MATTHEW 3 — WHEN HEAVEN OPENS OVER A BROKEN WORLD
There is a moment in every believer’s life when they realize that everything God does in them begins long before they ever notice. God is always preparing the soil, always clearing the path, always positioning the heart. And when you open Matthew 3, that is exactly what you see: a chapter where God prepares the entire world for the arrival of His Son. It is the quiet but thunderous declaration that heaven is no longer waiting at a distance—Heaven has stepped into the river with us.
Matthew 3 is not just a chapter about John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus. It is the story of divine preparation, the story of a voice that refuses to be silent, and the story of a Savior who steps into the waters we drown in and rises with us into a new beginning.
If you slow down and truly live inside this chapter for a moment, you will witness the unfolding of three life-altering truths:
-
God sends preparation before transformation.
-
Repentance is not shame—it is alignment.
-
Jesus enters the water to enter your life.
And if you listen closely, you will hear something deeper still: the moment Jesus rises from the Jordan, heaven tears open to make one loud announcement—You are loved, you are chosen, and God is pleased to call you His own.
So let’s walk through Matthew 3 together—not as scholars, not as spectators, but as souls who need this story more than ever.
THE WILDERNESS IS WHERE GOD RESTARTS THE STORY
It is striking that the first public voice God chooses in four hundred years is not found in a palace, a temple, or a university—it is found in the wilderness. A place without walls, without structure, without distractions. A place where God can strip away the noise until only truth remains.
“In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea…”
Why the wilderness?
Because the wilderness is where all illusions die.
You cannot pretend to be strong in the wilderness.
You cannot hide behind titles in the wilderness.
You cannot rely on reputation in the wilderness.
The wilderness reveals the truth about a person—and God uses that truth to build something real.
John’s message wasn’t polished. It wasn’t politically approved. It wasn’t designed to impress. It cut through the air like an axe cutting through dead roots. It woke people up. It stirred what had been sleeping. And it pulled thousands of people out of their cities, out of their routines, out of their comfort zones—because deep down, everyone knew something in their life needed to change.
This is still true today.
God often begins His greatest work in the wilderness seasons of your life—the seasons when things feel stripped down, quiet, empty, or uncertain. You think the wilderness is punishment. God says the wilderness is preparation. You think you’re losing things. God says He’s removing distractions. You think you’re alone. God says, Now I finally have your attention.
Matthew 3 reminds you that the wilderness is not the place where God abandons you—it is the place where God awakens you.
JOHN'S MESSAGE WAS NOT ‘YOU ARE TERRIBLE’—IT WAS ‘GET READY’
Much of modern preaching twists repentance into something harsh, heavy, shame-filled, and condemning. But that is not the repentance John preached. And it is certainly not the repentance Jesus preached.
Repentance is not humiliation—it is restoration.
Repentance is not God scolding you—it is God realigning you.
Repentance is not “You are awful”—it is “You were made for more.”
John wasn’t telling people, “God is done with you.”
John was telling them, “God is coming for you. Prepare your heart.”
Repentance simply means:
Turn the direction of your life back toward the One who loves you.
Imagine standing on a road you’ve been walking down for years, only to realize one day it leads nowhere. Repentance is the moment you say, “I’m not walking toward emptiness anymore—I’m walking toward God.”
That message pulled people from every corner of society. They walked into the wilderness because, deep down, they wanted to feel clean, new, restored, and reconnected to something holy. They wanted their story to turn.
And isn’t that what every person still wants today?
People don’t want religious shame.
They want hope.
They want direction.
They want a way out of the chaos of their own choices.
They want a path that leads somewhere worth going.
John gives them exactly that.
THE PHARISEES MISSED THE WHOLE POINT
The Pharisees and Sadducees show up not because they want repentance, but because they want control. They are threatened by anything they can’t regulate or label. And John sees right through the mask.
John’s bold confrontation teaches us something essential:
You can fake religion, but you cannot fake repentance.
Repentance is seen in the fruit of a person’s life—in the attitude, the humility, the willingness to be changed. Anyone can memorize a verse. Anyone can wear a title. Anyone can sit in a church. But repentance is visible in transformation.
John reminds them—and reminds us:
God isn’t looking at your religious résumé. He’s looking at your heart.
And no matter who you are today, God is still calling you toward something deeper, something truer, something real.
THE JORDAN RIVER IS WHERE GOD STEPS INTO OUR MESS
Then suddenly, Jesus appears.
He doesn’t come with trumpets.
He doesn’t come with soldiers.
He doesn’t come demanding attention.
He quietly walks into the water.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The sinless One steps into the same river that is filled with the sins of everyone else. The Holy One stands in line with broken people, ashamed people, confused people, repentant people.
Jesus never enters from the sidelines.
He steps into the middle of what you’re drowning in.
This is why Matthew 3 matters so deeply—it is not just a moment of baptism. It is the moment God puts His feet into your story and says, “I’m not afraid of what you’ve done. I’m here to take it from you.”
Jesus didn’t need forgiveness.
He didn’t need cleansing.
He didn’t need a fresh start.
But we did.
So He enters the water on our behalf.
WHY JESUS WAS BAPTIZED
This moment is not symbolic—it is strategic.
Jesus’ baptism accomplishes several world-changing things:
1. He identifies with humanity.
He chooses solidarity over superiority. He stands where we stand.
2. He inaugurates His ministry.
This is heaven’s public announcement: the Messiah has arrived.
3. He fulfills righteousness.
Not for His sake—but for ours.
4. He foreshadows the cross.
Down into the water (death).
Up from the water (new life).
Everything Jesus will later do on Golgotha starts right here in the river.
WHEN JESUS RISES, HEAVEN OPENS
This is one of the most beautiful scenes in Scripture.
As Jesus comes up out of the water, the heavens are torn open—not politely opened, not gently parted, but torn open—because nothing will ever be the same again.
The Spirit descends like a dove.
The Father speaks with thunder and tenderness.
And the Son stands dripping in the river as the center of the universe.
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Before Jesus preaches a sermon, God says He is pleased.
Before Jesus performs a miracle, God says He is beloved.
Before Jesus calls a disciple, God says He is chosen.
Here is the part that often gets missed:
When you come to Jesus, the same words spoken over Him are spoken over you.
You are loved.
You are chosen.
You bring pleasure to God.
You are not an accident.
You are not a disappointment.
You are not a project—
You are a child.
God does not wait until you “get it all right” to love you. He announces His love before you ever begin.
Matthew 3 is the sound of heaven saying to you:
“You don’t have to earn what I willingly give.”
THE SPIRIT DESCENDS LIKE A DOVE—NOT LIKE A HAWK
God could have descended in fire.
He could have descended in thunder.
He could have descended in shaking and shock.
Instead, the Spirit descends like a dove.
Gentle.
Peaceful.
Approachable.
Settling upon Jesus like a whisper of divine affirmation.
This is how the Spirit still comes to you.
Not through terror.
Not through intimidation.
Not through shame.
The Spirit comes gently, inviting you into transformation rather than forcing it.
The dove teaches you something profound:
God is powerful enough to break you, but loving enough to heal you instead.
WHAT THIS CHAPTER MEANS FOR YOUR OWN LIFE
Matthew 3 is not just a historical moment. It is a mirror held up to your own heart. Inside this chapter are the very steps every believer must walk through in their own journey with God.
Let’s break them down:
1. God prepares your heart before you realize it.
Your “John the Baptist moments”—those wake-up calls, those seasons of clarity, those whispers from God—are not random. They are preparation.
2. The wilderness is not a curse; it is a classroom.
Your most desolate seasons are where God does His most significant work.
3. Repentance is not shame; it is renewal.
Repentance is not God pushing you away—it is God pulling you back.
4. Jesus steps into your story, not around it.
He meets you exactly where your greatest need is—not after you clean yourself up.
5. Heaven speaks identity before you perform anything.
You are loved first, called second, equipped third.
Every page of this chapter pulses with the heart of God:
“I am here. I am coming close. I am preparing you for greater things than you can see.”
THE AXE AND THE ROOT—AN INVITATION, NOT A THREAT
John uses strong metaphors in this chapter—fire, an axe laid to the root, trees that bear fruit or wither. Many people read this as fear-based language, but scripture is never written that way toward those who seek God sincerely.
Here is the truth behind the imagery:
God is removing what is killing you.
God is burning away what is poisoning you.
God is cutting the roots that produce shame, addiction, regret, and spiritual confusion.
God is clearing space so something new can grow.
The axe is not aimed at your soul.
It’s aimed at the things destroying your soul.
The fire is not consuming you.
It’s consuming the things that keep you from becoming who God made you to be.
This is not judgment against you—it is freedom for you.
THE ACT OF BAPTISM IS GOD’S DECLARATION OF NEW BEGINNINGS
When John baptized the crowds, it wasn’t a religious ritual. It was a public declaration that something in their life had changed.
And when Jesus stepped into the water, He transformed baptism forever. It became a doorway. A spiritual landmark. A moment when heaven declares:
“The old story ends here.
A new one begins.”
Your past dies in the river.
Your future rises dripping with grace.
Your identity is sealed in divine love.
Matthew 3 is the moment heaven stamps your life with promise.
IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN A WILDERNESS RIGHT NOW
Then you are exactly where God does His greatest work.
If you feel stripped down,
If you feel unseen,
If you feel like things are being removed,
If you feel like something in you is being confronted—
You are not being punished.
You are being prepared.
The wilderness means Jesus is close.
The river means Jesus is stepping in.
The open heavens mean God is about to speak.
The dove means peace is coming.
And the voice from heaven means you belong to Him.
THE FATHER’S WORDS OVER JESUS ARE THE FATHER’S WORDS OVER YOU
Read them again, not as history but as inheritance:
“This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”
Not ashamed of you.
Not disappointed in you.
Not angry with you.
Not comparing you.
Pleased.
Loving.
Calling.
Claiming.
These are the words that shape your identity.
These are the words that silence every lie.
These are the words that anchor your soul.
MATTHEW 3 IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA FOR YOUR LIFE
A new beginning does not start when life gets easier—it starts when God enters the river with you.
Matthew 3 says:
• Your past does not disqualify you.
• Your wilderness does not define you.
• Your repentance reconnects you.
• Your Savior walks toward you, not away.
• Your identity is established by heaven, not earth.
• Your story is just beginning, no matter how old you are.
When Jesus rises from the water, it is a sign that you can rise too.
Rise from the weight of old mistakes.
Rise from the echoes of past failures.
Rise from every message that told you you’re not enough.
Rise from every battle that left you exhausted.
Matthew 3 isn’t just about the baptism of Jesus.
It is about the rebirth of you.
CONCLUSION — LET THIS CHAPTER PREPARE YOU FOR WHAT GOD IS ABOUT TO DO
If Matthew 3 teaches anything, it is this:
Every great move of God begins with preparation.
Every transformation begins with turning.
Every new chapter begins with surrender.
And every heavenly announcement begins with the Son stepping into your life.
What God did in the Jordan River, He wants to do in your heart today.
He wants to prepare you.
He wants to cleanse you.
He wants to affirm you.
He wants to empower you.
He wants to open heaven over you.
The wilderness is not the end.
It is the doorway.
And the voice that spoke over Jesus is speaking over you:
“You are Mine.
You are loved.
And I am pleased.”
Douglas Vandergraph
Watch Douglas Vandergraph’s inspiring faith-based videos on YouTube
Comments
Post a Comment