1In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” 3For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
make the way of the Lord ready!
Make his paths straight!”
4Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him. 6They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! 9Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.
11“I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit. 12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
15But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.
16Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. 17Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
At the time of Jesus, baptism referred to a variety of ritual washings with water (Heb 6:2), all of which were important cleansing rituals within Judaism. For example, a high priest was installed in office by ritual bathing before being anointed and clothed with symbolic garments (Exod 29:4; Lev 8:6). Gentile proselytes to Judaism underwent a ceremonial bath (Heb 9:10). The Essenes immersed their bodies in daily rites of ceremonial cleansing. Those coming into the temple to worship underwent a ritual bath, as evidenced by the large number of mikveh (ritual bathing pools) found near the southern steps of the temple. When John came baptizing people once for their repentance of sins (Mark 1:4-5), he was thought to be usurping the prerogative of the Christ or Elijah or the prophet (John 1:25). Those who were baptized by John were identified with a remnant of Israel who had given credible testimony of their willingness to receive Messiah on His terms of repentance (Matt 3:1-10). The Pharisees promoted the elders' tradition of washing cups, pitchers and pots; and not eating without first washing their hands in a special way, both activities being referred to by the Greek word “baptizo” (Mark 7:3-8; Luke 11:38). Jesus' baptism was "to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15) in the sense of meeting the legal requirement of a priest as He entered upon His public ministry. It also identified Jesus with John's followers and message. In Matthew 4:17, the message he began to preach was the same as that of John, in Matthew 3:2. Jesus' disciples were baptizing those who were willing to follow Jesus (John 4:1-2). Later, Christian baptism identified a believer with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection (Rom 6:3-4), and is the first step of discipleship (Matt 28:19; see also Acts 2:37-42; 8:34-39; 9:18-19; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33).