Matthew 3:5-9 "Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."
John the Baptist was described in previous verses as the “voice of one crying in the wilderness.” John did not go into any area begging people to be baptized. He stood where God sent him and preached the truth of the coming kingdom of heaven. This message drew men and women to come seeking baptism.
As far as scripture tells us, the act of baptism had not been done before John came. John was of the lineage of the priesthood (Luke 1:5-13), and, according to scholars, would have been considered a “chief priest.” As such, he was familiar with the law and the prophets. John’s act of water baptism was a prophesy of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:4-6).
Those that came seeking baptism from John for the right reasons came with humility. They came confessing their sins as an acknowledgment of their need for the Saviour. When the Pharisees and the Sadducees came, John rebuked them. Both the scriptures and history describe these two sects of the Jews as self-righteous and holding themselves as better than other men (even their fellow Jews).
Although John was himself a Jew and a chief priest, he understood that none of that mattered in coming to Christ. Lineage did not make him worthy nor did any works of righteousness that man might have tried to take credit for (Titus 3:4-7). The fact that the Pharisees and Sadducees might claim that they were of the lineage of Abraham did not move John. God made man originally from the dust of the earth and certainly had the power to raise up children from the very stones if He so chose.
Beloved, let us heed the good word of God. We can do nothing of ourselves. Our steps should be led by the Holy Spirit and the drawing of His holy truth. We can bring nothing before the Lord except our humble acknowledgement that we are sinners in need of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.