Rooted in the Gospels: Monday in Matthew (Week 3)

Week 3: Thirsting in the Wilderness, Drenched by the Spirit

From the War Room

There’s something holy about the wilderness. I know this as I spend a lot of time there.

It strips you down.
Quiet crowds.
Exposes everything that was numbing the ache.

This week, as I sat with Matthew 3, I could hear the wind rustling through dry brush, taste dust in the air, and feel the weight of a thousand years of silence breaking open.

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea…”
— Matthew 3:1 (NIV)

I wasn’t just reading about John.
I was there.
And the ground trembled with expectancy.

A Voice in the Wild

John’s words aren’t polished—but they burn.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
— Matthew 3:2 (NIV)

That’s not shame. That’s invitation.

Repentance isn’t about groveling. It’s about returning.
Turning away from lesser loves.
Waking up.

John’s voice shakes the desert—but it also cracks open hearts.

He doesn’t wait for people to come to the temple.
He calls them out—into the open, into the exposed, into the place where heaven can finally echo again.

When Religion Comes Wrapped in Robes

Then come the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Religious. Clean. Respected.
But John sees deeper:

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”
— Matthew 3:7 (NIV)

John isn’t after reputation. He’s after real fruit.
Not family lines. Not eloquence.
Fruit in keeping with repentance.

There’s something convicting here.
We can be so close to the river… and never get in.

Jesus Steps Into the Water

And then… Jesus arrives.

No spotlight. No thunder. Just the Messiah, standing in line with sinners.

“But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’”
— Matthew 3:14 (NIV)

John doesn’t get it.
Honestly? I didn’t at first either.

But Jesus replies:

“Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”
— v.15

Not for His cleansing—but for our connection.
He goes first, so we can follow.
He enters the waters, so we can rise from them.

The Spirit Descends

As soon as Jesus comes up out of the water…

“…he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”
— v.16–17

The sky splits open.
The Spirit rests.
And the Father speaks.

No miracles have been done yet. No teachings. No crowds.

And still the Father says:

“You are Mine. I love You. I’m pleased.”

What if that’s true of you, too—before the doing, the proving, the striving?

Prophetic Roots

Isaiah 40:3: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness…”
Malachi 3:1: “I will send my messenger…”
Psalm 2:7: “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”
Isaiah 11:2: “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him…”

Reflection for the Week

What wilderness is God calling you into—or out of?
Where do you hear John’s call to return?
Are you standing at the riverbank… or stepping into the water?

Journal Prompt

“What is God asking me to leave behind in the wilderness—and what is He inviting me into?”

Closing Prayer

Jesus, You didn’t need baptism, but You chose it. You stepped into the waters with us, for us, ahead of us. Teach me to repent not out of guilt, but out of love. Let me return to You with all my heart. Drench me in Your Spirit until I walk as Your beloved. Amen.

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