The morning sunlight touched the Jordan River, glimmering across its clear surface. Beyond the sparkling waters, I saw the figures of many people coming into view. My disciples moved among them, quietly discerning who was truly repentant and arranging the order for baptism.
I had come to the Jordan River to proclaim righteousness and piety. I called the people to repentance and baptized them, and many flocked to me. Yet among them were those who never considered repenting for their own sins. At one point, Pharisees and Sadducees approached. Believing they lived holy lives, they refused to repent. But who can stand sinless before God? People who do not recognize their own sins will abound in the coming end times. They appear outwardly pious but deny the true power of godliness.
They are self-loving, money-loving, boastful, arrogant, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, irreverent, unkind, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, hating what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Burdened by the sins they commit in pursuit of their desires, though they learn much, they never come to the knowledge of the truth. Believing themselves to be right, they betray the truth and cannot progress further. Those who justify themselves cannot stand fully before God. It is because of such people that I was sent to proclaim forgiveness and salvation. Teaching people about forgiveness of sins and salvation—that is the mission God has given me. How can I keep silent?
“You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.”
Most Pharisees and Sadducees who heard me turned away, unable to acknowledge their own sinfulness. In contrast, ordinary people came to me with their questions.
“What then must we do?”
“He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”
Tax collectors asked, “Teacher, what must we do?”
“Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.”
Soldiers also asked, “What about us? What must we do?”
“Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages.”
Those who heard this repented of their sins and were baptized in the Jordan, becoming a people prepared for the coming Messiah.
* * *
“Who are you? Are you the Christ?”
A group appeared, staring at John. The crowd and his disciples fixed their gaze on him.
“Who are you?”
“We are priests and Levites, and some of us are Pharisees.”
“I am not the Christ.”
“What then? Are you Elijah?”
“I am not.”
“Are you the prophet?”
“No.”
“Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
“Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
“I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know. He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire, whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
* * *
A day passed. Those who heard John say he was not the Messiah reacted in two ways: some believed him and awaited another Messiah, while others continued to believe he was the Messiah. Among those who believed him, some went to seek the true Messiah, while others waited by John's side. Andrew, who was organizing the baptismal queue by the river, belonged to the latter group.
Andrew was from Bethsaida in Galilee. Before becoming a disciple, he had fished on the Sea of Galilee with his brother Simon. When Simon moved to Capernaum after marrying, Andrew followed. He became a disciple after hearing about John.
Andrew was quiet and deeply devout, with a strong passion for the Messiah. He preferred to work behind the scenes, avoiding the spotlight, which earned him a good reputation among many. He also had a tendency to consider others' opinions, often preferring to discuss matters with a few people rather than addressing large crowds. Although he didn't spread his thoughts widely, his relationships with others made his words trustworthy.
John turned his gaze from Andrew to the person approaching him. This man confessed his sins and sincerely repented before God. John baptized him, fully immersing him in the water. He had baptized countless people by now—so many that it seemed everyone from Jerusalem, Judea, and the surrounding areas had come.
As the baptized man emerged from the water, John stretched his tired body, loosening his joints and muscles. His neck was particularly tense, so he rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck to relieve the strain. Closing his eyes, he gently rolled his head, stretching his neck in all directions. Opening his eyes, he beheld the vast sky above—a blue so pure and vivid it seemed to pierce his heart, stirring emotions he could scarcely name.
John suddenly felt a surge of emotion. Proclaiming repentance to people whose hearts are closed and whose ears are plugged is by no means an easy task. If his parents had not set an example through their lives, he might have given up halfway. At this moment, John longed to see his parents who were in heaven. What would they say if they saw him giving his all to fulfill the mission they had entrusted to him?
Just then, the sound of the next person approaching reached him. John looked down and saw a man with a warm, peaceful gaze. His face was not handsome, but it exuded a sense of calm. He wore plain but tidy clothes and approached John step by step.
Suddenly, the words of Isaiah came to mind:
“Who has believed our message? To whom has Yahweh’s arm been revealed? For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.”
In that moment, John felt a strong conviction: this man was the Messiah.
John said,
“I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
“Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
John, who had been reluctant, finally consented and immersed Jesus completely in the water. His face was reflected in the clear water of the river. This was the son of Joseph and Mary, just as his parents had told him when he was a child. He had lived his whole life for this moment. Recalling the hardships of his past, John realized that none of those days were meaningless. He had to endure all that time in order to meet this person now before him.
As Jesus emerged from the water, the Spirit of God descended like a dove and hovered over him. At that moment, a voice came from heaven:
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The sound was like thunder, reminiscent of God speaking to the Israelites on Mount Sinai, yet simultaneously gentle and quiet, as when He spoke to Elijah after the wind, earthquake, and fire. Everyone heard the voice, but only John understood its meaning. Overjoyed, John exclaimed loudly:
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to Israel. I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
John had fulfilled his mission. He was not meant to be the light himself but to testify to the light. He was the voice in the wilderness, as Isaiah prophesied:
“The voice of one who calls out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Yahweh. Make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. All flesh will see God’s salvation.’”
The people who heard John the Baptist's words watched Jesus as he emerged from the water. He was wearing plain clothes and looked unremarkable, drenched as he was. “Is this the one?” people wondered, feeling disappointed. His appearance was ordinary—someone you might overlook in a crowd. He had no handsome features or impressive stature. Why did John call him the Lamb of God who bears the sins of the world? People couldn't accept John's words.
Meanwhile, Jesus made his way through the crowd, fully aware of every thought around him. Still, he pressed on undeterred—for this was but one step in the mission that would define his life. It was when he was about thirty years old, on a certain day, that Jesus was baptized.
The passages from Matthew 3:5–17, Mark 1:4–11, and Luke 3:7–23 quoted in this narrative are taken directly from the World English Bible (WEB) translation, as are the passages from Isaiah 40:3–5 and 53:1–2. The passage from Luke 1:16–17 is adapted from the WEB translation for narrative context.
Listen to the audiobook now.
