About this time, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Judean wilderness,

John had clothing made of camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of grasshoppers and wild honey.

But when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he told them, "You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.

But John tried to stop him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and are you coming to me?"

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he went back to Galilee.

Going on from there he saw two other brothers James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee repairing their nets. When he called them,

Then John's disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

Now when John heard in prison about the activities of the Messiah, he sent a message by his disciples

Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and observe:

As they were leaving, Jesus 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 tell all of you with certainty, among those born of women no one has appeared who is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom from heaven is greater than he.

"From the days of John the Baptist until the present, the kingdom from heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people have been attacking it,

because the Law and all the Prophets prophesied up to the time of John.

Because John didn't come eating or drinking, yet people say, "He has a demon!'

told his servants, "This is John the Baptist! He has been raised from the dead, and that's why these miracles are being done by him."

Herod had arrested John, bound him with chains, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

John had been telling him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

Although Herod wanted to kill him, he was afraid of the crowd, since they regarded John as a prophet.

Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me, right here on a platter, the head of John the Baptist."

So he sent word and had John beheaded in prison.

When John's disciples came, they carried off the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

They said, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

Then the disciples understood that he had been speaking to them about John the Baptist.

Where did John's authority to baptize come from? From heaven or from humans?"

They began discussing this among themselves: "If we say, "From heaven,' he will ask us, "Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, "From humans,' we are afraid of the crowd, because everyone regards John as a prophet."

Jesus told them, "I tell all of you with certainty, tax collectors and prostitutes will get into God's kingdom ahead of you! John came to you living a righteous life, and you didn't believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. But even when you saw that, you didn't change your minds at last and believe him."

John was baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Now John was dressed in camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. He ate grasshoppers and wild honey.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

Now after John had been arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and proclaimed the gospel about the kingdom of God.

Going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat repairing their nets.

After they left the synagogue, they went directly to the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John.

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees would fast regularly. Some people came and asked Jesus, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples fast, but your disciples don't fast?"

Zebedee's sons James and his brother John (whom he named Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder),

Jesus allowed no one to go further with him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.

King Herod heard about this, because Jesus' name had become well-known. He was saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead! That's why he is able to do these miracles."

But when Herod heard about it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised,"

because Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him with chains, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom Herod had married.

John had been telling Herod, "It's not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she couldn't do it

because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John was a righteous and holy man, and so he protected him. Whenever he listened to John, he did much of what he said. In fact, he liked listening to him.

So she went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother replied, "The head of John the Baptist."

Immediately the girl hurried back to the king with her request, "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

So without delay the king sent a soldier and ordered him to bring John's head. The soldier went and beheaded him in prison.

Then he brought John's head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

When John's disciples heard about this, they came and carried off his body and laid it in a tomb.

They answered him, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the prophets."

Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain to be alone with him. His appearance was changed in front of them,

John told Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn't a follower like us."

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus and told him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you."

When the ten other disciples heard this, they began to be furious with James and John.

Was John's authority to baptize from heaven or from humans? Answer me."

But if we say, "From humans'"?" They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone really thought John was a prophet.

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew were asking him privately,

He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to feel distressed and troubled.

But the angel told him, "Stop being afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John.

but his mother said, "Absolutely not! He must be named John."

He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And everyone was amazed.

and Annas and Caiaphas high priests, a message from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.

John went throughout the entire Jordan region, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins,

John would say to the crowds that were coming out to be baptized by him, "You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Now the people were filled with expectation, and all of them were wondering if John was perhaps the Messiah.

John replied to all of them, "I'm baptizing you with water, but one is coming who is more powerful than I, and I'm not worthy to untie his sandal straps. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

With many other exhortations John continued to proclaim the good news to the people.

Now Herod the tetrarch had been rebuked by John because he had married his brother's wife Herodias and because of all of the other evil things Herod had done.

Added to all this, Herod locked John up in prison.

and so were James and John, Zebedee's sons and Simon's partners.

Then they told him, "John's disciples frequently fast and pray, and so do those of the Pharisees. But your disciples keep right on eating and drinking."

Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

John's disciples told him about all these things. So John called two of his disciples

When the men had come to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, "Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?'"

So he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have observed and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear again, the dead are raised, and the destitute hear the good news.

When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to ask the crowds about John. "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

I tell you, no one has ever been born who is greater than John. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

By having been baptized with John's baptism, all the people who listened, including the tax collectors, acknowledged God's justice.

But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law rejected God's plan for themselves by refusing to be baptized by John.

Because John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, yet you say, "He has a demon!'

When he arrived at the man's house, he allowed no one to go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the young girl's father and mother.

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about everything that was happening. He was puzzled because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead,

Herod said, "I beheaded John. But who is this man I'm hearing so much about?" So Herod kept trying to see Jesus.

They answered, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the ancient prophets who has come back to life."

Now about eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray.

John said, "Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn't a follower like us."

When his disciples James and John observed this rejection, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"

Once Jesus was praying in a certain place. After he had finished, one of his disciples told him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

"The Law and the Prophets remained until John. Since then, the good news about the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone entering it is under attack.

Was John's authority to baptize from heaven or from humans?"

But if we say, "From humans,' all the people will stone us to death, because they are convinced that John was a prophet."

So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover meal."

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

John was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.

John told the truth about him when he cried out, "This is the person about whom I said, "The one who comes after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.'"

This was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and descendants of Levi to him from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

So they asked him, "Well then, are you Elijah?" John said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."

John answered them, "I am baptizing with water, but among you stands a man whom you do not know,

This happened in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!