And so, Matthias, Josiah, and some others took the long journey from Jotapata in Galilee and went down to the Jordan River. "We are getting closer," said Matthias. "It seems everyone knows where this John preaches at."
The Jotapata group then noticed a crowd in the distance—a crowd of Jews. A clear sign their long trip would soon be over. "For certain," said Josiah, "it's this John who is the center of attention in that crowd."
Matthias nodded. "Wise thinking, but we must see for sure if John is there."
Among the crowd were regular people, a handful of Pharisees, only two priests of the Temple in Jerusalem, and others of different rank. The Jotapata group moved forward and stopped close to the shore of the river.
The rocks on the coast were small... and slimy. Matthias was only standing some feet away from the riverside, and he looked up to see a figure standing on a huge rock up ahead. Matthias was being as close as he could and as the crowd permitted.
The figure stated to everyone, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
Matthias turned his attention to the man—clearly, he was one who had lived long in the desert. His hair was not that tangled, though rough-looking. He wore rough garments, with a leather girdle about his waist. Matthias wondered, Could this hairy man possibly be a prophet?
Matthias observed as some people formed a line as they stepped into the current of the Jordan. As the preacher got down from the rock and into the water, he continued his message, "Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. Every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire." The son of Zacharias approached the first person in the human line, a man living in his 40s.
"I await to be in the kingdom of God," he said. "I have sinned, yet I seek redemption."
John nodded. He led the man into deeper water; as he did so, he said, "There cometh One mightier than I after me, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose."
Now the two were waist-down in the water. The preacher then held the man and made him sink backward into the water, and then raised him up. The man gasped, "Ah! Praise the Lord!"
John said to him, "I indeed have baptized you with water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
The baptized man now travelled up to land again. The next person in line came up to the preacher. And again there was a baptism.
"The Messiah will soon appear!" said one in the crowd.
Matthias felt moved. This John certainly sounded like a prophet. Sensing the coming of the Messiah, Matthias felt like he should go get baptized himself.
That soon?
He turned to some woman nearby, "Who is this man? Who was his father Zacharias?"
The woman said to him, "Zacharias was a priest in the Temple. The man and his wife were both old when John was born," proceeded the woman. "There are... claims of visions and prophecies involved in the birth."
Matthias noted, "God hasn't spoken since Matthias." He quickly added, "Well, but if John here is the Elijah promised by that prophet, then that surely means Messiah will not be far."
"His birth," said the woman partly covered in a veil, "was the talk of Judea. I remember it well. 'What manner of child shall this be!' I heard said. The old priest said, 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets.' "
Matthias said, "So John is not Messiah, for he is not of David's family."
She said, "Well, then it sounded like Zacharias was making a prophecy. He said: 'And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the highest, for you shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.' "
"Ah," said Matthias, "so God will save His people 'by the remission of their sins.' "
Now Matthias walked ahead. Then John really is the forerunner of Messiah, he thought as he got closer to the river.
He heard John the Baptizer speaking, "All people shall see the salvation of God."
Then Josiah came up to Matthias. "Matthias," he said, "the preacher speaks with power. I feel my sinfulness—my unworthiness."
Matthias was still looking at the preacher, but he said to Josiah, "Mustn't we all?" He walked ahead and got his feet into the water.
"You're committing yourself to his message already?" asked Josiah.
Matthias turned around, facing his friend. "Josiah, the Messiah is coming soon. I wish to be ready for His coming."
Josiah, after 3 seconds of silence, nodded his head: "You are learned, Matthias. If John follows the spirit of the Torah, then you can go ahead."
Matthias asked, "And you?"
Josiah only answered, "I feel conviction."
Then someone said, "John, I'm a tax collector." The tax man was next in line for baptism, and he said to John the Baptizer, "I have sinned, and I want to change!"
John placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "Collect no more than that which is appointed you."
The tax collector nodded in acceptance. So John baptized him, sinking him under the water and raising him up again. The preacher said, "The Messiah shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
Then Matthias noticed two Pharisees come close and face the preacher. One said, "You accept a tax collector?" Then that man raised his voice for all to hear, "This unauthorized preacher is willing to baptize notorious sinners! Surely such a preacher who lets in a grave sinner cannot be of the Holy God!"
The other man nodded, and added, "Away, ye people, from the Baptizer! Turn to the Temple! The Temple!"
Matthias quickly spoke up, turning to the Pharisees, "Respected sirs, tax collectors are men! They feel repentance, and will you have them remain sinners?"
John the Baptizer nodded and stated, "God is able to accept even tax collectors. Repentance is for everyone." Here he turned especially to those two men. "And you too as well."
"Ah!" snapped one of them. "How dare you—"
"Oh, generation of vipers!" said John, climbing up that rock. "Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance."
The two men were clearly upset. The people normally trusted in the religious authorities, but now the tide of feeling was in support of John, who repeated, "The axe is laid unto the root of the trees; every tree therefore which brings not good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire!"
Judgment was prophesied! Repentance must be proven by deeds! Matthias, deeply moved, came close to the Baptizer and put this question to him, "What shall we do then?"
The other repentent people started to ask the same thing: "Yes, what shall we do? What shall we do?"
The two Pharisees felt ignored, and they hated it! They shouted, "He cannot lead you to the truth! Salvation is in Jerusalem, the city of peace!"
John answered with fiery zeal, "The priesthood is corrupted, played on with the whims of Rome! No, the rituals have become formal practice." Now he referred to the general people, "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none, and he that hath food, let him do likewise."
The people accepted his words. The Pharisees shook their heads, unsettled. Noticing a handful of Roman soldiers among the crowd, the rabbis headed toward them and said things that Matthias couldn't hear. The Romans walked ahead. "Preacher," one said.
Everyone was still. Would they arrest John?
The soldier now said, "What about us?"
There were some gasps throughout the assembly. The other soldiers approached, "Yes," responding, "and what shall we do?"
"Augh!" a Pharisee said.
John nodded. "My answer is this: Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages."
Now Matthias referred to the preacher. "Sir, I await the coming of the Messiah. I do agree: Israel needs a reformation."
The Baptizer got down from the rock and unto the water. "So you want baptism."
"Truly," answered Matthias.
"And you want to be a disciple?" asked John. As he took Matthias further into the water, he said, "I have multiple disciples already, but you can fit in, young man."
"Like who?"
"There's an Ezekiel, an Andrew, and there's some other John, John son of Zedebee."
"Oh," said Matthias as they stopped waist-down the current. "I am Matthias son of Jether."
"Matthias," said the Baptizer as his hand was on Matthias' back, "I indeed baptize you with water—"
Here he submerged Matthias gently under the Jordan River, and resurrected him. The desert prophet continued: "—but One mightier than I cometh. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire!"
~
One of those days, Matthias got into contact with John's other disciples. They watched from one part of the coastland. As he, Matthias, watched the line of people awaiting baptism, Josiah approached Matthias. Josiah had been baptized too. "Matthias."
Now Matthias was sitting with the other disciples. "Go ahead, friend."
Josiah asked, "What do you think about John? Might he be the Messiah?"
Recalling what the woman had said, Matthias answered, "No, but the Elijah that cometh before the Lord's Messiah. I heard him once say, 'I am not He. But behold, there cometh One after me, whose sandals of His feet I am not worthy to loose!' "
After he thought a while, Matthias turned to Ezekiel, one of John's disciples. "You know, the Messiah ought to come soon. We're getting to the hours of the Festival of Booths."
"Then shouldn't we be in Jerusalem?" asked Josiah.
Matthias turned to Josiah. "Not this festival, but I'll be there for Passover. You go, if you wish."
"Very well," answered Josiah. "We'll meet next spring." And so Matthias' friend went. Some had already gone—the Temple priests, those of the Pharisees, and many other pious Jews.
Matthias sighed and turned to Andrew, the thin-bearded fellow, saying, "Would you follow Messiah when you recognize Him?"
"Yes I would," grinned Andrew.
"And I too," answered John son of Zedebee, clean-shaven.
Matthias nodded. "Well, I would also—but I fear life might get in the way."
Then they heard the Baptizer's voice: "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?"
The disciples turned to the prophet, confused over the strange statement. John was speaking to a 30-year-old Man with hair reaching down to the shoulder and vested in a close-to-white garment. The Man placed a hand on John's shoulder. "Let it be so now," said the Man in His Galilean accent, "for it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."
Well, John accepted. "Very well, Jesus." (Jesus means: The Lord saves.)
The disciples of John watched the baptism. Now they realized Jesus had a beard as brown as His hair. While Jesus paced toward the coastline, the Baptizer climbed up his rock. As Jesus prayed, pouring out His soul before God, Matthias suddenly noticed the sky slightly getting brighter. Then he saw that John was gaping. There's a dove in the sky, and it soon lighted on Jesus.
Then John ran back down and toward the bank of the Jordan. Pointing at Jesus, he exclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!"
Jesus followed the dove, which flew ahead to the road that leads to the Judean wilderness! Rarely did anyone travel there! And yet Jesus took a light-blue tunic, a seamless tunic, and put it on Himself. He followed the dove, leaving a wet trail.
Matthias turned to the prophet as he watched Jesus go, "What's that all about?"
The Baptizer smiled, "I do not know exactly. One thing I do know: Jesus is the Promised One."