1: In the fifteenth year of the rule of Caesar Tiberius--it was while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod, ruler of Galilee; his brother Philip, ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis; Lysanias, ruler of Abilene;
2: during the Chief-Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas--John, Zachariah's son, out in the desert at the time, received a message from God.
3: He went all through the country around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of life-change leading to forgiveness of sins,
4: as described in the words of Isaiah the prophet: Thunder in the desert! "Prepare God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!
5: Every ditch will be filled in, Every bump smoothed out, The detours straightened out, All the ruts paved over.
6: Everyone will be there to see The parade of God's salvation."
7: When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: "Brood of snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God's judgment?
8: It's your life that must change, not your skin. And don't think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as "father.' Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there--children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants.
9: What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire."
10: The crowd asked him, "Then what are we supposed to do?"
11: "If you have two coats, give one away," he said. "Do the same with your food."
12: Tax men also came to be baptized and said, "Teacher, what should we do?"
13: He told them, "No more extortion--collect only what is required by law."
14: Soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He told them, "No shakedowns, no blackmail--and be content with your rations."
15: The interest of the people by now was building. They were all beginning to wonder, "Could this John be the Messiah?"
16: But John intervened: "I'm baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out.
17: He's going to clean house--make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he'll put out with the trash to be burned."
18: There was a lot more of this--words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them. The Message!
19: But Herod, the ruler, stung by John's rebuke in the matter of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,
20: capped his long string of evil deeds with this outrage: He put John in jail.
21: After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up
22: and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life."
23: When Jesus entered public life he was about thirty years old, the son (in public perception) of Joseph, who was--son of Heli,
24: son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai,
25: son of Joseph, son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai,
26: son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda,
27: son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri,
28: son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er,
29: son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi,
30: son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim,
31: son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David,
32: son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, son of Nahshon,
33: son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah,
34: son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor,
35: son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah,
36: son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech,
37: son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan,
38: son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.