John the Baptizer

Matthew 3  (ages 9-12)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yahweh (God) said, “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh. And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers,” (Mal. 4:5-6).  Remember, Elijah was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire? Now, Yahweh is telling the people that he is going to return and prepare the people to see and accept the Word that was being made manifest in flesh. Yasha (Jesus)  was the Word that was being made visible in flesh.

Remember, John was born 6 months before Yasha, his cousin. Yasha said that John was Elijah who had been taken up by Yahweh into the heavens in a chariot of fire. John knew that he had been chosen to prepare the people to meet the Savior. As he was growing up, John was told that Yasha was the Son of Yahweh but he did not grow up around Yasha, and he was not sure that what he had been told was correct. John was the one that the prophet Isaiah (in Isaiah 40:3) was talking about, when he said, “There would be a voice of one preaching in the wilderness, saying, “Make ready the way of Yahweh, make his paths straight.”

John lived in the wilderness where there were no stores and not very much food; the land was not filled with fruit trees and beautiful gardens. John ate locusts and wild honey because there was plenty to be found. He made his clothes out of camel's hair and wore a leather belt. Camels can do very well in land where there isn’t much vegetation or water.

John encouraged the people to be baptized in water. Water baptism was an agreement between the person and Yahweh giving the Holy Spirit permission to cleanse them from their evil ways. As the believers confessed their sins, John baptized them in the River of Jordan. The believers could now be prepared to receive the message of the Savior.

One day, when John saw that many of the Pharisees and Sadducees had come to his baptism, he said unto them, “O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? You must desire to be righteous. And don’t think that just because you are descendents of Abraham that you will enter into the Kingdom of Yahweh. You must confess your sins and be baptized in water just like everyone else.”

John continued saying, “I will baptize you with water as an act of repentance, but Yasha, the one who will come after me is mightier than I, and he will baptize you with the "Holy Spirit" and with "fire." He is already prepared to begin a work in you. He will cleanse you with an unquenchable fire; he will take away from you those things that are not profitable unto you.”

            John preached, saying, “I am not even good enough to bend down and untie your Savior's shoe straps.  I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is love and truth. The Holy Spirit has forgiveness and compassion for us. Up until this time, the people were not able to abide by the law that was given by Moses, but now the Holy Spirit was made available to teach all people, comfort all people, and guide all people into all truth.

 

1.  Who sent John into the world? ____________________

2.  John was to prepare the people to accept the __________________

      that  was going to be made manifest in ______________________.

3.  John was ______ months older than Yasha.

4.  John ate __________________ and _________________.

5.  John’s clothes were made out of __________________ hair.

6.  What did the people do before John baptized them?

     _________________________________________________

7.  In what river did John baptize the people? _______________

8.  What was the Holy Spirit going to cleanse the people with?

     ____________________________________________________________

9.  John said that Yasha would baptize them in the _____________________.

10.  Draw a picture below to show what John baptized the people in.