Turning to God and recognizing Jesus
A voice preparing the way
Luke records that John's purpose was announced before his birth: he would bring many people of Israel back to the Lord their God and make people ready for the Lord (Luke 1:13–17). All four Gospels connect his ministry with Isaiah's voice calling in the wilderness (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23). John himself used that description when explaining his role. Preparing the way meant addressing people who needed to turn to God. [1]
John joined his call to repentance with the announcement that God's kingdom was near (Matthew 3:1–2). His preaching called for a response: people from Jerusalem, all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan came to him and, confessing their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:5–6). Luke describes his ministry as preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3). The announcement of God's coming rule gave his call its immediate purpose—people were being summoned to prepare for it.
Repentance expressed in conduct
Cru explains John's baptism as a public declaration that a person was taking a new direction. John's demand for fruit consistent with repentance required changed behavior (Luke 3:8). Ethical living mattered as evidence that repentance was genuine. Feeling sorry, undergoing baptism and then returning to the same conduct did not meet that demand. The practical connection was between an expressed turning to God and the way someone subsequently lived. [2]
Directing people to Jesus
John's preparation also involved identifying the person whose coming he announced. In John 1:29–34, he identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the world's sin and explains that his water baptism served the purpose of revealing Jesus to Israel. The account gives John's own testimony about Jesus' identity; it does not leave his preaching as a general appeal to improve one's behavior.
John describes the sign by which he recognized Jesus: the one who sent him to baptize had told him that the person on whom the Spirit descended and remained would baptize with the Holy Spirit. John testifies that he saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain on Jesus, and he identifies Jesus as the Son of God (John 1:32–34).
