Was John’s baptism from heaven? Or did it come from human authority? Tell me!”

约翰的洗礼是从天上来的？是从人间来的呢？你们可以回答我。”

约翰的洗礼是从天上来的，还是从人间来的呢？你们回答我吧。”

约翰的洗礼是从天上来的，还是从人间来的呢？你们回答我吧。”

约翰的洗礼是从天上来的还是从人来的？请回答我！”

约翰的洗礼是从天上来的，还是从人来的呢？你们回答我吧。”

约翰的洗礼是来自天上，还是来自人间呢？你们回答我！”

約翰的洗禮是從天上來的？是從人間來的呢？你們可以回答我。」

約翰的洗禮是從天上來的，還是從人間來的呢？你們回答我吧。」

約翰的洗禮是從天上來的，還是從人間來的呢？你們回答我吧。」

約翰的洗禮是從天上來的還是從人來的？請回答我！」

約翰的洗禮是從天上來的，還是從人來的呢？你們回答我吧。”

約翰的洗禮是由於天呢？還是由於人？請回答我。』

約翰的洗禮是來自天上，還是來自人間呢？你們回答我！」

約翰之洗、自天乎、自人乎、爾其答之、

約翰施洗、由天乎、由人乎、請答我、

約翰之施洗、自天乎、自人乎、可答我、

如望之洗、自天乎？抑自人乎？請答。』

John’s baptism— was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”

“ Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”

Was John’s baptism from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”

Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.”

The baptism of John— was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”

The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? answer me.

Was John’s baptism from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”

The baptism of John, was[ it] from heaven, or of men? answer me.

John’s baptism– was it from heaven or from people? Answer me.”

The baptism of John— was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.”

I tell you, Elijah has come. They have done to him everything they wanted to do. They did it just as it is written about him.”

In those days John the Baptist came and preached in the Desert of Judea.He said,“ Turn away from your sins! The kingdom of heaven has come near.”John is the one Isaiah the prophet had spoken about. He had said,“ A messenger is calling out in the desert,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him.’ ”( Isaiah 40:3)John’s clothes were made out of camel’s hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea. They also came from the whole area around the Jordan River.When they confessed their sins, John baptized them in the Jordan.John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing. He said to them,“ You are like a nest of poisonous snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming of God’s anger?Live in a way that shows you have turned away from your sins.Don’t think you can say to yourselves,‘ Abraham is our father.’ I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham even from these stones.The ax is ready to cut the roots of the trees. All the trees that don’t produce good fruit will be cut down. They will be thrown into the fire.“ I baptize you with water, calling you to turn away from your sins. But after me, someone is coming who is more powerful than I am. I’m not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.His pitchfork is in his hand to clear the straw from his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the storeroom. But he will burn up the husks with fire that can’t be put out.”Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River. He wanted to be baptized by John.But John tried to stop him. So he told Jesus,“ I need to be baptized by you. So why do you come to me?”Jesus replied,“ Let it be this way for now. It is right for us to do this. It carries out God’s holy plan.” Then John agreed.As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened. Jesus saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove.A voice from heaven said,“ This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him.”

This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.Long ago Isaiah the prophet wrote,“ I will send my messenger ahead of you. He will prepare your way.”( Malachi 3:1)“ A messenger is calling out in the desert,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him.’ ”( Isaiah 40:3)And so John the Baptist appeared in the desert. He preached that people should be baptized and turn away from their sins. Then God would forgive them.All the people from the countryside of Judea went out to him. All the people from Jerusalem went too. When they admitted they had sinned, John baptized them in the Jordan River.John wore clothes made out of camel’s hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. And he ate locusts and wild honey.Here is what John was preaching.“ After me, there is someone coming who is more powerful than I am. I’m not good enough to bend down and untie his sandals.I baptize you with water. But he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee. John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.Jesus was coming up out of the water. Just then he saw heaven being torn open. Jesus saw the Holy Spirit coming down on him like a dove.A voice spoke to him from heaven. It said,“ You are my Son, and I love you. I am very pleased with you.”

Some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew began to argue. They argued about special washings to make people“ clean.”They came to John and here is what they said to him.“ Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River is baptizing people. He is the one you told us about. Everyone is going to him.”John replied,“ A person can receive only what God gives them from heaven.You yourselves are witnesses that I said,‘ I am not the Messiah. I was sent ahead of him.’The bride belongs to the groom. The friend who helps the groom waits and listens for him. He is full of joy when he hears the groom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.He must become more important. I must become less important.“ The one who comes from above is above everything. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks like someone from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above everything.He is a witness to what he has seen and heard. But no one accepts what he says.Anyone who has accepted it has said,‘ Yes. God is truthful.’The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words. That’s because God gives the Holy Spirit without limit.The Father loves the Son and has put everything into his hands.Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life. Anyone who does not believe in the Son will not have life. God’s anger remains on them.”

Tiberius Caesar had been ruling for 15 years. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Herod was the ruler of Galilee. His brother Philip was the ruler of Iturea and Traconitis. Lysanias was ruler of Abilene.Annas and Caiaphas were high priests. At that time God’s word came to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert.He went into all the countryside around the Jordan River. There he preached that people should be baptized and turn away from their sins. Then God would forgive them.Here is what is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet. It says,“ A messenger is calling out in the desert,‘ Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him.Every valley will be filled in. Every mountain and hill will be made level. The crooked roads will become straight. The rough ways will become smooth.And all people will see God’s salvation.’ ”( Isaiah 40:3–5)John spoke to the crowds coming to be baptized by him. He said,“ You are like a nest of poisonous snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming of God’s anger?Live in a way that shows you have turned away from your sins. And don’t start saying to yourselves,‘ Abraham is our father.’ I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham even from these stones.The ax is already lying at the roots of the trees. All the trees that don’t produce good fruit will be cut down. They will be thrown into the fire.”“ Then what should we do?” the crowd asked.John answered,“ Anyone who has extra clothes should share with the one who has none. And anyone who has extra food should do the same.”Even tax collectors came to be baptized.“ Teacher,” they asked,“ what should we do?”“ Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” John told them.Then some soldiers asked him,“ And what should we do?” John replied,“ Don’t force people to give you money. Don’t bring false charges against people. Be happy with your pay.”The people were waiting. They were expecting something. They were all wondering in their hearts if John might be the Messiah.John answered them all,“ I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I am will come. I’m not good enough to untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.His pitchfork is in his hand to toss the straw away from his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn. But he will burn up the husks with fire that can’t be put out.”John said many other things to warn the people. He also announced the good news to them.But John found fault with Herod, the ruler of Galilee, because of his marriage to Herodias. She was the wife of Herod’s brother. John also spoke strongly to Herod about all the other evil things he had done.So Herod locked John up in prison. Herod added this sin to all his others.

John was a witness about the Word. John cried out and said,“ This was the one I was talking about. I said,‘ He who comes after me is more important than I am. He is more important because he existed before I was born.’ ”God is full of grace. From him we have all received grace in place of the grace already given.In the past, God gave us grace through the law of Moses. Now, grace and truth come to us through Jesus Christ.No one has ever seen God. But the One and Only is God and is at the Father’s side. The one at the Father’s side has shown us what God is like.The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John who he was. John spoke the truth to them.He did not try to hide the truth. He spoke to them openly. He said,“ I am not the Messiah.”They asked him,“ Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said,“ I am not.”“ Are you the Prophet we’ve been expecting?” they asked.“ No,” he answered.They asked one last time,“ Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”John replied, using the words of Isaiah the prophet. John said,“ I’m the messenger who is calling out in the desert,‘ Make the way for the Lord straight.’ ”( Isaiah 40:3)The Pharisees who had been sentasked him,“ If you are not the Messiah, why are you baptizing people? Why are you doing that if you aren’t Elijah or the Prophet we’ve been expecting?”“ I baptize people with water,” John replied.“ But someone is standing among you whom you do not know.He is the one who comes after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. That was where John was baptizing.The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said,“ Look! The Lamb of God! He takes away the sin of the world!This is the one I was talking about. I said,‘ A man who comes after me is more important than I am. That’s because he existed before I was born.’I did not know him. But God wants to make it clear to Israel who this person is. That’s the reason I came baptizing with water.”Then John told them,“ I saw the Holy Spirit come down from heaven like a dove. The Spirit remained on Jesus.I myself did not know him. But the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,‘ You will see the Spirit come down and remain on someone. He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’I have seen it happen. I am a witness that this is God’s Chosen One.”The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.He saw Jesus walking by. John said,“ Look! The Lamb of God!”

There was a man sent from God. His name was John.He came to be a witness about that light. He was a witness so that all people might believe.John himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light.