A star twinkled in the sky, announcing the birth of the Jewish King to the world and guiding the Magi to the place of His birth on earth. John, however, was not born amid celestial signs, but emerged in the wilderness, clothed in camel skin, preparing the way for the Kingdom of Christ. He was John the Baptist, a Jewish prophet and ascetic, who preached repentance and baptised the Jewish people in the River Jordan, becoming known throughout the land for this calling.
From the Holy Bible, as it is.
John identified himself as the Messiah’s forerunner, preparing the way for Christ’s ministry. He was born to Zechariah and Elizabeth; his mother Elizabeth was a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus. According to the Gospel accounts, when Herod ordered the killing of infants around the time of Jesus’ birth, Elizabeth took her child and escaped into the wilderness. John, who was about six months older than Jesus, was raised there, eating locusts and wild honey. His father Zechariah was killed during Herod’s inquiry into the whereabouts of the infant king.
John the Baptist: His Message and Origins
John the Baptist’s message of spiritual cleansing preceded the arrival of Jesus.
- Baptist, the Forerunner: He came before Jesus Christ.
- (Luke 1:5) In the days of Herod the Great, king of Judea, John’s father Zechariah was a priest of the division of Abijah, one of the twenty-four priestly courses appointed for Temple service (1 Chronicles 24:1). Each course served for one week. Zechariah belonged to this priestly lineage, and his wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. Both husband and wife traced their ancestry to Aaron, the High Priest, a distinction highly regarded in Israel.
- (Luke 1:6–7) They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. They had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
John’s birth was as miraculous as the birth of Isaac (Romans 4:17–21; Hebrews 11:11; Luke 1:8).
On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, as commanded by God and originally given to Abraham (Genesis 17:10–12). They called him Zechariah after his father, as was customary (Luke 1:60), but his mother said, “No; he shall be called John.” When they made signs to his father, who was unable to hear or speak, Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” They all marvelled. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue loosened, and he spoke, praising God (Luke 1:62–64).
(Luke 1:40–42) Mary entered the house of Elizabeth and greeted her. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaimed loudly, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
Many of the children of Israel would turn to the Lord their God. John would be the first prophet since Malachi, after a prophetic silence of about four hundred years. He was the forerunner foretold in Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3), identified in the New Testament as the one proclaiming the coming of the Lord in the wilderness, calling people to “prepare the way of the Lord.” His message was delivered to an unreceptive audience, speaking unpopular truth like a lone prophet (John 1:15).
John bore witness to Christ, declaring that the One coming after him existed before him. From Christ’s fullness, all have received grace upon grace (John 1:16). The Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has made Him known (John 1:18). In essence, God the Father and God the Son are one.
Testimony of John the Baptist
(John 1:19–20) When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John who he was, some thought he might be the Messiah. John confessed plainly, without hesitation, “I am not the Christ.”
(John 1:21–22) They asked him if he was Elijah, recalling Malachi’s prophecy (Malachi 4:5). John said he was not. They asked if he was “the Prophet” spoken of by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18). He answered, “No.” Pressed to explain himself, he said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah had said (Isaiah 40:3).
(John 1:24–26) Those sent were Pharisees, questioning why he baptised without Temple authority. John replied that he baptised with water, but among them stood One they did not know.
(John 1:27) This was the Messiah, already present among them, whose sandal strap John was not worthy to untie.
(John 1:28) These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, near Jericho.
(John 1:29) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Under the old covenant, animal sacrifices could only cover sin; Christ, by offering Himself, took away sin entirely (Colossians 2:14–15).
(John 1:30) John affirmed Jesus’ essential humanity and eternal deity: “After me comes a Man who ranks before me, because He was before me.”
(John 1:31–33) John testified that he saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain upon Jesus, identifying Him as the Messiah. This fulfilled the sign given to John by God.
(Luke 3:22; Acts 2:3) The Holy Spirit was manifested visibly, descending bodily like a dove at Jesus’ baptism, and later as tongues of fire at Pentecost.
John baptised with water, as directed by God, following the tradition of ceremonial purification. Jesus, the ultimate High Priest, entered into His redemptive ministry, fulfilling the Old Testament sacrificial system through His death on the cross.
(John 1:34) John declared, “I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
Despite his disciples’ loyalty to him, John directed them to follow Jesus (John 1:35–37), teaching that Christ must increase while he must decrease (John 3:30).
Jesus’ Testimony About John
Jesus affirmed John’s role when John sent his disciples from prison under Herod Antipas (Matthew 11:3). Jesus answered by pointing to His works: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them (Isaiah 35:5–6; Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 11:4–5).
(Matthew 11:7–11) Jesus spoke to the crowds about John, declaring him more than a prophet and the greatest born of women, yet stating that the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.
John baptised with water for repentance, but Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit. John prepared the way, calling people to repentance in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and fulfilling his mission to point all people to Christ.