John the Baptist Prepares the Way

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,

Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

The Baptism of Jesus

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus Begins His Ministry

Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.

And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

A Question About Fasting

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

Messengers from John the Baptist

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples

And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

The Death of John the Baptist

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus,

and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.”

For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,

because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”

He sent and had John beheaded in the prison,

And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

The Transfiguration

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.