“The word of God came to John.” I don’t know what that looked like. But the result was the same as John being anointed, meaning assigned and sent. John was given a job and he went right to it.

He went into all the region proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This was before the cross. We are able to receive forgiveness because of the cleansing of the blood.

We do still get baptized, which is described as our death and burial and resurrection in Christ. We want to bury our old nature (self) and take on the new nature (Christ in us by the Spirit). Baptism, in Scripture, is also described as circumcision, a cutting off. The old passes away and the new comes.

John’s job was to tell the people to prepare the way of the Lord. They did this through baptism for the forgiveness of sins. How are they related?

If you want God in your life, you have to make room for Him. You need to clean out to make space. If you want more God in your life, you clean out more room. If you want to belong to Him wholly, you get rid of all that’s not of Him.

What does that all look like? Repenting of sins, denying self, turning from the things of this world.

Now, we don’t save ourselves. No amount of self-control is going to conquer sin, self, and the world. We cry out for a Savior. We ask Him to get rid of all that stuff. We give it all up for Him and let Him take away anything that’s not His desire for our life.

When John warns the crowd about hell being the fate of those who don’t produce good fruit, they want to know what to do.

All that John mentions is related to money. Share what you have. Don’t take more than you’re owed. Don’t take money from people by force or manipulation. Be content with what you earn.

Jesus was one of the ones in the crowd who is baptized. He had no sin to wash away, but He showed people the way to live. His Father affirms the righteousness of Christ, calling Him His beloved Son and saying how pleased He was in Him.