1-3. The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here, following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.Watch closely: I’m sending my preacher ahead of you;He’ll make the road smooth for you.Thunder in the desert!Prepare for God’s arrival!Make the road smooth and straight!
4-6. John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.