3
When Jesus was an adult, John, whom the people called the Baptizer, went to a desolate place in the region of Judea. He was preaching to the people who came there this message: 2 “Cease from your evil ways! For God's rule has come near to us” 3 John the Baptizer is the one who God talked about through the prophet Isaiah when he wrote, “He will be a voice calling out in the desolate place to anyone who hears him, saying
‘Make yourselves ready to welcome the Lord. Get everything organized for his coming!’”
4 John wore rough clothes made of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. His food was grasshoppers and honey that he found in that desolate area. 5 People who lived in the city of Jerusalem, people who lived in the region of Judea, and many others who lived near the Jordan River came to John to hear him preach. 6 After they heard his message, they were openly sorry for their sins to God, and then John baptized them in the Jordan River.
7 But John saw that many Pharisees and Sadducees were coming in order for John to baptize them. He said to them, “You people are like poisonous snakes! Do not think that you can escape from God's wrath if you do not genuinely ask for forgiveness! 8 If you are truly sorry for your sin, you must show this by doing good things. 9 Do not say to yourselves, ‘Since we are descendants of our ancestor Abraham, God will not punish us even though we have sinned.’ No! I tell you that he does not need you! For he can just as easily make descendants of Abraham out of these rocks! 10 God is ready right now to punish you, just like a man who is ready to chop away the roots of a plant which is not producing what it is supposed to. He cuts it down and throws it into the fire.”
11 “I am baptizing you with water in the Jordan River because you were sorry for your sins. Soon someone else will come who is much greater than I am. He is so great that I am not even worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize some of you in the Holy Spirit. Others of you he will baptize in the fire of judgement. 12 He is like a farmer, who is holding his winnowing fork, ready to separate edible parts of the wheat plant from the inedible parts of the wheat plant. He is ready to clear out all the inedible parts from where he prepares the wheat. He will put his wheat into his storehouse; but he will burn the inedible parts, in a fire that never goes out. {Similarly, God will bring to himself those who are pleasing to him, and will punish those who are displeasing to him}”
13 During that time, Jesus went from the region of Galilee to the Jordan River, where John was. He did this so John could baptize him. 14 When Jesus asked John to baptize him, John refused. He said, “I need you to baptize me! {For you are much greater than I am!} 15 But Jesus said to him, “Baptize me now, because in this way we two will do everything that God requires.” Then John agreed to baptize him.