The Preaching of John the Baptist

(Mark 1.1-8; Luke 3.1-18; John 1.19-28)

3 Years later, John the Baptist started preaching in the desert of Judea. ^2 (A) He said, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven^[a] will soon be here.”^[b]

^3 (B) John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said,

^4 (C) John wore clothes made of camel's hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.

⁵ From Jerusalem and all Judea and from the Jordan River Valley crowds of people went to John. ⁶ They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the river.

^7 (D) Many Pharisees and Sadducees also came to be baptized. But John said to them:

You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? ⁸ Do something to show you have really given up your sins. ^9 (E) And don't start telling yourselves that you belong to Abraham's family. I tell you that God can turn these stones into children for Abraham. ^10 (F) An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into a fire.

¹¹ I baptize you with water so you will give up your sins.^[c] But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to carry his sandals.^[d] He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ^12 (G) His threshing fork is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks.^[e] He will store the wheat in a barn and burn the husks in a fire that never goes out.

The Baptism of Jesus

(Mark 1.9-11; Luke 3.21,22)

¹³ Jesus left Galilee and went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John kept objecting and said, “I ought to be baptized by you. Why have you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “For now this is how it should be, because we must do all God wants us to do.” Then John agreed.

¹⁶ So Jesus was baptized. And as soon as he came out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove. ^17 (H) Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him.”

The Preaching of John the Baptist

(Matthew 3.1-12; Mark 1.1-8; John 1.19-28)

3 For 15 years^[a] Emperor Tiberius had ruled that part of the world. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod^[b] was the ruler of Galilee. Herod's brother, Philip, was the ruler in the countries of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene. ² Annas and Caiaphas were the Jewish high priests.^[c]

At that time God spoke to Zechariah's son John, who was living in the desert. ³ So John went along the Jordan Valley, telling the people, “Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven.” ^4 (A) Isaiah the prophet wrote about John when he said,

^7 (B) Crowds of people came out to be baptized, but John said to them, “You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? ^8 (C) Do something to show that you really have given up your sins. Don't start saying you belong to Abraham's family. God can turn these stones into children for Abraham.^{[d] 9 (D)} An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.”

¹⁰ The crowds asked John, “What should we do?”

¹¹ John told them, “If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else.”

^12 (E) When tax collectors^[e] came to be baptized, they asked John, “Teacher, what should we do?”

¹³ John told them, “Don't make people pay more than they owe.”

¹⁴ Some soldiers asked him, “And what about us? What do we have to do?”

John told them, “Don't force people to pay money to make you leave them alone. Be satisfied with your pay.”

¹⁵ Everyone became excited and wondered, “Could John be the Messiah?”

¹⁶ John said, “I am just baptizing with water. But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.^[f] He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷ His threshing fork^[g] is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks. He will store the wheat in his barn and burn the husks with a fire that never goes out.”

¹⁸ In many different ways John preached the good news to the people. ^19 (F) But to Herod the ruler, he said, “It was wrong for you to take Herodias, your brother's wife.” John also said Herod had done many other bad things. ²⁰ Finally, Herod put John in jail, and this was the worst thing he had done.

The Baptism of Jesus

(Matthew 3.13-17; Mark 1.9-11)

²¹ While everyone else was being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. Then as he prayed, the sky opened up, ^22 (G) and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.”

The Ancestors of Jesus

(Matthew 1.1-17)

²³ When Jesus began to preach, he was about 30 years old. Everyone thought he was the son of Joseph. But his family went back through Heli, ²⁴ Matthat, Levi, Melchi, Jannai, Joseph, ²⁵ Mattathias, Amos, Nahum, Esli, Naggai, ²⁶ Maath, Mattathias, Semein, Josech, Joda;

²⁷ Joanan, Rhesa, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Neri, ²⁸ Melchi, Addi, Cosam, Elmadam, Er, ²⁹ Joshua, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi;

³⁰ Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonam, Eliakim, ³¹ Melea, Menna, Mattatha, Nathan, David, ³² Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon;

³³ Amminadab, Admin, Arni, Hezron, Perez, Judah, ³⁴ Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Terah, Nahor, ³⁵ Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Shelah;

³⁶ Cainan, Arphaxad, Shem, Noah, Lamech, ³⁷ Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalaleel, Kenan, ³⁸ Enosh, and Seth.

The family of Jesus went all the way back to Adam and then to God.