In my bible reading I came across a familiar figure that I have never really studied before. John the Baptist. Who is he and why should we know more about him?
He was born in a similar way that Issac was born to Abraham and Sarah. In their old age, Zacarias and Elizabeth would be blessed with a son. That story is recorded in Luke 1.
John’s birth was announced by the angel Gabriel. The same angel who would announce Jesus' birth. Gabriel said
Luke 1:
He will bring joy to many 14
He will be great in God's sight 15
He is to be set apart to God 15
He will be filled with the holy spirit before birth 15
He will point many to God 16
He, in the spirit of Elijah, will prepare the way for the Messiah 17
Mark tell us how he dressed and what his message was mark 1;4-8
His connection with Elijah is interesting.
The last two verses of the Old Testament say
Malachi 4:5 "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction."
There are two aspects of the Elijah theme here that we will see in a minute. God would send Elijah, or an Elijah like figure before the Messiah came. John's clothes were like Elijah's (2K1:8) and his message and lifestyle was similar to the great prophets.
All 4 evangelists tell of John as being the Elijah-like prophet.
Matthew 3:3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
Mark 1:3 "a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God's salvation.'"
John 1:23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"
Though John himself denied being Elijah.
John 1:21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
Jesus would later tell his men
Matthew 17:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." 10 The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" 11 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
So, John came to prepare the way for the Messiah. His message we see in Matthew 3:3 and his prophet like garb and diet are mentioned in 4.
He waited for the people to come to him. Not like Jesus, who went about teaching And preaching.
His message was also one of judgment as we see in Matthew 3:7-10
Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
He chastised the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and told them that they needed to produce works of repentance. Unless true repentance took place there would be total destruction in their future. In the end, they didn’t truly repent and there was total destruction of Jerusalem and it’s temple in 70 A.D..
Why was John called the baptist?
It was probably linked with the Old Testament right of purification mentioned in Leviticus 15:3. But also in John’s day, a gentile who wanted to become a follower of Jehovah God of the Jews, had to be baptized. Which was a symbol of leaving their old religious ways and being totally immersed into the new way.
The Jews that came to John to be baptized were admitting that they had become like the hated Gentiles and needed to return to the way of God. The people were preparing themselves for the coming of the Messiah.
Christian baptism is different in that it symbolizes the christians identification with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12).
What did Jesus say about John the baptist?
Jesus identified him with Elijah.
He said that he was the greatest man to ever live to that point. But that he would be least in the kingdom of heaven. The reason being is that he prophesied about what Christ would do. He lived to actually see the coming of the Messiah and he participated in introducing him to the Jews. His statement, “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world” is a cutting reminder to Jesus’ sacrificial mission.
Conclusion:
John accepted his role as lesser than Jesus John 3:30
He wasn't afraid to call sin sin (Luke 3:19, Matthew 14:1-13)
He was great, but less than the least in the kingdom. Because those in the kingdom have experienced the full redemption in Christ.
He was chosen before birth, like all true believers (E 1:4)
He is an example of a faithful witness in difficult times.
His purpose was clear and his determination strong.
He became a martyr in the cause of Christ
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