Day 3 – September 9, 2026 – Matthew 3

Jesus has not yet begun his ministry, and yet here we find ourselves already in the third chapter. We find that the first step before he begins his ministry is to be proclaimed to the world through his baptism by John the Baptist. John is quite an interesting character. Keep in mind John the Baptist is not the same person as the John who wrote the fourth Gospel. That John was the beloved disciple of Jesus. This John is Jesus’ cousin who was born to Elizabeth and Zechariah as we read in Luke 1. John the Baptist was probably one of the ascetics who lived in Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

But John’s goal was clear, he came baptizing in water for the forgiveness of sins. Let’s be clear, the baptism that he provided was very different from our sacrament of baptism. His baptism was in order to prepare and cleanse people before they entered the temple. It had to happen frequently and often and that is why he had such a crowd around him at all times. Especially the religious leaders who had to be cleansed every time that they entered the temple. Our baptism, the sacrament of baptism, is that which has taken the place of circumcision. It is done once and for all and it is a sign and the seal of our acceptance into the kingdom of God through the grace and blood of Jesus. It is not an act that we chose to do, it is that which God provides for us in order to welcome us into his kingdom.