In those days John the Baptizer appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea 2 and saying, “Change your hearts, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one the prophet Isaiah spoke about when he said:
A voice shouting in the desert: ”Get the Lord’s road ready; make his paths straight.”
4 John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.[1] 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from the whole region around the Jordan. 6 They were baptized by him in the Jordan River, openly admitting their sins.
7 But when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You nest of vipers — who warned you to run from the coming anger?[2] 8 Produce fruit that shows your hearts have really changed. 9 And don’t start telling yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I’m telling you, God can raise up children for Abraham out of these stones. 10 The ax is already lying at the root of the trees. So every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for a changed heart, but the one coming after me is stronger than I am — I’m not even fit to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.[3] 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he’ll clean out his threshing floor completely. He’ll gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he’ll burn up with fire that never goes out.”[4]
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13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan, to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to stop him. “I’m the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “and you’re coming to me?”
15 Jesus answered, “Let it be this way for now. It’s right for us to do this — to carry out everything God requires.” So John let him.[5]
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. At that moment the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the one I love. In him I take delight.”
Notes
Note 1. Locusts were permitted under the dietary laws: Leviticus 11:22 lists them among the few insects Israelites could eat. ↩
Note 2. Acts 23:8 records that the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, angel, or spirit, while the Pharisees affirm them all. ↩
Note 3. The Talmud says a disciple does every task for his teacher that a slave does for his master, except untying his sandal (Ketubot 96a). ↩
Note 4. The same picture of chaff blown away by the wind appears in Psalm 1:4 and Isaiah 41:16, and Boaz winnows barley on his threshing floor in Ruth 3:2. ↩
Note 5. The word behind this phrase is dikaiosynē, usually translated “righteousness.” ↩