Matthew Lesson 03: John the Baptizer

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 3:1-12 is the text for this sermon entitled, "John the Baptizer." Note - Curtis skips chapter 2 to save it for the December sermons on Jesus' birth. John who is called 'the baptizer' could be referred to as the Harbinger of Hope. He cried out to the people to repent of their sins, for the Messiah was coming. He called them to be baptized in the Jordan River for repentance. His baptism was different from Jewish and Graeco-Roman ceremonial and ritual washings. John was different from other Jewish teachers of the day. He lived outside the city, in the wilderness. He wore strange clothing and ate strange foods, all to accentuate that his message was very different from the traditional teachers. He, being a herald, was not the author of the news he proclaimed--the news came from God. John also fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3, “A voice cries out in the wilderness..." Learn more about John's message and his promise that Another was coming soon!