57 John the Baptist Announces Jesus [Matthew 3:1–12]

The Bible passage: [Matthew 3:1–12]

The Story:

John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near!”

John was the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: “A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight!’”

John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. People from the whole region were flocking to him, and he baptized them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the place where he was baptizing, he said to them, “Brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? You need to repent of your many sins. Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We are free to do what we want because Abraham is our father.’ For I tell you that God can make children for Abraham from these stones! Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I am. I am not worthy to take off His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. He will gather the righteous into His house, but the wicked will be burned up with a fire that never stops.”

The Lessons:

• The prophet Isaiah predicted the coming of John the Baptist. [Isaiah 40:3]
• Pharisees and Sadducees were major groups of Jewish religious leaders.
• John preached a message of repentance of sins and he told the people about Jesus, who would bring to them the Holy Spirit.
• John baptized Jesus in water and said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. John’s statement about baptism is paraphrased by Jesus in 91 Jesus Ascends into Heaven

Previous: 56 Passover at the Temple [Luke 2:41–52]

Next: 58 Jesus is Baptized [Matthew 3:13-17]

Table of Contents