John the Baptist - Luke 3:1-16, 21-22 (NLT)
It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the
Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod
Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler
over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene.
Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a
message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was
living in the wilderness. Then John went from place to place
on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people
should be baptized to show that they had turned to God to
receive forgiveness for their sins.
Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,
"He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way for the Lord's coming!
Clear the road for him!
The valleys will be filled,
and the mountains and hills made level.
The curves will be straightened,
and the rough places made smooth.
And then all people will see
the salvation sent from God.'"
When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, "You
brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God's coming wrath?
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your
sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're
safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means
nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham
from these very stones. Even now the ax of God's judgment is
poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every
tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down
and thrown into the fire."
The crowds asked, "What should we do?" John replied, "If
you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food,
share it with those who are hungry." Even corrupt tax
collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what
should we do?" He replied, "Collect no more taxes than the
government requires." "What should we do?" asked some
soldiers.
John replied, "Don't extort money or make false
accusations. And be content with your pay." Everyone was
expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to
know whether John might be the Messiah. John answered their
questions by saying, "I baptize you with water; but someone
is coming soon who is greater than I am-so much greater that
I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of
his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
with fire.
One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself
was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the
Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove.
And a voice from heaven said, "You are my dearly loved Son,
and you bring me great joy."