Discovery BoxMatthew 3:11 
Context3:11 “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am – I am not worthy 1 to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 2
Matthew 3:16
Context3:16 After 3 Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the 4 heavens 5 opened 6 and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove 7 and coming on him.
Matthew 8:32
Context8:32 And he said, 8 “Go!” So 9 they came out and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned in the water.
Matthew 10:42
Context10:42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, 10 he will never lose his reward.”
1 tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”
sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy. This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet.
2 sn With the Holy Spirit and fire. There are differing interpretations for this phrase regarding the number of baptisms and their nature. (1) Some see one baptism here, and this can be divided further into two options. (a) The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire could refer to the cleansing, purifying work of the Spirit in the individual believer through salvation and sanctification, or (b) it could refer to two different results of Christ’s ministry: Some accept Christ and are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but some reject him and receive judgment. (2) Other interpreters see two baptisms here: The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the salvation Jesus brings at his first advent, in which believers receive the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of fire refers to the judgment Jesus will bring upon the world at his second coming. One must take into account both the image of fire and whether individual or corporate baptism is in view. A decision is not easy on either issue. The image of fire is used to refer to both eternal judgment (e.g., Matt 25:41) and the power of the Lord’s presence to purge and cleanse his people (e.g., Isa 4:4-5). The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, a fulfillment of this prophecy no matter which interpretation is taken, had both individual and corporate dimensions. It is possible that since Holy Spirit and fire are governed by a single preposition in Greek, the one-baptism view may be more likely, but this is not certain. Simply put, there is no consensus view in scholarship at this time on the best interpretation of this passage.
3 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
4 tn Grk “behold the heavens.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
5 tn Or “sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ourano") may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The same word is used in v. 17.
6 tc ‡ αὐτῷ (autw, “to/before him”) is found in the majority of witnesses (א1 C Ds L W 0233 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat), perhaps added as a point of clarification or emphasis. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
7 sn The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.
8 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
9 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion and transition in the narrative.
10 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
