Monday, Dec 29- Matthew 2:19-3:12

19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
-Guess Joseph's mode of communication is dreams. I wonder how or why God chooses to speak to people in different ways.

20and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."
-Good news.

21So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.
-More obedience. It's a pain to move when you have children. I'd imagine it'd be nice to try to settle somewhere, but going home is nice too.

22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,
-More dreams. Archelaus must've been a bad dude also.

23and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."
-All these weird circumstances just to fulfill a prophecy.

1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
-Message of repentance was important. Out of all the things that could be said because heaven was near, repentance was it.

3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
"A voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.' "
-More prophecy being fulfilled.
-Someone important is coming if John was sent to prepare the way.
-The way of preparation was repentance.

4John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
-Don't know why we need a picture of what he looked like, but its nice to know he was a weirdo. You don't need to know history to know that his clothes and diet weren't normal.

5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
-Even tho he was weird, people still respected him for his message.

6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
-His message altho simple worked.

7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
-John see's thru the P&S just as much as Jesus does.
-Bold words for the religious leaders of the time.
-I suppose the P&S were repenting on the outside, but didn't follow thru with actions. Could be very telling of us in our generation. Many will say Lord Lord, but he will say that he never knew them. We must be careful to follow this same warning. Produce fruit.

9And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
-It's not our lineage that matters, its our fruit that proves our true lineage.

10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
-More warning. Judgment is close so live well. Don't be a fool with your life and throw it all away.

11"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.
-Again, John's ministry was powerful. Jesus will be even greater, and it was. We must realize we have much the same relationship. We do God's work, but Jesus is so great we are not even fit to carry his sandals.

12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
-Jesus pronounces judgment.