Baptism of Jesus

10 The crowds asked, “What then should we do?” 11 John answered them, “The person who has two tunics should share with whoever has none, and whoever has food should do likewise. ” 12 Even tax collectors came, also to be baptized. And they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He told them, “Collect nothing more beyond that which you have been ordered to collect. ” 14 And soldiers also asked him, “What should we do?”

He said to them, “Don’t shake downa or falsely accuse anyone. Be content with your pay. ” 15 As the people were in a state of expectation, even wondering in their hearts about John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered them all: “I baptize you in water. But one who is more powerful than I am is coming, and I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing forkb is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. ” 18 And John preached the good news to the people with lots of other exhortations. c 19 But when he rebuked the tetrarch Herod Antipas for marrying Herodias, his brother Philip’s former wife,d and about all of the other wicked deeds he had committed, 20 Herod added this sin to all his others: He jailed John.

Part 3. Jesus Begins His Ministry

Baptism of Jesus

21 When all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized too. As he was praying, the heavense opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; in you I am well pleased. ” 23a Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.

a Literally, “Do not oppress.” Shaking down, threatening someone with harm unless money is paid, was perhaps the most common oppression practiced by individual soldiers. b “Winnowing fork”: a long-handled fork similar to a pitchfork used to throw wheat up into the air so the grains will separate from the chaff. c “Exhortations”: urgent calls for action. d Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21 forbid a man from marrying his brother’s former wife (with the exception of levirate marriage, marrying a childless dead brother’s wife to provide protection and propagate the next generation). e Or “heaven. ”