Nisan 8 – His winnowing fan is in His hand…

April 16, 2024

Nisan 8, 5784; from sunset April 15, 2024, to sunset April 16, 2024

This is an image of a cave attributed as the home of John the Baptist.

We just learned how, in the days of Hezekiah, the Levites came to the inner parts of the temple to clean out the debris that was allowed to accumulate there in the days of his father, Ahaz. Today in the Bible, we’re taking a look at John, the Baptizer, and how he functioned in a similar manner. Let’s get acquainted with John through the eyes of the gospels.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: `Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.¹‘” And John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” – Matthew 3:1-17 (NKJ)

“His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor.”

What could this statement have meant when spoken to a group of Pharisees and Sadducees? Second Samuel chapter 24 recounts the story of King David ordering a census of the children of Israel. Long story short, this caused a plague to be unleashed upon them.

So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. – 2 Samuel 24:15-16 (NKJ)

We later learn that this threshing floor, the place where the LORD stopped the angel from unleashing the plague, is the same place that the LORD ordered David to purchase from the Jebusites.

“And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.” – 2 Samuel 24:25

And it became the place where Solomon built the Temple.

Now Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. – 2 Chronicles 3:1 (NKJ)

John spoke of how Jesus would clear His threshing floor of the chaff, the debris that had built up, but is of no value. It will be thrown into the fire and burned. But the wheat, that which is of value, will be stored up in the barn. John was comparing the works of the Pharisees and Sadducees to the chaff of the threshing floor…the debris built up in the Temple. This can be compared to the debris that was allowed to accumulate during the days of Ahaz. It was removed by order of his son, Hezekiah, a king who is often considered to be a forerunner of the Messiah. So, how did John respond when asked, “What should we do then?”

“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”

He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”

Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”

Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” – Luke 3:8-16 (NKJ)

John’s words align with the teachings of Jesus that we have been studying over the last month, and others that we have not looked at. As “Temples of the Holy Spirit,” we too must beware of debris building up. But cleaning out the debris is more than getting rid of things that aren’t bearing fruit. It’s making the way for deeds that do bear fruit. For it is not the clean threshing floor itself that is gathered into the barn, but the wheat that has been winnowed from it.

You can read the full accounts of John the Baptist in Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1.

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Isaiah 40 ↩︎