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We are going to see Jesus appear on the scene today but John has a little more to say.  Begining with verse ten and through twelve, he seems to turn his attention back to the crowd he has already baptized. ”And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees (are the trees the Pharisees and Saducees?); every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit (is good fruit repentance?) is cut down and thrown into the fire (is the fire hell?).  As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance (there’s that repent word again) but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals (this is obviously Jesus and if John wasn’t good enough to do that, how could I be?):  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  And His winnowing fork is in His hand and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”   Maybe it’s just me,  but I see two clear descriptions of Jesus.  First, when one is baptised with the Holy Spirit and fire, the impression is that this person will be forever changed; like born-again.  Second, the analogy of the winnowing fork and the clearing of the threshing floor clearly indicate a seperating of those people who are His own from those who are not, and also an eternal fire that will consume those who are not (sounds like hell to me).  When I read this same account in Luke there is this added to it, (3:18) “So with many other exhortations also he preached the gospel to the people.” The word ‘exhortation’ translates as urgent appeals so at this point no “warm fuzzies” have been given.  But here is something I find particularly curious, the use of the term ‘gospel’.  Remember, Jesus has not yet revealed Himself, let alone died for our sins and rose again with victory over them, so what is this ‘gospel’?  Is it the promise of Him who is to come? 

Finally, in verse 13, Jesus arrives from Galilee, is baptized by John “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” I’m unsure why the word used is ‘righteousness’ instead of ‘prophecy’.  Actually, the very first recorded words of Jesus occur in Luke 2:49 when a twelve-year-old Jesus questioned his distraught parents saying, “Why is it that you were looking for Me?  Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” (I love the fact that his mother was treasuring this in her heart (vs. 51)- she hadn’t forgotten who her boy really was!)