Thunder in the Desert!
3While Jesus was living in the Galilean hills, John, called "the Baptizer," was preaching in the desert country of Judea.G11612His message was simple and austere, like his desert surroundings: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here."G2532G3004G3340G1063G932G3772G1448
3John and his message were authorized by Isaiah's prophecy: Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!G1063G3778G2076G4483G5259G4396G2268G3004G5456G994G1722G2048G2090G3598G2962G4160G846G5147G2117
4John dressed in a camel-hair habit tied at the waist by a leather strap. He lived on a diet of locusts and wild field honey.G1161G846G2491G2192G846G1742G575G2574G2359G2532G1193G2223G4012G846G3751G1161G846G5160G2258G200G2532G66G3192
5People poured out of Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordanian countryside to hear and see him in action.G5119G1607G4314G846G2414G2532G3956G2449G2532G3956G4066G2446
6There at the Jordan River those who came to confess their sins were baptized into a changed life.G2532G907G5259G846G1722G2446G1843G846G266
7When John realized that a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees were showing up for a baptismal experience because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: "Brood of snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference?G1161G1492G4183G5330G2532G4523G2064G1909G846G908G2036G846G1081G2191G5101G5263G5213G5343G575G3709G3195
8It's your life that must change, not your skin!G4160G3767G2590G514G3341
9And don't think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a descendant of Abraham is neither here nor there. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen.G2532G1380G3361G3004G1722G1438G2192G11G3962G1063G3004G5213G3754G2316G1410G1537G5130G3037G1453G5043G11
10What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire.G1161G2235G2532G513G2749G4314G4491G1186G3767G3956G1186G4160G3361G4160G2570G2590G1581G2532G906G1519G4442
11"I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I'm a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out.G1473G3303G907G5209G1722G5204G1519G3341G1161G2064G3694G3450G2076G2478G3450G3739G5266G1510G3756G2425G941G846G907G5209G1722G40G4151G2532G4442
12He's going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he'll put out with the trash to be burned."G3739G4425G1722G846G5495G2532G1245G846G257G2532G4863G846G4621G1519G596G1161G2618G892G762G4442
13Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize him.G5119G3854G2424G575G1056G1909G2446G4314G2491G907G5259G846
14John objected, "I'm the one who needs to be baptized, not you!"G1161G2491G1254G3004G1473G2192G5532G907G5259G4675G2532G2064G4771G4314G3165
15But Jesus insisted. "Do it. God's work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism." So John did it.G1161G2424G611G2036G4314G846G863G737G1063G3779G4241G2076G2254G4137G3956G1343G5119G863G846
New Testament
16The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God's Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him.G2532G2424G907G305G2117G575G5204G2532G2400G3772G455G846G2532G1492G4151G2316G2597G5616G4058G2532G2064G1909G846
17And along with the Spirit, a voice: "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life."G2532G2400G5456G1537G3772G3004G3778G2076G3450G27G5207G1722G3739G2106
The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
Old Testament
- 1. Genesis (50)
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- 19. Psalms (150)
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- 23. Isaiah (66)
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- 24. Jeremiah (52)
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- 26. Ezekiel (48)
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- 31. Obadiah (1)
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New Testament
- 57. Philemon (1)
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- 63. 2 John (1)
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- 64. 3 John (1)
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- 65. Jude (1)
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