Matthew 3

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 In those days a John the Baptist came preaching b in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for c the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
d "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
e ' Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.' " 1

4 Now f John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was g locusts and h wild honey. 5 i Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 j and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, k "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from l the wrath to come? 8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, m 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. n Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 o "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. p He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit 2 and fire. 12 q "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will r burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

The Baptism of Jesus

13 s Then Jesus came t from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. 16 u When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and 3 He saw v the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 w And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, x "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

  1. Cross References
    Matthew 3:1 - 12
    In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea.
    Mark 1:3 - 8
    "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ' Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"
    Luke 3:2 - 17
    While Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
    John 1:6 - 8
    There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
    John 1:19 - 28
    Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?
  2. Cross References
    Joshua 14:10
    And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.
  3. Cross References
    Daniel 2:44
    And in the days of these kings the God of heave...
    Malachi 4:6
    And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to t...
    Matthew 4:17
    From that time Jesus began to preach and to say...
    Mark 1:15
    And saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kin...
    Luke 1:17
    "He will also go before Him in the spirit and p...
    Luke 10:9
    "And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The...
    Luke 11:20
    But if I cast out demons with the finger of God...
    Luke 21:31
    So you also, when you see these things happenin...
  4. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:3
    The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
    Luke 3:4
    As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.
    John 1:23
    He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' as the prophet Isaiah said.
  5. Cross References
    Luke 1:76
    And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways.
  6. Cross References
    2 Kings 1:8
    So they answered him, "A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite.
    Zechariah 13:4
    And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive.
    Matthew 11:8
    But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
    Mark 1:6
    Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
  7. Cross References
    Leviticus 11:22
    These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
  8. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:25
    Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground.
    1 Samuel 14:26
    And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
  9. Cross References
    Mark 1:5
    Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
  10. Cross References
    Acts 19:4
    Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
    Acts 19:18
    And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
  11. Cross References
    Matthew 12:34
    Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
    Luke 3:7 - 9
    Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
  12. Cross References
    Romans 5:9
    Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
    1 Thessalonians 1:10
    And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
  13. Cross References
    John 8:33
    They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendant...
    Acts 13:26
    Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham...
    Romans 4:1
    What then shall we say that Abraham our father ...
    Romans 4:11
    And he received the sign of circumcision, a sea...
    Romans 4:16
    Therefore it is of faith that it might be accor...
    Galatians 3:29
    And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's...
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 92:12 - 14
    The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
    Matthew 7:19
    Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
    Luke 13:7
    "Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'
    Luke 13:9
    'And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"
    John 15:6
    If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
  15. Cross References
    Mark 1:4
    John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
    Mark 1:8
    "I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
    Luke 3:16
    John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
    John 1:26
    John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.
    Acts 1:5
    "for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
  16. Cross References
    Isaiah 4:4
    When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.
    John 20:22
    And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
    Acts 2:3
    Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
    Acts 2:4
    And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
    1 Corinthians 12:13
    For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
  17. Cross References
    Malachi 3:3
    He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.
  18. Cross References
    Malachi 4:1
    For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.
    Matthew 13:30
    'Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." '"
  19. Cross References
    Matthew 3:13 - 17
    Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
    Mark 1:9 - 11
    It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
    Luke 3:21
    When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.
    Luke 3:22
    And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.
    John 1:31 - 34
    "I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."
  20. Cross References
    Matthew 2:22
    But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.
  21. Cross References
    Mark 1:10
    And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 11:2
    The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
    Luke 3:22
    And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.
    John 1:32
    And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
    Acts 7:56
    And said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!
  23. Cross References
    John 12:28
    "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."
  24. Cross References
    Psalms 2:7
    I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to...
    Isaiah 42:1
    Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One ...
    Mark 1:11
    Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My belo...
    Luke 1:35
    And the angel answered and said to her, " The H...
    Luke 9:35
    And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "Thi...
    Colossians 1:13
    He has delivered us from the power of darkness ...
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Previous Book Next Book