Chapter Summary

Ministry of John the Baptist and baptism of Jesus

Discussion Questions for Matthew, Chapter 3

1. What is the significance of John the Baptist's role in preparing the way for Jesus? Why did Jesus' path need to be prepared?
2. Why is John the Baptist's focus on repentance? How would that be helpful in his journey to prepare the way for the Messiah?
3. What do the details about John the Baptist's hair and clothing tell us about him? Why do you think he did this?
4. If these individuals being baptized weren't Christ followers yet, why were they getting baptized?
5. John seemingly had a very good picture of the Messiah, while the disciples had a much more difficult time despite spending over 3 years together with the Messiah. Why do you think that is? How can we learn from this?
6. If Jesus came to save the world (John 3:16), why does John describe Jesus as a worker separating the wheat from the chaff and as an ax ready to cut down the fruitless tree? How can we reconcile these ideas?
7. Why did Jesus need to be baptized if he is God incarnate? Is this baptism the same baptism that believers receive today? Why or why not?
8. What does baptism mean for us today? Is it required for a person's salvation? Why or why not? Remember to use Scripture to make your case.
9. The word "Trinity" is not found anywhere in Scripture to describe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Despite this, how are we able to see the Trinity in this passage? What other passages can you think of that corroborate the idea of the Trinity?
10. How does John's message of repentance and the coming Kingdom set the stage for Jesus' teachings in the rest of the Gospel? What do you need to repent from today?

Key Words/Phrase

Baptism, vv. 6, 13.

Characters

God, Jesus, John

Strong Verse(s)

8, 16, 17.