BibleBlox
44. john baptizing
/ matthew 3: 1-17 /
/ listen as you follow along /
There once lived a very special man 🧍🏻♂️ named John. He was called John the Baptist because he helped people pray 🙏 in a special way using water, 💦 which was called baptism. John was different from most people - he wore simple clothes 👕made of camel's 🐪 hair and ate wild honey 🍯 and locusts from the desert 🏜️ where he lived.
John spent his days telling everyone about God's love ❤️ and helping them prepare their hearts 💞 for someone very special who was coming soon. "Someone much more powerful than me is coming," John would tell the crowds who came to see him. "He is so amazing 🤩 that I'm not even good enough to touch His sandals!" 🩴
Every day, people would come from towns and cities all around to hear John speak. 🗣️ They would walk down to the Jordan River, 🏞️ a big river that flows through the land. When people wanted to show they were sorry for their wrong choices and wanted to love 🫶 God more, John would help them pray and be baptized in the river water. 🦦
One special day, while John was at the river 🏞️helping people, someone very important came to see him - it was Jesus! 🤯 John recognized Jesus right away because God had told him that Jesus was His Son. 👦 When Jesus asked John to baptize Him, John was surprised and humble. "Oh no," John said, "You should be the one baptizing me! You're God's Son!"
But Jesus explained gently that this was part of God's plan. 📝 So John agreed, and they both walked into the cool river water 💦 together. When John baptized Jesus, the most amazing thing happened! The sky 🌌 opened up like a curtain, and everyone watched as God's Holy Spirit came floating down from heaven like a beautiful, gentle dove. 🕊️ The dove landed right on Jesus!
Then, everyone heard God's voice speak 🗣️ from heaven. It was like the most wonderful thunder 🌩️ anyone had ever heard, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love. ❤️ I am very pleased with Him." All the people watching were amazed 🤩 at what they saw and heard!
This special 💖 moment showed everyone that Jesus was truly God's Son, and it marked the beginning of Jesus's work of teaching 👨🏼🏫 people about God's amazing love. ❤️ John was overjoyed 😁 to be part of such an important moment in history, and he continued telling everyone about how special Jesus was.
43. Jesus in the temple as a boy / 44. john baptizing / 45. Jesus tempted in the desert
