Distaem hem samting olsem 17 year bihaen Jesus wea hem 12 year nomoa hem askem kwestin long olketa bigman long temple. Hem year 29 C.E. Staka pipol story abaotem John wea hem kasin bilong Jesus. John preach long evri ples long west saed bilong Jordan River.

Pipol no savve forgetim John bikos long lukluk and toktok bilong hem. Hem werem kaleko wea olketa wakem long hair bilong camel and hem werem wanfala belt raonem bele wea olketa wakem long skin bilong animal. Hem kaikaim olketa grashopa and honey wea hem faendem long bush. Hem preach and sei: “Repent, bikos Kingdom bilong God hem kam klosap nao.”—Matthew 3:2.

Pipol barava interest for herem message wea John talemaot. Staka luksavve olketa mas repent, wea minim olketa mas changem tingting and wei bilong olketa, and luksavve laef wea olketa garem bifor hem no stret. Olketa pipol hia kam from “Jerusalem and evriwea long Judea and olketa nara ples long east and west saed bilong Jordan River.” (Matthew 3:5) Staka nao repent and John baptaesim olketa long Jordan River. Why nao olsem?

John hem baptaesim pipol for showimaot olketa repent from olketa sin againstim Law agreement wea God mekem witim nation bilong Israel. (Acts 19:4) Bat no evriwan fit for baptaes. Taem samfala Pharisee and Sadducee kam for lukim John, hem sei long olketa: “Iufala olketa pikinini bilong olketa poison snek.” Hem sei moa: “Duim olketa samting wea showimaot iufala repent. No tingse God bae no panisim iufala, from iufala sei, ‘Abraham nao dadi bilong mifala.’ Iu savve, sapos God laekem, hem savve mekem olketa ston hia for garem olketa pikinini for Abraham. Ax hem redi finis for katem rut bilong olketa tree. So bae olketa katem nao evri tree wea no garem gudfala frut and torowem long fire.”—Matthew 3:7-10.

Pipol evriwea interest long John, message wea hem talemaot garem paoa, and hem baptaesim staka pipol, so olketa Jew sendem go olketa priest and olketa Levite for askem hem: “Hu nao iu?”

John sei long olketa: “Mi no datfala Christ.”

Olketa askem hem: “Sapos olsem, waswe, iu Elijah?”

Hem sei: “Nomoa.”

Olketa tingim datfala nambawan Profet wea Moses sei bae hem kam. (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18) So olketa askem hem moa: “Hao, iu nao datfala Profet?”

John sei: “Nomoa tu!”

So olketa sei long hem: “Hu nao iu? Talem kam, mekem mifala go talem long olketa wea sendem mifala kam.” John sei: “Olsem profet Isaiah talem, mi nao man wea singaot kam olsem long wilderness: ‘Iufala mekem road bilong Jehovah hem stret.’”—John 1:19-23.

Olketa gohed moa for askem hem: “Sapos iu no datfala Christ or Elijah or datfala Profet, why nao iu baptaesim pipol?” John sei long olketa: “Mi baptaesim pipol long wata. Wanfala man hem stap midolwan long iufala wea iufala no savve nomoa long hem. Datfala man bae kam.”—John 1:25-27.

So John sei waka bilong hem nao, hem for helpem pipol garem stretfala tingting mekem olketa acceptim Messiah wea bae kamap King. John sei olsem abaotem hem: “Datfala man wea bae kam hem garem paoa winim mi, and mi no fit for aotem sandol bilong hem bikos mi man nating nomoa.” (Matthew 3:11) John hem sei tu: “Man wea bae kam, hem winim mi nao distaem, bikos hem stap firstaem long mi.”—John 1:15.

Dastawe message wea John talemaot hem barava fitim. Hem sei: “Repent, bikos Kingdom bilong God hem kam klosap nao.” (Matthew 3:2) Datfala message hem helpem pipol for luksavve ministry bilong Jesus Christ, wea hem nao bae kamap King, hem klosap for start.