Note 2 at Jn. 1:35: It is stated very clearly in Mark 1:12 that Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted "immediately" after He was baptized by John. However, the instance recorded here is prefaced by "the next day," inferring that these two disciples of John stayed with Jesus the day after His baptism. John 1:43 and John 2:1 further complicate things by showing a succession of events that covered three days after this recognition by John. This would mean that Jesus' forty day temptation began at least three days after His baptism.

The harmony of these two accounts is that verses 32-34 are simply John referring back to the baptism of Jesus and actually took place after Jesus returned from His temptation. As far back as verse 15, John's testimony of Jesus was spoken of in the past tense. John 1:15-51 all took place after Jesus' baptism.

Because the content of verses 19-36 parallels the other gospel writers' accounts, it is appropriate to place these parallel scriptures under the heading, "Ministry of John the Baptist." However, since verses 19-36 actually took place after Jesus' baptism and temptation in the wilderness, the correct chronological placement would be after the heading, "The Temptation of Jesus," under "John's Recognition of Jesus."