Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 1:5

"And there went out unto him all the country of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem; And they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." — Mark 1:5 (ASV)

John’s preaching caused great excitement, for many people kept going out to him. Although there is an element of hyperbole in Mark’s report, it nevertheless implies that John’s preaching aroused much interest and created a great stir. Jerusalem is at least twenty miles from the Jordan River and about four thousand feet above it. It was hard going down the rugged Judean hills to the Jordan and even harder coming back up. John preached the coming of the Messiah. This raised popular excitement to a fever pitch.