Matthias

5. The Baptism

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.' "