Matthew 3:11

| Matt 3 |

11 b “I baptize you with water c for repentance, but d he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you e with the Holy Spirit and f fire.

John 1:33

| John 1 |

33 I myself did not know him, but f he who sent me to baptize g with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, h this is he who baptizes g with the Holy Spirit.’

Matthew 28:19-20

| Matt 28 |

19 j Go therefore and k make disciples of l all nations, j baptizing them m in [1] n the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them o to observe all that p I have commanded you. And behold, q I am with you always, to r the end of the age.”

Translation Notes

[1] 28:19 Or into

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Matt. 3:1–17 John the Baptist Prepares for the Appearance of the Messianic Kingdom. John now appears, preaching in the Judean desert. It is more than 25 years since Joseph and his family moved back to Nazareth. The focus of Matthew's Gospel now shifts to Jesus' public ministry.

Matt. 3:11 He who is coming after me expresses strong messianic expectation. is mightier than I. John announces the nearness of the kingdom, but the Coming One will arrive with the power of God to inaugurate messianic rule. baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. John's water baptism will be superseded by the baptism associated with the Coming One (see note on 1 Cor. 12:13). Those who repent and trust in him will receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit (cf. Joel 2:28–29; Acts 2:16–21), while the unrepentant will receive the judgment of eternal fire, and even the repentant may undergo a purifying fire.

Matt. 28:1–20 The Resurrection and Commission of the Messiah. Matthew's concluding chapter recounts Jesus' resurrection from the dead. His resurrection confirms his identity and that his accomplishment at the cross was accepted by God the Father. Jesus now lives as the faithful companion, master, and Lord of those who respond to his great commission (vv. 16–20).

Matt. 28:16–20 The Risen Jesus' Great Commission. As the resurrected Lord, Jesus calls upon his followers to make disciples of all people groups through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.

Matt. 28:19 The imperative (make disciples, that is, call individuals to commit to Jesus as Master and Lord) explains the central focus of the Great Commission, while the Greek participles (translated go, baptizing, and “teaching” [v. 20]) describe aspects of the process. all nations. Jesus' ministry in Israel was to be the beginning point of what would later be a proclamation of the gospel to all the peoples of the earth, including not only Jews but also Gentiles. The name (singular, not plural) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an early indication of the Trinitarian Godhead and an overt proclamation of Jesus' deity.

Matt. 28:20 Teaching is a means by which disciples of Jesus are continually transformed in order to become more like Christ (cf. 10:24–25; Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18). observe. Obey. I am with you always. Jesus concludes the commission, and Matthew his Gospel, with the crucial element of discipleship: the presence of the Master, who is “God with us” (cf. Matt. 1:23).