But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.

But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.”

And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished.

in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,

John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.

and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”

And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.”

Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew;

The disciples of John reported to him about all these things.

Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?”

When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’”

And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John.

But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’

When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother.

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,

Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.

They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.”

Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.

John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.”

When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.”