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II. The Proclamation of the Kingdom

Chapter 3

The Preaching of John the Baptist.[a](A) In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 3:1–12 Here Matthew takes up the order of Jesus’ ministry found in the gospel of Mark, beginning with the preparatory preaching of John the Baptist.
  2. 3:1 Unlike Luke, Matthew says nothing of the Baptist’s origins and does not make him a relative of Jesus. The desert of Judea: the barren region west of the Dead Sea extending up the Jordan valley.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)

In those days John the Baptist(B) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea

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John [the] Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

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And so John the Baptist(A) appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance(B) for the forgiveness of sins.(C)

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during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,[a] the word of God came to John(A) the son of Zechariah in the desert. [b]He went throughout [the] whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 3:2 During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas: after situating the call of John the Baptist in terms of the civil rulers of the period, Luke now mentions the religious leadership of Palestine (see note on Lk 1:5). Annas had been high priest A.D. 6–15. After being deposed by the Romans in A.D. 15 he was succeeded by various members of his family and eventually by his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who was high priest A.D. 18–36. Luke refers to Annas as high priest at this time (but see Jn 18:13, 19), possibly because of the continuing influence of Annas or because the title continued to be used for the ex-high priest. The word of God came to John: Luke is alone among the New Testament writers in associating the preaching of John with a call from God. Luke is thereby identifying John with the prophets whose ministries began with similar calls. In Lk 7:26 John will be described as “more than a prophet”; he is also the precursor of Jesus (Lk 7:27), a transitional figure inaugurating the period of the fulfillment of prophecy and promise.
  2. 3:3 See note on Mt 3:2.

during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,(A) the word of God came to John(B) son of Zechariah(C) in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(D)

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