Mark 1:4
At the right time, God sent a man named John to get people ready to meet Jesus. John's clothes were made out of camel hair and his belt was made from animal skin. He ate grass-hoppers and bush honey. John went all over the Judean country talking to people. And this is what he said to them, “If you are really sorry for the wrong way you are living, God will forgive you. That means God will forget about all the wrong things you did and he will say that you are not guilty. And if you tell me that you are truly sorry, we will have a special washing ceremony called baptism.” All the people in Jerusalem and other towns in Judea heard stories about John and so they went out into the dry country to find him. They listened to what John said and some of the people told John that they were really sorry for not living God's way. So John took them down into the Jordan River and he baptised them. From that time he was called John the Baptist.
Barkly (portions)
In The King James Version
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
In Context
Matthew Henry on Mark 1:2-9
Mark We have heard the evidence given in by the first witness to the doctrine and miracles of our Lord Jesus; and now here is another witness produced, who calls for our attention. The second living creature saith, Come, and see, Rev. vi. 3 . Now let us enquire a little, I. Concerning this witness. His name is Mark. Marcus was a Roman name, and a very common one, and yet we have no reason to think, but that he was by birth a Jew; but as Saul, when he went among the nations, took the Roman name of Paul, so he of… Read the whole commentary →