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MAT T H EW 3
The Return to Nazareth
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get
up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his
mother back to the land of Israel, because those
who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land
of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when
he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there.
Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for
the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and
lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled
what the prophets had said: “He will be called
a Nazarene.”
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
In those days John the Baptist came to
the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins
and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is
near.*” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about
John when he said,
3
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’”*
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse
camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around
his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild
honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all
of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went
out to see and hear John. 6 And when they
confessed their sins, he baptized them in the
Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and
Sadducees coming to watch him baptize,* he
denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he
exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming
wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have
• Repentance
MAT T H E W 3 :1 -3
Almost thirty years had passed since the
events of chapter 2. Now John the Baptist
burst onto the scene. His theme was
“turn from your sins and turn to God.” He
meant that we must do a 180-degree turn
in the way we have been living. Before we
can turn toward God, we must recognize
that we are turned away from him to
begin with; when we confess our sin, we
admit that we’ve been going in the wrong
direction. Once we turn around to seek
God, he can deal with our sin and direct
our lives in the way he has intended from
the beginning.
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repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t
just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing,
for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax
of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the
roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not
produce good fruit will be chopped down and
thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize with* water those who repent
of their sins and turn to God. But someone is
coming soon who is greater than I am—so much
greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave
and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with
the Holy Spirit and with fire.* 12 He is ready to
separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but
burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan
River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to
talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to
be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you
coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we
must carry out all that God requires.*” So John
agreed to baptize him.
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of
the water, the heavens were opened* and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven
said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings
me great joy.”
The Temptation of Jesus
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and
became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil* came and said to
him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones
to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
4
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the
mouth of God.’*”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and
said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For
the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a
stone.’*”
3:2 Or has come, or is coming soon. 3:3 Isa 40:3 (Greek
version). 3:7 Or coming to be baptized. 3:11a Or in.
3:11b Or in the Holy Spirit and in fire. 3:15 Or for we must
fulfill all righteousness. 3:16 Some manuscripts read opened
to him. 4:3 Greek the tempter. 4:4 Deut 8:3. 4:6 Ps 91:11-12.