Preparing for Jesus
This is the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Old Testament prophets proclaimed:
Behold! I am sending my messenger before you to prepare your way, the voice of one crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord and make straight his paths!”
(Exodus 23:20, Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1)
John the Baptist appears in the desert, preaching repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. People travel from all over the southern region of Judea, including the holy city of Jerusalem, to confess their sins and get baptized (“dipped“) by John in the Jordan River. The Baptist wears camel-hair clothing and a leather belt around his waist like the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), and he eats locusts and wild honey. “Someone greater than I will follow me,” John proclaims. “I’m not even worthy to loosen his sandals. I’ve baptized you with water, but he’ll baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
One day, Jesus comes down from the town of Nazareth, in the northern region of Galilee. John baptizes him in the Jordan, and as Jesus emerges from the water, he sees the sky torn open and the Holy Spirit descending upon him like a dove. A voice speaks from the sky, “You are my beloved son. I am so pleased with you.”
Suddenly the Spirit drives Jesus into the desert, where Satan tempts him for 40 days. Wild animals surround Jesus, and angels care for him.
Understanding Seeking Faith 