Matthew 21:25
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25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’
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1 John 3:20
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20 whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
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Mark 1:1-11
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The Proclamation of John the Baptist
1 The beginning of the good news[a] of Jesus Christ.[b](A)
2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,[c]
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,[d]
who will prepare your way,(B)
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight,’ ”(C)
4 so John the baptizer appeared[e] in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(D) 5 And the whole Judean region and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.(E) 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals.(F) 8 I have baptized you with[f] water, but he will baptize you with[g] the Holy Spirit.”(G)
The Baptism of Jesus
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.(H) 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove upon him.(I) 11 And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my Son, the Beloved;[h] with you I am well pleased.”(J)
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John 10:25-26
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25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me,(A) 26 but you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep.(B)
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John 3:18
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18 Those who believe in him are not condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.(A)
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John 1:15
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15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”)
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Luke 20:5
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5 They discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’
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Matthew 3:1-12
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The Proclamation of John the Baptist
3 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”[a](A) 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’ ”(B)
4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.(C) 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.(D)
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his[b] baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(E) 8 Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance,(F) 9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.(G) 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.(H)
11 “I baptize you with[c] water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with[d] the Holy Spirit and fire.(I) 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”(J)
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John 12:37-43
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37 Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
“Lord, who has believed our message,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”(A)
39 And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
so that they might not look with their eyes
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.”(B)
41 Isaiah said this because[a] he saw his glory and spoke about him.(C) 42 Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue,(D) 43 for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.
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- 12.41 Other ancient witnesses read when
John 5:44-47
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44 How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God?[a](A) 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope.(B) 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.(C) 47 But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
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- 5.44 Other manuscripts read the Only One
John 5:33-36
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33 You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth.(A) 34 Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.(B) 36 But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.(C)
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John 3:26-36
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26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”(A) 27 John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.(B) 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,[a] but I have been sent ahead of him.’(C) 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled.(D) 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”[b]
The One Who Comes from Heaven
31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all.(E) 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.(F) 33 Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified[c] this, that God is true.(G) 34 He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.(H) 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.(I) 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life but must endure God’s wrath.(J)
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John 1:25-34
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25 They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah,[a] nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.” 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!(A) 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.(B) 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’(C) 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.”[b]
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John 1:6
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6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
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Luke 7:28-35
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28 “I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John, yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (And all the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God,[a] having been baptized with John’s baptism.(A) 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law, not having been baptized by him, rejected God’s purpose for themselves.)(B)
31 “To what, then, will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not weep.’
33 “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’;(C) 34 the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’(D) 35 Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
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- 7.29 Or praised God
Luke 3:2-20
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2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.(A) 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.(B)
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”(C)
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(D) 8 Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.(E) 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”(F)
10 And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?”(G) 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.”(H) 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”(I) 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”(J) 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”(K)
15 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,[a](L) 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.(M) 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”(N)
18 So with many other exhortations he proclaimed the good news to the people. 19 But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done,(O) 20 added to them all by shutting up John in prison.
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Luke 1:67-80
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Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:(A)
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on[a] his people and redeemed them.(B)
69 He has raised up a mighty savior[b] for us
in the house of his child David,(C)
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,(D)
71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors
and has remembered his holy covenant,(E)
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,(F) 75 in holiness and righteousness
in his presence all our days.(G)
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,(H)
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.(I)
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break[c] upon[d] us,
79 to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”(J)
80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.(K)
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Luke 1:11-17
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11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.(A) 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,(B) 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.(C) 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.(D) 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(E)
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Mark 11:27-33
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Jesus’s Authority Is Questioned
27 Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him 28 and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” 31 They argued with one another, “What should we say?[a] If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet.(A) 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
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- 11.31 Other ancient authorities lack What should we say?
Matthew 17:12-13
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12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.”(A) 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
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Matthew 11:7-15
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Jesus Praises John the Baptist
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?(A) 8 What, then, did you go out to see? Someone[a] dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What, then, did you go out to see? A prophet?[b] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.(B) 10 This is the one about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’(C)
11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,[c] and violent people take it by force.(D) 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John came, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.(E) 15 Let anyone with ears[d] listen!(F)
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