John The Baptist

JOHN THE BAPTIST

Scripture references:
Matthew 3; 11; Mark 1; 6;
Luke 1; 3; 7; John 1; 3

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JOHN’S LIFE AND TIMES

Jesus called John the last and greatest of the prophets (Matt. 11:11, 13). He was a relative of Christ’s, born some three months before our Lord. In every way, his life was unusual.

John’s birth was announced by an angel (Luke 1).The angel Gabriel announced the coming birth of a child to a priest named Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth. The angel predicted that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit and that his ministry would “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:16). The angel also stated that John would “go before Him [the Lord] in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). This was most significant because the prophet Malachi had foretold that Elijah would return before God’s anointed Savior appeared.

John had a prophetic ministry (John 1).As an adult, John lived in the wilderness, dressed in animal hides, and ate what he could scavenge from the land (Matt. 3:4). He then appeared near the river Jordan and began to preach. His ministry had two main themes: the promised Messiah was about to appear, and his listeners must repent and change their ways to be ready for Him.

John’s preaching was blunt and confrontational. He respected neither the wealthy nor the religious leaders. One time, he noticed a number of Pharisees and Sadducees listening, and John boldly shouted, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit worthy of repentance, and do not think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’ ” (Matt. 3:8–9).

While the religious people scoffed at John, he was popular with common people. His call for moral reform combined with his promise that the Messiah would soon come was a compelling message.

John was the first to recognize Jesus(John 1). When Jesus came to be baptized, John objected (Matt. 3:13–15). John was baptizing sinners who needed to change their ways, and John knew his cousin to be a godly individual. But Jesus insisted on identifying Himself with John’s message, and so John baptized our Lord. During the baptism, John saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus in the form of a dove and heard God’s voice announcing Christ as His beloved Son (John 1:11). Later, John pointed out Jesus to his disciples as the Son of God (John 1:34), and a day later as “the Lamb of God” (John 1:36). John continued preaching, but within months the crowds that he once gathered began to follow Jesus. John’s response when questioned by his followers was “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). John’s mission had been to prepare the way for Christ’s appearance. Once Christ appeared, the spotlight rightly shifted to Him.

John later had doubts (Luke 7:18–24). Later, John himself began to doubt. He, like other pious Jews, expected God’s Coming One to lead Israel back to glory and set up an eternal kingdom here on earth. So John sent disciples to ask Jesus if He were indeed the One. As John’s messengers watched, Jesus healed many, and then quoted from Isaiah 35:5, 6, a passage that describes a unique healing ministry to be performed only by the Messiah. John might not understand God’s present program, but Jesus’ works of healing were proof positive that He was indeed the promised Messiah of the Old Testament.

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John the Baptist’s bold preaching identified the sins of every segment of society and moved many to repent.

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John was executed by Herod(Matt. 14:3–10). Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, had married his brother Philip’s wife in violation of Old Testament Law. John preached openly against Herod, who then imprisoned John. Herod feared John and was unwilling to take further action against him, but his wife Herodias determined to see John dead. When Herod rashly promised Herodias’s daughter a reward after she danced for his guests at a banquet, Herodias had the girl ask for the head of John the Baptist. Herod reluctantly granted the request, fearful of how it would look if he went back on his promise. Later, when Jesus became more prominent, Herod imagined that Christ might be John the Baptist, come back from the dead to haunt him.

Jesus’ evaluation of John(Luke 7:24–28). After John’s messengers returned to report Christ’s proof of His messiahship, Jesus called John “more than a prophet.” Christ said that “among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist.”

JOHN: AN EXAMPLE FOR TODAY

John was a man with a specific mission to fulfill, and he carried it out faithfully. It was his great privilege to fulfill the Elijah role, if not the Elijah prophecy, and prepare his generation for the appearance of Jesus Christ.

In John’s mission and in his attitude believers can find several important lessons for today.

•     John was called to a specific mission and dedicated his life to it. John clearly modeled the kind of commitment to ministry believers are to display, whatever our individual ministry may be.

•     John was equipped by God’s Spirit to carry out His mission. God never asks us to do anything for Him without providing the spiritual resources that will enable us to succeed.

•     John was bold in confronting sin, whether the corrupt were great or small. We may not have the same prophetic calling John had, but we need His boldness in sharing Christ with our generation.

•     John was ready to step aside when a greater than he arrived. From John, we need to learn the grace of humility; we need to be as willing as John to give center stage to another God may have called to a ministry more significant than ours. Rivalry or jealousy has no room in the church of Jesus Christ.

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