What happensPermalink
John the Baptist preaches repentance and the coming of the kingdom of heaven, baptizing people in the Jordan. John baptizes Jesus. The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus as a dove, and God proclaims that Jesus is His beloved Son.
Why it mattersPermalink
John preaches personal confession and repentance rather than reliance on Abraham’s righteousness. John identifies Jesus as the prophesied Messiah, specifically fulfilling Isaiah 40:3, and God confirms it at Jesus’s baptism.
Key versePermalink
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him…