Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—Matthew 3:1-12
by: Linda Lawton.
John’s baptism was one of repentance after confession of sin. When he saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming, he knew they had no intention of repenting of their sins since they thought they would be included in the Kingdom because of their relation to Abraham. The Hebrew for child (ben) sounds very similar to the word for stone (eben), and in a play on words, John showed that God could make stones into Abraham’s children if He so wished. In this way, Matthew pointed to the inclusion of Gentiles into the Kingdom of God, which is an important theme in his Gospel, and a very important development for us. Praise God!