by the Christ. It was only natural that the hearers wondered whether John himself was the
Christ, since he thus urged repentance. For this was so closely connected in their thoughts
with the Advent of the Messiah, that it was said, 'If Israel repented but one day, the Son
of David would immediately come.'110 But here John pointed them to the difference
between himself and his work, and the Person and Missio n of the Christ. In deepest
reverence he declared himself not worthy to do Him the service of a slave or of a
disciple.111 His Baptism would not be of preparatory repentance and with water, but the
Divine Baptism in112 the Holy Spirit and fire113 - in the Spirit Who sanctified, and the
Divine Light which purified,114 and so effectively qualified for the 'Kingdom.' And there
was still another contrast. John's was but preparing work, the Christ's that of final
decision; after it came the harvest. His was the harvest, and His the garner; His also the
fan, with which He would sift the wheat from the straw and chaff - the one to be
garnered, the other burned with fire unextinguished and inextinguishable.115 Thus early in
the history of the Kingdom of God was it indicated, that alike that which would prove
useless straw and the good corn were inseparably connected in God's harvest- field till the
reaping time; that both belonged to Him; and that the final separation would only come at
the last, and by His own Hand.
107. Perhaps with reference to Is. ii. 1, 2.
108. Lightfoot aptly points out a play on the words 'children' - banim - and 'stones' -
abhanim. Both words are derived from bana, to build, which is also used by the Rabbis in
a moral sense like our own 'upbuilding,' and in that of the gift of adoption of children. It
is not necessary, indeed almost detracts from the general impression, to see in the stones
an allusion to the Gentiles.
109. Thus the view that charity delivered from Gehenna was very commonly entertained
(see, for example, Baba B. 10 a). Similarly, it was the main charge against the publicans
that they exacted more than their due (see, for example, Baba K. 113 a ). The Greek
οψωνιον , or wage of the soldiers, has its Rabbinic equivalent of Afsanya (a similar word
also in the Syriac).
110. For ex. Jer. Taan. 64 a.
111. Volkmar is mistaken in regarding this as the duty of the house-porter towards
arriving guests. It is expressly mentioned as one of the characteristic duties of slaves in
Pes. 4 a; Jer Kidd. i. 3; Kidd. 22 b. In Kethub. 96 a it is described as also the duty of a
disciple towards his teacher. In Mechilta on Ex. xxi. 2 (ed. Weiss, p. 82 a) it is qualified
as only la wful for a teacher so to employ his disciple, while, lastly, in Pesiqta x. it is
described as the common practice.
112. Godet aptly calls attention to the use of the preposition in here, while as regards the
baptism of water no preposition is used, as denoting merely an instrumentality.
113. The same writer points out that the want of the preposition before 'fire' shows that it
cannot refer to the fire of judgment, but must be a further enlargement of the word
'Spirit.' Probably it denotes the negative or purgative effect of this baptism, as the word
'holy' indicates its positive and sanctifying effect.
114. The expression 'baptism of fire' was certainly not unknown to the Jews. In Sanh. 39
a (last lines) we read of an immersion of God in fire, based on Is. lxvi. 15. An immersion