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hundred years or more before Christ’s birth Micah had foretold its place. In this connection we may well consider the flight into Egypt (2:14-23). Three ful fillments (vv. IS, 17, 23) are here recorded (cf. Hosea 11:1; Exodus 4:22, 23; Jere miah 31:15, .16; Isaiah S3). Probably no one particular prophecy is fulfilled in con nection with Christ’s being called a Naza- rene. Nazareth was a synonym for that which was despised and rejected (cf. John 1:46; 7:42, 52). It was thrown into the Master’s face by way o f contempt that He was a Nazarene. This reference to Naza- reth was doubtless to answer the objection that the Jews raised by reason o f . Christ’s humble birth and despised surroundings. Isaiah 53 may be well studied in this Con nection. In the slaying o f the children (vv. 16-18) we learn that so full is the Scrip ture that it does not exhaust itself in its application to the people for whom it was written (cf. Romans 15:14). This is often called the law o f recurrence. All the prophets in speaking o f the captivity have this New Testament event in mind. IV. The Inauguration of the King— The Baptism of Christ, 3:1 -1 7. Christ’s baptism is introduced by a refer ence to His forerunner, John the Baptist (vv. 1-12). Here is another fulfillment o f Old Testament prophecy (cf. Malachi 4:1; Isaiah 40:1-3). The Old Testament canon closes with a promise o f the Messiah; the New Testament opens with the fulfillments o f that promise. Note in verse 3 the deity o f Christ—He is “the Lord.” John’s ministry was one which laid emphasis on the necessity o f preparation for entrance into the kingdom o f the Mes siah (vv. 7-11). John’s baptism was “ unto repentance.” It was not a saving ordinan.ee, nor did it have the same significance to all who submitted themselves to it. To the penitent it was a preparation for entrance into the kingdom; to the scribes and Pharisees it meant nothing; to Jesus it was a consecration to His office. John was right in refusing to baptize Christ in so far as he looked upon Christ
as a solitary individual, in no-, way connect ing or identifying himself with the race. Jesus was absolutely free from any guilt or taint o f sin. He needed not, as others, after baptism to stand confessing sin, for in Him was no sin. John was wrong in thus considering Christ as standing unrelated to the race, for He was its representative and had come to be its Saviour. By submitting to John’s baptism, Jesus expresses willingness to assume the burden o f the race as His own and to atone for its sin. Thus the baptism o f Christ may be looked upon as^His con secration to the work o f atonement. Jesus may be said to have looked upon John’s baptism as a call from God to commence His Messianic work. Christ’ s reply to John is significant. On one occasion Jesus, asked the Pharisees a question concerning John’s baptism—“Was it from heaven or from men?” Jesus looked upon John’s baptism as God’s com mandment that every true Israelite should be baptized. That was enough for Christ, who, although Son o f God, was a son of Abraham. He submitted to the rite because it was to Him the will o f God- For this reason John also should not refuse to bap-' tize Christ, even though he did not under stand it fully.. Jesus did not say “ I have need to be baptized,” but “it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” There are three significant things in con nection with Christ’s baptism which we do well to notice: First, there is the opened heaven. T o no one else had the heavens been thus opened. Later to Stephen and John was it opened, but the Person they saw was Christ. Second, the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form o f a dove. This is to be looked upon as a fulfillment o f the prophecy in Isaiah 61. That Christ looked upon it~as such, seems clear from His ser mon in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21). Third, the voice from heaven, saying, “ This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” This voice must have brought, to the mind o f Christ, saturated as it was with Old Testament prophecy,
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