Matthew 3:12

Thursday, 5 September 2024

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 3:12

“Whose winnower - in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing-floor. And He will gather His wheat into the granary, but the chaff He will consume – fire unquenchable.” (CG).

In the previous verse, John spoke of the authority and power of the coming Christ, noting that He will immerse His people in the Holy Spirit and fire. John next says of Him, “Whose winnower - in His hand.”

The lack of verbs shows intent and purpose. John is carefully and precisely stating what the state of things is, demonstrating that things are set, and they are firmly fixed.

In this case, the word is ptuon. It will only be seen here and in Luke 3:17. It signifies a pitchfork, a winnowing shovel, or a winnowing fan. A single word to get the point across is winnower. The sheaves are taken to the threshing floor where they are threshed according to the type of product. Some things were run over with a cart or trod on by animals. Some were beaten with rods, etc.

Once the threshing was accomplished,  the grains that are threshed out of the husks need to be separated from the rest of the stalks. This is accomplished through the winnowing process. One way this is done is by taking a pitchfork and throwing it all up into the air. The grains would fall back down while the blowing wind would carry the lighter chaff away. Thus, everything was separated, leaving only the grain in a pile below.

The word ptuon comes from ptuo, to spit. One can see the onomatopoetic nature of the word. Even today, we will make the p’tooh or p’tooey sound when describing someone spitting. The connection is when someone spits, there is a scattering of the spit into the air or on the ground. Likewise, the ptuon causes the chaff to scatter away in a similar manner.

John is saying that the Messiah is there, and He already has the winnower in His hand, “and He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing-floor.”

The word diakatharizo is used. Like ptuon, it is also only found again in Luke 3:17. It is an intensified form of the Greek word meaning to cleanse. Thus, it is to thoroughly cleanse. The halón, threshing floor, is now a third word found only again in Luke 3:17. It is the basis for the Greek word heilisso, to roll together. One can sense the wheel of a cart as it rolls over the stalks to break the kernels free.

John’s words equate people to the harvest that comes during the appropriate season in Israel. There is a harvest that the Messiah will collect, He will then process His sheaves, His people. There will be a separating of the people through a process of threshing. From there, a winnowing will take place.

When that occurs, there will be a pile of good grain, suitable for consumption. There will also be chaff all around the outskirts that has blown away from the grain. The whole threshing-floor will then be cleaned. John next describes this thorough cleansing, saying, “And He will gather His wheat into the granary.”

The word sitos, wheat, is a generic word for any edible grain, but it is typically wheat. Sometimes it will refer to barley. In this case, this good grain is the purpose of the entire harves t season. There is planting, growth, full development, and then the reaping. Jesus describes this in Mark 4 –

“And He said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.’” Mark 4:26-29

Once the grain is gathered, it is taken to the apothéké, granary. One can see the etymological root of our modern word apothecary. It is a repository for storage. John is describing what God intends to do with His people. It shows purpose and intent. It is not a willy-nilly process, but one which is methodically conducted to achieve an intended result. With the grain stored securely, John next says, “but the chaff He will consume.”

In contrast to the wheat, there is the achuron, chaff. This is the part of the stalk that has no further use. Its purpose was to bear the grain until the harvest. With the grain now safely separated and stored, the chaff is to be consumed, but not like grain which is made into something delightful. Rather, the chaff will be burned up in “fire unquenchable.”

The word is asbestos, the exact word now used to describe a product that, although now banned because it causes cancer, was developed as a heat-resistant material. In the case of the word in Scripture, saying unquenchable is an exact description. Nothing can put it out. It is perpetual and all-consuming. This is the destiny of those who are not a part of what is stored in the granary.

In Scripture, that final place of burning is known as the Lake of Fire. It is a place that refers to eternal torment.

Life application: There are various views on what really happens when people who are not saved die. Most agree that there will be a final judgment. However, from there the dispute tends to increase. Some hold to the doctrine of annihilationism, that people are simply annihilated and that is the end of them. They cannot see how God could torture someone forever.

But man was created to be eternal. It is we who have turned from Him. Without a remedy for our sin, an eternal separation from God in a very bad place is actually logical and in accord with His nature. We bear His image. To destroy His image bearers entirely would be contrary to His nature. However, even a single sin eternally separates us from an infinitely pure Creator.

Thus, the Lake of Fire, as described, is where those who bear sin will go. It is eternal, and it will not be pleasing. These metaphors being used by John come from God as advanced warnings that we have choices to make. God sent Jesus to take the punishment we deserve. How can we stand guiltless if we reject that?

God Himself was willing to pull us out of the mess we are already in. Let us not turn from so great a salvation. Instead, have faith in what He has done and be eternally reconciled to God. Praise the name! Jesus! He has prevailed, and we can be spared from what we otherwise deserve.

Lord God, You are carefully and methodically working out a plan that can include us if we will just believe. You have done it all! Jesus has come and has given us restoration if we will just receive it. Thank You, now and forever, thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.