John lived alone in the rocky desert. He wore rough clothes made from camel hair, and a leather belt was fastened around his waist. After many years, he moved to the banks of the River Jordan where he taught the people about God.

Every day, more people came to listen to him as he taught them about how God wanted them to live. He told people that God would forgive them if they were sorry for the wrong they had done, and that they could show they were sorry by being baptised. Many of them decided to be baptised in the river.

John would wade into the river with them, and then dip them under the water asking God to forgive everything they had done wrong. Then they would promise to try to live as God wanted them to.

One day Jesus came to John and asked to be baptised. John said, 'No! You have done nothing wrong. You do not need to be baptised.' Jesus told him that this was what God wanted him to do. So John agreed to baptise him.