Matthew 3
3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1In those days John the Baptist came and preached in the desert around Judea. 2He said, “Turn away from your sins! The kingdom of heaven is near.” 3John is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said,
“A messenger is calling out in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ ”
4John’s clothes were made out of camel’s hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food, he ate locusts and wild honey. 5People came out to him from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and the whole area around the Jordan River. 6They confessed their sins, and John baptized them in the Jordan.
7But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, John said to them, “You little snakes! Who warned you to try to escape the punishment that’s coming? 8If you have turned away from your sins, you have to live in a way that shows that. 9Don’t think you’re safe just because you can say, ‘We come from Abraham.’ I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham even from these stones. 10The ax is already at the tree roots, and any tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11“I’m baptizing you with water so you can show that you’ve turned away from your sins. But someone is coming after me who’s more powerful than I am. I’m not even worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12He’ll have a tool with him and use it to sort out everything on his threshing floor. He’ll gather the wheat into his barn, but he’ll burn up the husks in a fire that can’t be put out.”
Jesus Is Baptized
13Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River so that John could baptize him. 14But John didn’t want to. He told Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, so why are you coming to me?”
15Jesus answered, “Please agree to this. It’s right for us to do everything that God is asking of people now.” So then John agreed.
16Right after Jesus was baptized, as he was coming up out of the water, at that moment, heaven was opened and Jesus saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove. 17A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son. I’m very pleased with him.”
Currently Selected:
Matthew 3: RAD
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Radiate™ New Testament
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014, 2020 by Biblica, Inc.
Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Matthew 3
3
The Messiah’s Herald
1In those days John the Baptist came, # Mk 1:3-8; Lk 3:2-17; Jn 1:6-8,19-28 preaching in the Wilderness of Judea # Jos 15:61; Jdg 1:16 2and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near! ” # Dn 2:44; Mt 4:17; 6:10; 10:7; Mk 1:15; Lk 10:9; 11:20; 21:31 3For he is 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! # Is 40:3; Lk 1:17,76; Jn 1:23 # Is 40:3
4John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him, 6and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. # Mt 23:37; Mk 1:5; Lk 3:3; Jn 15:22; Ac 19:18
7When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees # Mt 16:1; 22:23; 23:15; Ac 4:1; 5:17; 23:6 coming to the place of his baptism, # Lit to his baptism he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? # Mt 12:34; 23:33; Rm 5:9; 1Th 1:10 8Therefore produce fruit # Mt 3:10; 12:33; 13:8,26; 21:19,34,41,43; Mk 11:14 consistent with # Lit fruit worthy of repentance. 9And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ # Lk 3:8; Jn 8:33,39; Ac 13:26; Rm 4:1 For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 10Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. # Mt 7:19; Lk 13:7,9; Jn 15:2,6
11“I baptize you with # Or in water for repentance, # Baptism was the means by which repentance was expressed publicly. # Mk 1:4,8; Jn 1:26; Ac 1:5 but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove # Or to carry His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with # Or in the Holy Spirit and fire. # Is 4:4; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:3-4; 11:16; Ti 3:5 12His winnowing shovel # A wooden farm implement used to toss threshed grain into the wind so the lighter chaff would blow away and separate from the heavier grain is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out.” # Is 30:24; Mt 13:30; Mk 9:43,48; Lk 3:17
The Baptism of Jesus
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. # Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22; Jn 1:31-34 14But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me? ”
15Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him to be baptized.
16After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens # Mt 24:35; Lk 12:33; Ac 17:24; Eph 6:9; Rv 21:10 suddenly opened for Him, # Other mss omit for Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. # Is 11:2; Jn 1:32; Ac 7:56; 2Pt 1:17 17And there came a voice from heaven:
This is My beloved Son.
I take delight in Him! # Ps 2:7; Is 42:1; Lk 9:35; Jn 12:28
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.