great work.

It was proper – a fulfillment, if you will - that he should be set apart by this forerunner who was prophesied of, and show a connection with him, and give His approval to what John was doing.

Of course, He was baptized at the commencement of his work as our final High Priest, which was akin to his being washed in water and anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit that would fall like dove from above on Him.

I have personally found that phrase “to fulfill all righteousness” intriguing.

Everything – EVERYTHING – Yeshua did, said, and accomplished was righteous. Somehow in the fulfilling of all the law and the prophets His being baptized was a part of this – in a way that extends beyond John needing to baptize Christ as a means to officially identify Him as the Promised One.

Verse 16 and 17

16 And Yeshua, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Let’s talk about these two verses for a minute.

Where it reads:

“And Yeshua, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water . . .”

The better translation from the Greek is that He went “straight FROM the water.”

I have always read this in a way that Yeshua came up from under the water straight up – like something sort of levitating. Not so.

The Greek actually means that once He was baptized he immediately left the water, went straightway FROM it. And Luke gives us something really insightful to this picture as he says,

“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Yeshua also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened.”

How many of you prayed before or after you were baptized? I didn’t. But it seems like Yeshua did. That John the Baptist suffered it be so, baptized him (in whatever means that might have been but most likely dipping or dunking under the water) and Yeshua, leaving the water immediately, prayed, and . . .

“The heavens were opened unto him.”

The expression means, “he was permitted to see far into the heavens beyond what the natural vision would allow. “ John witnessed this and it gave Him the outward indication that His ministry was ending. When Stephan was stoned (by rocks) in Acts had a similar experience.

Were the heavens only opened to them – Yeshua and John?

Our better Greek scholars suggest that when it says that the heavens were open to him is speaks directly to the Baptist, especially when we take John 1:33 into account where God tells the Baptist “that he will see the Spirit descend and remain on the Holy One.”

And what does it say he saw?

“the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Luke gives what I believe is important insight on whether this was an invisible spirit, an actual dove, or something else when he writes in Luke 3:22:

“And the Holy Ghost descended, in a bodily shape like a dove, upon Him.”

OR

“And the Holy Ghost descended in a body shape, like a dove, upon Him.”

OR

“And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove, upon Him.”

I think it should read,

“And the Holy Spirit (stop) descended (stop) in a bodily shape (stop) like a dove (stop) upon him.”

Then jury is out on this one, kids. I tend to think that the holy Spirit fell in the bodily shape of a dove, lighting back and forth down from heaven and landing upon Christ. And this was a witness John was promised that He would see.

For the Holy Spirit to appear in the form of a harmless dove descending OR in a floating shape swinging down from heaven on high like a dove descends is irrelevant to me because we aren’t really sure.

We do know that the dove, among the Jews, was the symbol of purity or harmlessness, (Mt 10:16) and of softness, (Ps 55:7.)

The form chosen here was doubtless an emblem of the innocence, meekness, and tenderness of the Spirit falling gracefully upon the anointed King with the gift of the Holy Spirit was a sign of Yeshua being set apart to the office of the Messiah.

I don’t believe we ought to suppose that there was any change wrought in the moral character of Yeshua by this addition, but that we can suppose He was now empowered from on high to commence with His work.

So, we have the person of Yeshua – there in flesh – starting in on His ministry of salvation for His own and the world.

Hebrews 5:7-9 says of Him,

7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

He was born of a woman, he was raised by parents. Up until this point He earned his keep as a carpenter presumably with Joseph.

Here’s the thing - the Bible indicates Yeshua was a "tekton" which means a

(carpenter or a builder) like his father, Joseph.

In Mark 6:3, the people of Nazareth ask, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?", and Matthew 13:55 refers to him as "the carpenter's son". And according to custom He likely learned the trade as an apprentice to Joseph.

However, while commonly translated as "carpenter," the Greek word tekton is broader, meaning a builder, artisan, or craftsman who works with wood, stone, or metal.

Given the scarcity of wood in 1st-century Nazareth, many scholars believe they were likely stonemasons or general contractors.

Early Christian tradition (e.g., Justin Martyr) mentions Yeshua crafting yokes and ploughs.

Mark 6:3 directly asks "Isn't this the carpenter?", and Matthew 13:55 refers to him as "the carpenter's son".

So, while the exact materials he worked with might have been more than just wood, the Bible confirms Jesus was a craftsman who followed in Joseph's profession

Yes, He was God in the flesh, His only begotten Son but as Hebrews says,

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

Philippians 2:8 says:

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Hebrews 12:2

Looking unto Yeshua the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 1:3

“ Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Was He God with us or was He a Man who had to learn? Yes.

And being God (just, right, merciful, fair and good) the only way to save humanity (in a just, right, merciful, fair and good way) was for Him to become a man (flesh and blood) and do for us which was virtually impossible for us to do ourselves.

If it were possible for us to do it by force, or law, or freewill, God would have left us to our own devices from the Fall.

But because it was not possible for men or women to save themselves, God sent His only begotten Son to “learn obedience by the things he . . . enjoyed?

No.

Things He Loved? Nope.

“By the things He suffered.”

See, the difference between fallen men and women and Yeshua, is Yeshua was willing to take His human mind will, and emotions set them aside, and suffer so as to be obedient to His father.

Men and women fail in this. We want what WE want, and are rarely willing to endure or suffer through doing what God wants us to be and do.

But imagine the scene if you would. The very person, Yeshua of Nazareth has submitted to water baptism in a real place and time.

And after being baptized he is standing there on the earth He created, the water from the Jordan running down his face and body, a poor carpenter from Nazareth, praying to God His Father and

“the Spirit of God descended like a dove, and lighted upon him . . . AND . . . AND! AND! AND!

lo a voice from heaven, says, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

This was the voice of His Father, YAHAVAH, not a triune, three co equal person, speaking – it was God His Father plainly speaking His heart.

Are there three being represented here? Absolutely, there is three – the Son, the falling Spirit and the voice of His Father identifying Him as his beloved son in whom He was well pleased.”

Are these distinct manifestations? They are, yes. Are they all divine? They are, yes? Again, are there three? Undeniably.

If they are all divine manifestations are they all God? Yes? Is God one? Yes.

But theses three do NOT prove the doctrine of the Trinity that demands that they are three separate and distinct persons – co-equal, co-eternal. Not there, folks. And this is just one argument I have with the man-made Trinity.

It’s not that the Holy Spirit did not represent the Spirit of God or was not God, nor that Yeshua wasn’t God with us, or that the Father was not God – all we are saying is while all are expressions of God they are NOT three separate and distinct persons like manny moe and jack.

And again what does the Father say? He says from heaven, “this is my BELOVED Son in whom I am well pleased.”

(beat)

Sometimes I think we can convince ourselves that God will look upon us with similar sentiments.

“Why there is Shawn, my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The Greek for “Well done” is one little word – “eu” (yoo) and it is synonymous with good. It means “you have done well, you done good.”

It is used only once in application to Man and that is in the parable of the talents which Yeshua teaches . . . remember?

The application of that parable was speaking to the final judgment of them/then. And in the parable, Yeshua has YAHAVAH (the master) declare in the final summary “well done” to two who multiplied the gifts they were entrusted with.

Well, that word in the Greek is “eu.”

But the actual Greek word here in Matthew (as in, “in whom I am well pleased,” is “euduko.”

And it means that up till that point God was wholly pleased with the state and standing of His beloved Son’s life.

I love that YAHAVAH would periodically come forth and announce His opinion of His Son’s goodness once here at the start of His public ministry and then again at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Now listen – there has never been nor will there ever be anyone at any point or time in their life or existence who can look up to God and have Him look back and say:

“In you, I am well pleased.”

Only His beloved Son.

All the rest of us? Let’s put it this way – all souls who lived before Christ when they dies went to sheol, or hell.

From Noah to Abraham to Kind David to Isaiah to John the Baptist – at death – separation from God.

Then after the atonement of Christ, all were deemed good by God according to their faith on His Son. And today? We are all born table rasa (blank slates) in terms of sin as all have been unconditionally reconciled to God but the jury is out on what we will do with our respective lives and the good or bad we do with the lives we have.

And so the ONLY time God could ever look upon ANY of His creations and say,

“In you I am well pleased,” is going to be when he looks upon those who have chosen to believe and receive His Son by faith AND elect to labor in love on His behalf.

No others. Ever. And no exceptions.

It is interesting to me that at different periods Yeshua receives this reassurance from on High. As stated when He was baptized in water, then at the Mount of Transfiguration and finally, according to John 12:28-30 we read about the third time YAHAVAH spoke of His approval of Him.

It was after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and before His passion and He is teaching and says,

Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

Meaning, Yeshua, you have asked me to glorify my name and I have done it (Through you) and through you, I will glorify it again. (When?)

At His resurrection and quite frankly, I and through the life of Yeshua the Messiah, God’s name continues to be glorified forevermore through heaven and earth.

Now listen to what it says in verse 29-33,

John 12:29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

And here, in chapter three of Matthew, with the exception of a couple ancillary stories, we have both been introduced to John the Baptist, and we will now say goodbye.

In His ministry we are presented with an example of one of the most faithful ministers of God Old Testament.

Wealth, dignity, nor power could touch him nor deter him from fearlessly declaring the truth.

He called things by their right names. He did not excuse their sin as leaders of the Nation. He set it fairly before them, and denounced the appropriate curse.

In John we have an example of fearless humility, who fulfilled his call with zeal and an unwavering approach, and then turned from gathering disciples to pointing them to the King.

Truly John, even over King David, Hezekiah, and Peter, stands as the ultimate biblical hero in my book – never over Christ, but as a man.

Look forward to meeting you on High, my brother.

Okay. So, we’ve come to chapter four.

Let’s read just verse one and see how far we get.

Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested of the devil.

In Luke 4:1 we learn that Yeshua was full of the Holy Spirit, therefore this passage means he was led by the Spirit to go to the wilderness and not taken by some mystical transportation as the verse seems to suggest.

(see, 1st Kings 18:12; Ezekiel 3:14; 8:3; 11:1,24; 43:5; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1; Acts 8:39)

In our Apostolic Record version of Matthew I took the term tempted and replaced it with tested.

So while the word tempted is used in other Bible translations the original Greek term (peirazo) best means “to try or test” – especially by fire, as in tempering metal to vet its qualities and properties.

This process is to establish the endurance of an item, to test its strength and its ability to withstand resistance and oppositional forces to its nature.

It helps us to rethink the idea that Jesus was tempted by all things and overcame the temptation (Hebrews 4:15) but instead that his resolve to stand true to the will of the Father was tried and tested in all things.

In and through this testing, which, by the way, all who are His disciples will endure in this life as well according to the purposes of God, we discover something really important about His person while in flesh and before His deification – He was not God in that flesh.

We can say this because of what James writes in his epistle which is,

James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.

And tempted by who?

The Greek word here is diabolos and it originally means “an accuser or adversary of any kind.”

In scripture, the term is assigned (by way of eminence) to the leader of evil angels--a spirit-being characterized as full of subtlety, envy, artifice and hatred of mankind.

He is also known by the name Satan (Job 1:6-12; Matthew 12:26); Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24); the old Serpent (Revelation 12:9) and the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

The name, however, is also given to men and women in scripture (2nd Timothy 3:3) as the terms, “truce-breakers and slanderers” originally was devils. (1st Timothy 3:2).

Without getting into the weeds because the subject is super weedy, any opposition or accuser can rightly be called a diabolos.

In the Tanakh, Satan was an operative under the law, therefore an accuser.

Yeshua started the end to his reign once and for all at the cross and ended it forever more at his return in 70 AD.

We will dive more headlong into a through line study of this accuser in later teachings. Thanks for watching.