John is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said, “A messenger is calling out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High God will overshadow you, so that the holy one who is born will be called the Son of God.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God, who is kind to people who do wrong and are ungrateful.
“I’m baptizing you with water so you can show that you’ve turned away from your sins. But someone is coming after me who’s more powerful than I am. I’m not even worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.