Matthew 3:1

New Catholic Bible

Jesus Inaugurates His Ministry as Savior

John the Baptist Preaches and Baptizes.^[a]¹In those days, John the Baptist^[b] appeared in the desert of Judea, preaching:

Matthew 3:1 This account is concerned with the person and prophetic message of John (vv. 1-6), his baptism (v. 6), his criticism of the Pharisees and Sadducees (vv. 7-10), his teaching about Jesus (vv. 11-12), and his baptism of Jesus (vv. 15-17).
Matthew 3:1 John the Baptist: the cousin and precursor of Jesus (see Lk 1:5-80). Desert of Judea: a twenty-mile barren region from the Jerusalem-Bethlehem plateau to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.

New Catholic Bible (NCB)