Day 4: Matthew 3 | 2026 Lenten Reading Plan

Thank you for joining us for the third reading in our Lenten Reading Plan. Find all the resources you need below: Read Matthew 3 on Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%203&version=ESV Listen to Matthew 3: https://share.transistor.fm/s/0454c254 Download your own Lenten Reading Plan Bookmark: https://higherthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HT_Lenten-Reading-Plan-Bookmark-2601-PRINT-at-home.pdf Download the 2026 Lenten Reading Plan Study Guide: https://higherthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/HT_Lenten-Reading-Plan-Study-Guide-2511.pdf Today's Lent reading covers Matthew chapter 3: John the Baptist's ministry and Jesus' baptism. A theme to keep in mind: we are the bad guys. This means the savior cannot be us; it must be Jesus. The Bible is about Jesus for you, not about you. John the Baptist warns the Pharisees that every tree not bearing fruit in keeping with repentance will be cut down and thrown into fire. Though the Pharisees outwardly perform outward religious practices such as attending church, tithing, showing charity, they lack true repentance. Repentance has two parts: contrition (sorrow for sins when exposed to God's law) and hope (faith in forgiveness through God's gospel). One tree won't be cut down: the cross. Jesus dies on this tree to save sinners. Our repentance is in Jesus. We are sorry for sins that drove him to the cross, and trust in his salvation. John points to Jesus, who will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit, foreshadowing Pentecost and the church's mission to give Jesus to sinners. At Jesus' baptism, we see the clearest picture of the Trinity in Scripture: The Father speaks The Son is baptized The Holy Spirit descends as a dove Though sinless, Jesus enters the Jordan where sinners are baptized, taking all our sins upon himself. He will carry this filth to the cross. In your baptism, you are united with Jesus' death and resurrection (Romans 6), and we get to start to see that happen here. Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology. #higherthings #lcms #lutheran #lent If you have questions or topics that you'd like discussed on Higher Things, email them to content@higherthings.org Subscribe to our channel to get notifications when we go live: http://youtube.com/@HTgospel4all To support the work of Higher Things®, visit https://higherthings.org/morehi/giving/ For more information about Higher Things, go to http://higherthings.org ------ Join the conversation on Social Media: http://facebook.com/higherthings http://instagram.com/higherthings https://www.tiktok.com/@higherthings