RETURN TO SYLLABUS
PARABLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
LESSON #03
THE PARABLE OF THE AX AND THE TREES (MAT 3:10)
THE PARABLE OF THE VIPERS AND THEIR OFFSPRING (MAT 3:7)

• MEMORY VERSE: PSALM 1

• FOR CONTEXT OF THE TWO PARABLES, READ MAT 3:1-11, LUK 3:1-16
• TO WHOM WERE THE TWO PARABLES SPOKEN?
• THEY WERE SPOKEN TO THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE JEWS AT THAT TIME, THE PHARISEES AND THE SADDUCEES, MANY OF WHOM WERE PART OF THE SANHEDRIN.
• WHO WERE THESE PEOPLE AND WHAT DID THEY BELIEVE?
• THE SANHEDRIN:
• THE SANHEDRIN WAS A GOVERNING COUNCIL OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS, ACCOUNTABLE TO PILATE AND HEROD FOR CIVIL MATTERS. THEY WERE THE RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. THEY HAD THE POWER OF LIFE AND DEATH BUT THEY COULD NOT EXECUTE THE SENTENCE OF DEATH. THE ROMAN EMPIRE HELD THAT RIGHT.
• THE SANDHEDREN PROBABLY ORIGINATED ABOUT THE 3^RD CENTURY BC. THE MEMBERS WERE MOSTLY PRIESTS AND SADDUCEAN NOBLES WITH SOME PHARISSES, SCRIBES, AND ELDERS. THE HIGH PRIEST PRESIDED OVER THIS ORGANIZATION.
• THE SADDUCEES:
• THEY WERE A RELIGIOUS PARTY CONSIDERED TO BE THE FREE THINKERS OR LIBERALS OF THE TIME.
• THIS GROUP PROBABLY ORIGINATED IN THE 3^RD CENTURY BC. THEY FAVORED ADOPTING GREEK CUSTOMS TAKING PART IN THE MACCABEAN WARS FOR THEIR NATION’S LIBERTY. THEY WERE A PRIESTLY CLIQUE, BEING THE RELIGIOUS OFFICIALS OF THE NATION. THEY WERE A SMALL GROUP, BUT VERY WEALTHY AND INFLUENTIAL. THEY CONTROLLED THE SANHEDRIN.
• THEY DID NOT BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY, OR THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL, OR THE DOCTRINE OF FUTURE REWARD AND PUNISHMENT, OR THE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS.
• THEY ACCEPTED ONLY THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE.
• THEY REJECTED THE TEACHINGS OF THE SCRIBES AND ELDERS.
• THEY JOINED WITH THE PHARISEES TO TRAP JESUS.
• THE PHARISEES:
• THEY WERE A RELIGIOUS PARTY CONSIDERED TO BE THE FORMALISTS OF THE TIME. THEY WERE THE RELIGIOUS POWER OF THE TIME SUPPORTED BY A MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE.
• THE PHARISEE MOVEMENT BEGAN IN THE 3^RD CENTURY BC. AS A REACTION AGAINST THE GREEK EFFORT TO HELLENIZE THE JEWS. THE HELLENIZATION OF THE JEWS TRIED TO GET THE JEWS TO ACCEPT GREEK CULTURE AND PAGAN RELIGION IN PLACE OF THEIR OWN CULTURE AND RELIGION.
• THEY MAINTAINED A NATIONAL INTEGRITY AND A STRICT ADHERENCE TO THE MOSAIC LAW. FORMALISM WAS THE END RESULT.
• THEY HAD ADDED TO THE MOSAIC LAW, A LAW OF TRADITION BY THE SCRIBES AND ELDERS.
• SCRIBES OR LAWYERS:
• THE SCRIBES WERE ACTUALLY LAWYERS IN CHARGE OF COPYING SCRIPTURE.
• THEIR DUTIES WERE TO ADD TO THE LAW THOSE REGULATIONS THAT COVERED MINOR DETAILS OMITTED IN THE LAW.
• THEY WERE TO EXPLAIN THE LAW ITSELF, GIVING INTERPRETATIONS.
• THEY WERE TO STUDY AND TEACH THE LAW.
• THEY WERE THE JUDGES UNDER THE LAW.
• THEY WERE RECOGNIZED AS AUTHORITIES, AND THE DECISIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS OF LEADING SCRIBES BECAME ORAL LAW OR THE "TRADITION OF THE ELDERS".
• THE ELDERS:
• THE ELDERS WERE INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE RULING AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE.
• THE ESSENES:
• THE ESSENES WERE A RELIGIOUS SECT OF ABOUT 4,000 PEOPLE WHO WERE CONSIDERED THE PURITANS OF THE TIME.
• THEY WERE STRICT SEPARATISTS WHO BELIEVED IN A PIOUS LIFE SEPARATED FROM THE JEWISH LIFE, ROMAN SOCIETY, AND THE POLITICS OF THE TIME. THEREFORE THEY WERE NOT REPRESENTED IN THE SANHEDRIN.
• THEY LIVED IN THE WILDERNESS AREA AROUND THE DEAD SEA.
• THEY HELD ALL POSSESSIONS IN COMMON.
• THEY BELIEVED IN THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE BUT ABSTAINED FROM IT.
• LIFE WAS STRICTLY REGULATED BY ADHERENCE TO THE MOSAIC LAW.
• IT IS BELIEVED THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE THE ONES WHO HID THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS IN THE WILDERNESS CAVES.
• THE HERODIANS:
• THE HERODIANS WERE A JEWISH POLITICAL GROUP THAT SUPPORTED HEROD’S LEADERSHIP OF THE JEWS.
• THE ZEALOTS:
• THE ZEALOTS WERE A JEWISH POLITICAL GROUP THAT OPPOSED HEROD’S LEADERSHIP AND ROMAN AUTHORITY OVER THE JEWS.
• THEY WERE OFTEN VIOLENT AND CONSIDERED THEMSELVES THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS OF THE TIME.
• SOME OF THE DISCIPLES WERE PROBABLY MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP BEFORE THEY FOLLOWED JESUS.

• THE PARABLE OF THE AX AND THE TREES (MAT 3:10)
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?
• THE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF THE TIME WILL BE CUT DOWN BECAUSE IT DOES NOT BRING FORTH FRUIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
• WHAT IS THE AX LAID TO THE ROOT OF THE TREES?
• THE AX IS GOD’S JUDGMENT. GOD WILL JUDGE AND CUT DOWN THE SYSTEM.
• THE ROOT OF THE TREES IS ABRAHAM AND THE COVENANT GOD MADE WITH HIM. HOWEVER, THE TREE DID NOT GROW THE WAY GOD WANTED, SO IT IS NOW WORTHLESS.
• WHAT ARE THE TREES THAT DO NOT BRING FORTH GOOD FRUIT?
• THE OLIVE TREE IS A SYMBOLIC ILLUSTRATION OF THE JEWISH NATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. THE PROPHETS GAVE MANY WARNINGS TO THE JEWISH NATION THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT ABOUT BEARING FRUIT FOR GOD, BUT THEY DID NOT LISTEN.
• WHAT WAS THE JEWISH RESPONSIBILITY:
• THE JEWS AS GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE WERE GIVEN FOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:
• =1= THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO WITNESS FOR GOD AMONG THE HEATHEN GENTILE NATIONS. (DEU 6:4 1SAM 43:10-12)
• =2= THE JEWS WERE SUPPOSED TO ILLUSTRATE THE BLESSEDNESS OF SERVING GOD. (DEU 33:16-29 1CHR 17:20-21 PSA 144:15)
• WHEN GENTILES WOULD SEE HOW MUCH GOD BLESSED THE JEWS, IT WOULD MAKE THEM JEALOUS TO THE POINT THAT THEY WOULD WANT TO SERVE THIS SAME GOD.
• =3= THE JEWS WERE RESPONSIBLE TO RECEIVE, PRESERVE, AND TRANSMIT THE SCRIPTURES. (DEU 4:5-8 ROM 3:1-2)
• THE JEWS FULFILLED THIS RESPONSIBILITY VERY WELL.
• =4= THE JEWS WERE RESPONSIBLE TO BE THE HUMAN BLOODLINE OF THE MESSIAH.
• THE JEWS KEPT THEIR GENEALOGIES VERY WELL SO THAT JESUS’ GENEAOLOGY WAS INTACT. THEY FULFILLED THIS RESPONSIBILITY.
• READ ISA 17:4-11 ISA 24:10-14 ROM 11:13-25
• FROM ABRAHAM (THE ROOT) THERE CAME A SMALL FAITHFUL JEWISH REMNANT AND AN UNFAITHFUL MAJORITY THAT BECAME THE PHARISEES. GOD WILL CUT OFF THE PHARISEE TRADITION BECAUSE OF ITS UNFRUITFUL DEAD RELIGION.
• IN THE NEW TESTAMENT AGE, GOD WILL GRAFT IN TO THE ROOTSTOCK OF ABRAHAM, THE GENTILE BELIEVERS MAKING UP THE CHURCH.
• THE GOOD FRUIT REPRESENTS REPENTANCE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS OR THE CONVERTS TO FAITH IN GOD.
• WHAT DOES THE FIRE REPRESENT?
• FIRE IN SCRIPTURE IS ALWAYS AN ILLUSTRATION OF GOD’S POWER IN JUDGMENT OR CHASTISEMENT.

• THE PARABLE OF THE VIPERS AND THEIR OFFSPRING (MAT 3:7 LUK 3:7)
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THIS PARABLE?
• READ MAT 7:15-20
• THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WERE MORE RELATED TO SATAN THAN THEY WERE TO THE GOD OF ABRAHAM.
• WHO IS THE GENERATION OF VIPERS?
• READ ISA 59:1-8
• THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO PERPETUATE A SPIRITUALLY DEAD SYSTEM, HIDING THE TRUTH OF GOD, AND THEREBY PERPETUATING THE KINGDOM OF SATAN.
• WHAT IS THE WRATH TO COME?
• IT WAS FULFILLED IN 70 AD WHEN GOD JUDGED THE JEWISH RELIGIOUS SYSTEM AND ITS LEADERS.
• IN THAT YEAR, THE ROMANS ATTACKED JERUSALEM AND DESTROYED THE TEMPLE AND SCATTERED THE PEOPLE.
• THIS DESTRUCTION MEANT THAT THERE WAS NO MORE JEWISH WORSHIP OR ANIMAL SACRIFICE. WITHOUT THE TEMPLE, THERE WAS NO NEED FOR PRIESTS.
• THIS DESTRUCTION DESTROYED THE POWER AND POSITION OF AUTHORITY OF THE PHARISEES, SCRIBES, AND ELDERS.
• THIS DESTRUCTION MARKED THE END OF THE SANHEDRIN.

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE FAN AND WINNOWING (MAT 3:12)
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF MAT 3:10 AND MAT 3:7 THE PARABLE OF THE AX AND THE TREES AND THE PARABLE OF THE VIPERS AND THEIR OFFSPRING
• WE ALL HAVE TRADITIONS AND BELONG TO RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS, SOME VERY OLD. EXAMINE YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE IN WHAT YOU DO AND BELIEVE. LIKE THE PHARISEES, IT IS JUST AS HARD FOR US TO MAKE CHANGES AND ACCEPT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR INTO A MUSTY TRADITION. THE OLDER WE GET, THE HARDER IT IS TO MAKE CHANGES.
• HOWEVER, GOD IS A GOD OF CHANGED LIVES. MAKE A DETERMINATION IN YOUR HEART AND IN PRAYER TO BE OPEN TO HIS LEADING.

• PREPARATION FOR MAT 3:12 THE PARABLE OF THE FAN AND WINNOWING
• FOR CONTEXT OF THIS PARABLE, READ MAT 3:11-17 AND LUK 3:15-17
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THIS PARABLE?

• WHO IS THE ONE WITH THE SHOES JOHN IS NOT WORTHY TO CARRY?

• WHO IS HOLDING THE FAN?

• WHAT DOES THE THRESHING FLOOR REPRESENT?

• WHAT DOES THE PURGING MEAN?

• WHAT DOES THE WHEAT REPRESENT AND WHAT DOES THE CHAFF REPRESENT?

• WHAT DOES THE GRANARY REPRESENT?

• WHAT IS THE UNQUENCHABLE FIRE?

• HOW ARE JOHN’S AND JESUS’ MINISTRIES OF BAPTISM COMPARED AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

• MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 33:12