What does Matthew 3:5 mean?
John the Baptist became a well-known figure in Israel, known for one clear message: Repent from your sins and be baptized because the coming of the Messiah is near (Matthew 3:1–2). The fact that he preached his message in an area of wilderness didn't keep the crowds away. People traveled from Jerusalem and all around the region to listen to him and to be baptized by him.Of course, almost nobody knew that John would identify Jesus as the long-promised Messiah of Israel. They also did not know that the kingdom Jesus would establish would come first to the hearts of those who follow Him and only much later would take the form of a political kingdom on earth.