Matthew 3:11
Encyclopedia
Matthew 3:11 is the tenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. The verse occurs in the section relating the preachings of John the Baptist
. In this verse he predicts that he will be followed by someone much greater than himself. The main theme of this verse is that John will soon be supplanted by a much greater figure and the John's water baptism
is just a preparation for the much greater baptism by fire
and spirit that will occur under the second coming
of the Christian messiah Jesus
, an original christian concept, that lacks any fundament in the Hebrew scripture
.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The New International Version
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 3:11
This verse links up with the Gospel of Mark
for the first time since Matthew 3:6
. In Mark this verse is mirrored by Mark 1:7 and 8. This verse is also found in Luke at Luke 3:16. However the context is somewhat different in Luke John is addressing a receptive multitude in Matthew it is assumed he is still speaking to the Pharisees
and Sadducees
introduced in Matthew 3:7
. Schweizer notes that despite this, the verse is still written as though it is addressing all Israel. Matthew has also entirely skipped the content found in Luke 3:10-14. This is understandable as the response from the crowd is not in keeping with the hostile and unrepentant Pharisees and Sadducees.
France notes that the word translated as after is not chronological, rather it means the one who is a follower or disciple. This links in with the reference to shoe
s. At the time the disciple of a Rabbi would be expected to perform menial chores. However shoes, a word perhaps better translated as sandal
s, were considered unclean, a tradition that persists in the Middle East today. Thus the disciple would not deal with them, and such a task would be left to the lowest slave. Thus John the Baptist is presenting himself as very lowly indeed. Matthew slightly differs from the wording found in Luke and Mark. In those two gospels John is not worthy of untying the messiah's sandals, in Matthew he is unworthy of carrying them.
John predicts a much stronger form of baptism by the Holy Spirit and by fire. It is from this verse that the expression "baptism by fire
" comes from. Hill notes for many years scholars felt that linking the Holy Spirit
with fire, a symbol of God's wrath, clashed with the portrayal of the Spirit elsewhere in the New Testament, which saw it as a purely loving and helpful force incompatible with a destructive judgement. A number of theories were proposed to address this, some translations dropped the word fire to create a less destructive image. Another option is that Holy Spirit should actually read wind, as the same word can be used for wind and spirit in Greek. This would also link it to the next verse. This all changed with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls
found at Qumran
, near where John the Baptist was said to be preaching. In a number of the texts the Holy Spirit is linked to God's wrath and judgement leading most scholars to include that the wording here is original and that there were different views of the Holy Spirit circulating in the first century. Nolland notes that many scholars have attempted to use this verse as evidence for the Christian baptism ritual, but he does not believe that Jesus' baptism by fire and holy spirit can be so linked.
Whether the more powerful one coming after is a reference to God or Jesus is a matter of debate. After this verse Jesus immediately enters the narrative, and the corporeal metaphor of carrying his shoes would seem to describe a human figure. On the other hand this violent imagery contradicts the idea of the Messiah as a bringer of peace. Schnackenburg argues the wording in this passage is deliberately obscure between the two options.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. The verse occurs in the section relating the preachings of John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
. In this verse he predicts that he will be followed by someone much greater than himself. The main theme of this verse is that John will soon be supplanted by a much greater figure and the John's water baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
is just a preparation for the much greater baptism by fire
Baptism by fire
The phrase baptism by fire or baptism of fire, known in English since 1822, is a translation of the French phrase baptême du feu and is a reference to a soldier's first experience under fire in battle....
and spirit that will occur under the second coming
Parousia
Parousia is an ancient Greek word meaning presence, arrival, or official visit.-Classical usage:# Physical presence, arrival – The main use is the physical presence of a person, which where that person is not already present refers to the prospect of the physical arrival of that person, especially...
of the Christian messiah Jesus
Christus
Christus may refer to:* Christ* CHRISTUS Health, a nonprofit company* Christus , an oratorio* Christus , by Anton Rubinstein* Christus. Mysterium in a Prelude and Three Oratorios, by Felix Draeseke...
, an original christian concept, that lacks any fundament in the Hebrew scripture
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- I indeed baptize you with water unto
- repentance. but he that cometh 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:
The New International Version
New International Version
The New International Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Published by Zondervan in the United States and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, it has become one of the most popular modern translations in history.-History:...
translates the passage as:
- "I baptize you with water for repentance.
- But after me will come one who is more
- powerful than I, whose sandals I am not
- fit to carry. He will baptize you
- with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 3:11
This verse links up with the Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
for the first time since Matthew 3:6
Matthew 3:6
Matthew 3:6 is the sixth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in the section introducing John the Baptist with this verse describing his baptisms....
. In Mark this verse is mirrored by Mark 1:7 and 8. This verse is also found in Luke at Luke 3:16. However the context is somewhat different in Luke John is addressing a receptive multitude in Matthew it is assumed he is still speaking to the Pharisees
Pharisees
The Pharisees were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty in the wake of...
and Sadducees
Sadducees
The Sadducees were a sect or group of Jews that were active in Ancient Israel during the Second Temple period, starting from the second century BC through the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. The sect was identified by Josephus with the upper social and economic echelon of Judean society...
introduced in Matthew 3:7
Matthew 3:7
Matthew 3:7 is the seventh verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in the section introducing John the Baptist. In this verse he attacks the Pharisees and Sadducees....
. Schweizer notes that despite this, the verse is still written as though it is addressing all Israel. Matthew has also entirely skipped the content found in Luke 3:10-14. This is understandable as the response from the crowd is not in keeping with the hostile and unrepentant Pharisees and Sadducees.
France notes that the word translated as after is not chronological, rather it means the one who is a follower or disciple. This links in with the reference to shoe
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
s. At the time the disciple of a Rabbi would be expected to perform menial chores. However shoes, a word perhaps better translated as sandal
Sandal (footwear)
Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and, sometimes, around the ankle...
s, were considered unclean, a tradition that persists in the Middle East today. Thus the disciple would not deal with them, and such a task would be left to the lowest slave. Thus John the Baptist is presenting himself as very lowly indeed. Matthew slightly differs from the wording found in Luke and Mark. In those two gospels John is not worthy of untying the messiah's sandals, in Matthew he is unworthy of carrying them.
John predicts a much stronger form of baptism by the Holy Spirit and by fire. It is from this verse that the expression "baptism by fire
Baptism by fire
The phrase baptism by fire or baptism of fire, known in English since 1822, is a translation of the French phrase baptême du feu and is a reference to a soldier's first experience under fire in battle....
" comes from. Hill notes for many years scholars felt that linking the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
with fire, a symbol of God's wrath, clashed with the portrayal of the Spirit elsewhere in the New Testament, which saw it as a purely loving and helpful force incompatible with a destructive judgement. A number of theories were proposed to address this, some translations dropped the word fire to create a less destructive image. Another option is that Holy Spirit should actually read wind, as the same word can be used for wind and spirit in Greek. This would also link it to the next verse. This all changed with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
found at Qumran
Qumran
Qumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank. It is located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalia...
, near where John the Baptist was said to be preaching. In a number of the texts the Holy Spirit is linked to God's wrath and judgement leading most scholars to include that the wording here is original and that there were different views of the Holy Spirit circulating in the first century. Nolland notes that many scholars have attempted to use this verse as evidence for the Christian baptism ritual, but he does not believe that Jesus' baptism by fire and holy spirit can be so linked.
Whether the more powerful one coming after is a reference to God or Jesus is a matter of debate. After this verse Jesus immediately enters the narrative, and the corporeal metaphor of carrying his shoes would seem to describe a human figure. On the other hand this violent imagery contradicts the idea of the Messiah as a bringer of peace. Schnackenburg argues the wording in this passage is deliberately obscure between the two options.