The Last Scribe
Free story scene · The Life of Jesus · Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1
The baptism of Jesus as a game, free: the Jordan, the dove and the voice
Go down to the Jordan, where John the Baptist cries, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” See Jesus come up out of the water, the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and hear the voice from heaven, as all four Gospels tell it.
No download. Plays in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Free forever, no card asked.
What you will see
One day at the Jordan, told from the voice in the wilderness to the voice from heaven
You arrive as a Scribe, sent to witness the story and write it down. The baptism of Jesus is told from four passages at once, Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3 and John 1, and the scene is one map you can walk end to end. Seven stand on it: John the Baptist, a man of the crowd, a tax collector, a soldier, a priest from Jerusalem, Jesus, and the voice from heaven. Each speaks only from their own verses. Jesus is met and spoken with, never played, and the Father is heard as a voice from heaven, never drawn as a person.
Seven things wait to be found and read: the prophecies of the messenger who would prepare the way, John’s garment of camel’s hair, the stones of the Jordan, the axe laid unto the root of the trees, the winnowing fan, the place where Jesus came up out of the water, and the Spirit descending like a dove. The quest follows the passages in order: the prophets first, then John’s call to repent, what he told the people to do, his answer to the priests, why Jesus came to be baptized, and the Spirit and the voice.
The baptism is told as Matthew tells it: “lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” When you have seen it all, step into the quiz zone and twenty questions ask what you saw.
The story, in order
The quest, Prepare the Way of the LORD, has eight steps, and they follow the passages in order. Nothing is added to the text; the steps are a way of making sure you miss none of it.
- Read what the prophets wrote of the messenger.
- Hear John the Baptist call the people to repent.
- Ask what the people were told to do.
- Hear what John answered the priests from Jerusalem.
- Hear why Jesus came to be baptized.
- See how He came up out of the water.
- See the Spirit descend like a dove.
- Hear the voice from heaven.
Who you meet
Seven people and voices stand in the scene. Each speaks only from their own place in the passages.
- John the Baptist — the voice crying in the wilderness, who calls you to repent and to “bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance”.
- A Man of the Crowd — one of the people who asked John, “What shall we do then?”, and wondered whether he was the Christ.
- A Tax Collector — one of the publicans who came to be baptized and was told to “exact no more than that which is appointed you”.
- A Soldier — one of the soldiers who asked what they should do, and was told to “be content with your wages”.
- A Priest from Jerusalem — one of the priests and Levites sent to ask John who he was, who heard him say, “I am not the Christ.”
- Jesus — met and spoken with, never played, who tells John why He came: “to fulfil all righteousness”.
- The Voice from Heaven — the voice of the Father from heaven, never drawn as a person, saying, “This is my beloved Son.”
What you find
Walk up to any of these and the game reads you the verses it comes from, in the King James Version.
- The Prophecies of the Way (Luke 3:4–6)
- A Garment of Camel’s Hair (Matthew 3:4–6)
- The Stones of the Jordan (Matthew 3:7–9)
- The Ax at the Root of the Trees (Matthew 3:10)
- The Winnowing Fan (Matthew 3:11–12)
- Up Out of the Water (Matthew 3:16)
- The Spirit Descending Like a Dove (Luke 3:21–22)
The Spirit like a dove, and the voice from heaven
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16–17, King James Version
Every verse the game quotes is the KJV. Where a character speaks in their own words, the dialogue is written from the passages and checked against our doctrinal rules before release. The about page says plainly how we read the Bible.
Try five of the twenty
The Baptism of Jesus quiz questions, with answers
Five real questions from the The Baptism of Jesus quiz, in the game's own words. In the game the options are shuffled every time, and you need 70% to pass.
1. What did John wear?
- Clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt
- A priest’s linen robe
- A purple robe
- Sackcloth and ashes
Show the answer
A. Clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt He was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, as Elijah wore a leather belt (2 Kings 1:8).
2. What did John tell the man who had two tunics to do?
- Sell one and give the money to the temple
- Give to him who has none
- Keep both for the winter
- Bring one to be baptized in
Show the answer
B. Give to him who has none “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”
3. John said he was not worthy to do what for the One coming after him?
- Loose His sandal strap
- Carry His cloak
- Wash His hands
- Pour water on His head
Show the answer
A. Loose His sandal strap “There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.”
4. In what form did the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus?
- As a bright cloud
- As tongues of fire
- As a rushing mighty wind
- In bodily form like a dove
Show the answer
D. In bodily form like a dove The Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him. Luke adds that it happened while He prayed.
5. By what sign had John been told he would know the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit?
- He would see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him
- He would hear thunder from the Jordan
- A star would stand over Him
- The river would part before Him
Show the answer
A. He would see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him He who sent John to baptize said, “Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he.” John saw it, and testified that this is the Son of God.
Right answers pay 10 XP each and a perfect score pays 50 more. In a room, everyone answers the same quiz and sees how the others did. More on how the quiz works.
Story facts
- 66
- verses from Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1, every one covered by something you see, hear or read
- 20
- quiz questions, each tied to a verse
- 7
- people and voices to speak with
- 7
- things to find and read
- 1–6
- players in a room; solo play is fine too
- KJV
- every verse quoted from the King James Version
How to play it
- Open the game in your browser and make an account. A child under 13 gives a parent's email instead of their own, and the parent confirms before the child can play with anyone else; see the page for parents.
- Play the short intro story in the Archivery, the library where the Scribe finds the Book. It is free and takes a few minutes.
- Open the world map and choose The Baptism of Jesus. To play with others, start a room and share its code, which looks like SCRIBE-7K4P2Q; up to six people can join from their own devices.
- Walk the map, speak with everyone, read everything, then step into the quiz zone.
What else is free
The Baptism of Jesus is free forever, for every player, with no card asked. Also free: the intro story, Revelation 1, and four open lands to walk with other players: the City of the Last Days, the Garden of Eden, Judea in the days of Jesus, and Patmos and the Seven Churches. A subscription ($9.99 a month or $79.99 a year) opens the rest of the Bible: 1,189 chapters and 14 story scenes. See pricing.
More to play
- Before: The Birth of Jesus — Go up with Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, where there was “no room for them in the inn”.
- After: Temptation in the Wilderness — Follow Jesus from the Jordan into the wilderness, where after forty days He was “afterward an hungred”.
- Every chapter and story with a page: the list of what you can play.
Go down to the Jordan.
The baptism of Jesus is free to play and takes about twenty minutes alone, a little longer with friends in a room.
Play The Baptism of Jesus free