^14 (A) And if you believe them, John is Elijah, the prophet you are waiting for.

^10 (A) The disciples asked Jesus, “Don't the teachers of the Law of Moses say Elijah must come before the Messiah does?”

^11 (B) Jesus told them, “Elijah certainly will come and get everything ready. ^12 (C) In fact, he has already come. But the people did not recognize him and treated him just as they wanted to. They will soon make the Son of Man suffer in the same way.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood Jesus was talking to them about John the Baptist.

^11 (A) The disciples asked Jesus, “Don't the teachers of the Law of Moses say that Elijah must come before the Messiah does?”

^12 (B) Jesus answered:

Elijah certainly will come^[a] to get everything ready. But don't the Scriptures also say that the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected? ¹³ I can assure you that Elijah has already come. And people treated him just as they wanted to, as the Scriptures say they would.

^17 (A) He will go ahead of the Lord with the same power and spirit that Elijah^[a] had. And because of John, parents will be more thoughtful of their children. And people who now disobey God will begin to think as they ought to. This is how John will get people ready for the Lord.

^21 (A) Then when they asked him if he were Elijah, he said, “No, I am not!” And when they asked if he were the Prophet,^[a] he also said “No!”