CHAPTER 3. I would encourage you to pull up Matthew chapter 3 as you read this article and study questions.

1 How many years did John preach before he baptized Jesus?

AI: John the Baptist preached for about six months before he baptized Jesus. Historically and biblically, John was six months older than Jesus. According to tradition and Levitical principles, religious teachers began their public ministries around the age of 30. Consequently, John likely started his preaching and baptismal ministry in the wilderness at age 30, preceding Jesus’s own baptism by about half a year.

2 Is 40:3 is a predictive prophecy only fulfilled in John? The voice of one calling out, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

3 Did John do miracles? John 10:41-42 Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this Man was true.” And many believed in Him there.

4 Why did so many Jews believe that John was a prophet even though he did no miracles to confirm that he was a prophet?

Matthew 21:23 When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24 But Jesus responded and said to them, “I will also ask you one [z]question, which, if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John was from what source: from heaven or from men?” And they began considering the implications among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.

AI: “Many first-century Jews viewed John the Baptist as a prophet—despite his lack of miracles—due to a “400-year drought” of prophecy, his compelling Elijah-like persona, and widespread spiritual readiness for an apocalyptic messenger.

Historically, this belief was driven by several distinct factors:

• The Prophetic Drought: Prophecy was believed to have ceased in Israel centuries earlier with Malachi. When John appeared in the wilderness calling people to repentance, the sheer return of a bold, uncompromising prophetic voice electrified a weary populace. 
• The “Elijah” Archetype: John dressed in camel’s hair with a leather belt—the exact attire of the prophet Elijah. The Jewish people expected Elijah to return before the Messiah, and John’s location at the Jordan River matched these messianic expectations. Micah 4:5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.”
• Anointed Preaching: On Christian forums such as Christianity.StackExchange, users and theologians agree that his powerful, spirit-anointed speech convicted listeners’ hearts. His boldness in calling out the sins of everyday people and religious elites resonated deeply in a time of political and spiritual tension. 
• The Symbolism of Baptism: Rather than requiring miracles, John’s introduction of mass ritual immersion in the Jordan River for the forgiveness of sins was seen as a potent sign of spiritual cleansing and national renewal. 
• Vindication by Historical Events: According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, when King Herod Antipas executed John and later lost a military battle to an enemy, the Jewish populace saw the military defeat as divine punishment for executing a holy man.”

5 What was John’s message?

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. Near: eggizó: To draw near, to approach, to come near. Is this near in God’s time frame? Notice “repent” is tied to “kingdom is near”. What does that imply about the meaning of “near”? The urgency. Study hard b/c I’m giving you a test soon. If the kingdom was not established soon after John and Jesus predicted that then they were false prophets. 

6 What was this kingdom of heaven that was near? 

Jesus also predicted that the kingdom of heaven was near: Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the gospel.”Daniel 2 had predicted that God would set up His kingdom in the days of the 4th empire, the legs of iron on the stature, which would be Rome, so the kingdom had to be established while Rome was still in power (Rome fell in 450 AD). Rome was ruling at the time John preached. That kingdom and long awaited Messiah and King would establish a spiritual kingdom. John 18:36 My kingdom is not of this world. That kingdom would be the church (church and kingdom are synonymous in Matthew 16:16-18).      Colossians 1:13 believers were translated into the kingdom of Jesus (the church).        Revelation 1:6 God made believers into a kingdom of spiritual priests. 

7 What was the baptism of John for? Mark 1:4: “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (KJV). Luke 3:3: “And he came into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

8 How long would it be used and valid? As of Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38 the baptism of the new covenant after Jesus died was in the name of Jesus. Acts 19:1-10 there were 12 disciples who were baptized with John’s baptism after it was no longer valid. Apollos (Acts 18:24-28) was a Christian preacher but for some reason was still preaching the baptism of John after it was no longer valid so he probably baptized these 12 disciples. Paul re-baptized the 12 men in the name of Jesus. Did those baptized with John’s baptism before Acts 2, before the new baptism started, have to be re-baptized in the name of Jesus? Surely some of those 3,000 baptized in Acts 2 in the name of Jesus had been baptized with John’s baptism? 

9 Who did John rebuke harshly and why?

AI: John the Baptist’s rebuke was specifically directed at the Pharisees and Sadducees , not the entirety of the Jewish population. In the biblical accounts, he condemned these specific religious leaders for hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and lack of genuine repentance.

The historical context and exact details of his message clarify this distinction:

The Metaphor of “Vipers”

• Nature of the Term: John called them a “generation” or “brood of vipers” (poisonous snakes).
• Theological Meaning: In biblical tradition, serpents and vipers were associated with deceit, danger, and Satan. John used this metaphor to highlight that these religious leaders bore evil, satanic qualities despite their outward appearance of righteousness. 
• Scholarly Consensus: Scholars agree that John was directly condemning the hypocrisy of these leaders, who sought baptism not out of a repentant heart, but to maintain their status and escape God’s judgment. 

The Warning Against False Lineage

• Relying on Heritage: The Pharisees and Sadducees believed they were secure in God’s favor simply because they were physical descendants of Abraham. 
• John’s Rebuttal: John told them not to rely on their lineage, warning that God could “raise up children to Abraham from these stones”. He demanded that they produce “fruit in keeping with repentance”, meaning their inner faith had to be backed by righteous actions.

Who He Preached To

• The General Crowds: In Luke 3:7-14, large crowds of regular Jewish people, tax collectors, and soldiers came to hear John and asked him, “What should we do then?” Instead of calling them vipers, John instructed them to share their resources, act with integrity, and avoid extortion.
• The Opponents: The harsh judgment was reserved for the unrepentant leaders who opposed his message of humility and actively misled the people.

10 What do you admire about John the Baptist? His courage, humility (willing to play 2nd fiddle to Jesus), dedication to his calling, sacrifice (tough lifestyle), perseverance, he was beheaded for condemning a marriage. What if God called you to such a job? Do we need some of John’s preaching today for America, for the church? 

11 What was the “wrath to come” he warned them about? Was that AD 70 and the judgment on the Jews that killed one million Jews? The “axe already at the root of the Jews” also indicates imminency. 

12 What was the baptism of the Spirit that Jesus would baptize with?

Acts 1:4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” What did they receive? Miraculous speaking in tongues in Acts 2.    Acts 2:33 Therefore, since He has been exalted at the right hand of God, and has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear.” Baptism is immersion. The HS was “poured out” in Acts 2, immersing (baptizing) the apostles in the HS. Acts 2:17 Joel had predicted that the HS would be poured out on all believers in the last days (30-70 AD), referring to the miraculous gifts (again, immersing them in the HS). 

Cornelius also received the baptism of the HS. Acts 10:45 All theJewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been poured out on the Gentiles.” Acts 11:15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Therefore, if God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”

The fact that the HS was to be poured out on all believers in the last days indicates to me that the baptism of the HS was the pouring out of the HS miraculous gifts during the last days. The apostles received a greater miraculous portion of that pouring out. They received inspiration. I don’t believe that we have the baptism of the HS today after 70 AD.

13 What was the baptism of fire that Jesus would baptize with? Hint: 3:10 mentioned trees being cast into the fire. 3:12 the chaff were burned up with fire. The baptism of fire was the judgment on the Jews in 70 AD killing one milliion wicked Jews. Some groups taught that the baptism of fire was a good thing:

AI: Pentecostals & Holiness Groups: Many denominations within the Holiness and Pentecostal movements (such as the International Pentecostal Holiness Church) explicitly teach that the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire is an empowering, sanctifying experience that comes after water baptism. They associate this “fire” with intense spiritual zeal and often link it to the outward sign of speaking in tongues as recorded in Acts 2.

Charismatics: Contemporary Charismatic groups often emphasize a “baptism of fire” as a refining process that burns away worldly habits and empowers believers to boldly preach and serve.

Historical Church Fathers: In the early Church, theologians like Origen and Gregory of Nyssa taught that God’s fire was restorative. They viewed the baptism of fire as a necessary, loving purification of the soul—either in this life or the afterlife—to purge away sin and reconcile all people to God.”

This pouring out of the HS on believers was promised in Isaiah 43:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, And My For I will pour water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring.”

14 Why was John so reluctant to baptize Jesus? How long had he known Jesus? He was Jesus’ second cousin and roughly 6 months older. While they likely knew of each other as family, John did not fully recognize Jesus’ divine identity until Jesus’ baptism when he saw the Spirit descend on Jesus. . 

John 1:29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He in behalf of whom I said, ‘After me is coming a Man who has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’ 31 And I did not recognize Him, but so that He would be revealed to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” 32 And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”Their active ministries overlapped for roughly 1 to 3 years before John was imprisoned and beheaded.”

Apparently John knew Jesus’ upright character and didn’t think that Jesus even needed a baptism for repentance and remission of sins. Have you ever known someone that you think is flawless? 

15 Why did Jesus insist on John baptizing him? He said it was to “fulfill all righteousness”. What does that mean?

16 What did Jesus receive when he was baptized by John? 

Isaiah 42:1: Records God’s promise: “I will put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring justice to the nations” Isaiah 61:1: Foretells that the “Spirit of the Lord GOD” is upon the Anointed One.  Acts 10:38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. He received miraculous power. He did no miracles until he was baptized.

17 What miracles did the apocryphal 2nd century Infancy Gospel of Thomas claim that the boy Jesus did?

At age 5, Jesus shaped twelve sparrows from soft clay on the Sabbath. When criticized, he clapped his hands, gave the birds breath, and told them to fly away. He resurrected playmates who had died from falls or fatal illnesses, and once commanded a dead workman to stand up and continue his labor. Jesus healed the foot of a young woodcutter who had severed it with an axe, and also cured his brother James from a venomous snakebite. To assist Joseph with his carpentry, Jesus miraculously stretched a short piece of wood to the exact length Joseph required.Jesus planted a single grain of wheat that yielded an impossible 100 bushels of grain. Unlike the canonical Gospels, the Infancy Gospel also includes darker miracles. When angered, young Jesus cursed a boy who knocked over his play pools causing him to wither and die, and temporarily blinded parents and community members who criticized his actions.