Who was John the Baptist? John the Baptist was a man, who was chosen and set apart from the people by God and didn’t bow to people. John the Baptist was the son of the priest Zacharias and Elisabeth, who was of the daughters of Aaron. John the Baptist’s parents were both righteous before God and walked blamelessly in obedience to all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. Through their obedience to God and their works, they were righteous before God. We don’t live in the Old Covenant anymore but in the New Covenant. In the New Covenant, people can no longer be made righteous before God by their own works, but only by faith in Jesus Christ through His sacrifice and His blood. However, when people have become righteous, by becoming born again in Jesus Christ and are no longer a sinner, they shall bear the fruit of their righteous status. This means obedience to God and living according to His will; His commandments, which are also the commandments of Jesus and His will. Now, let’s look at the birth and life of John the Baptist.
The appearance of the angel Gabriel
Elisabeth was barren and couldn’t have children. Zacharias and Elisabeth were both stricken in years. According to the natural realm it was impossible for Elisabeth to become pregnant and bear a child. But nothing is impossible for God!
And so it happened, that while Zacharias was executing the priest’s office before God, he was chosen to burn incense. When Zacharias entered the temple of the Lord and while Zacharias burned the incense, an angel of the Lord, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias and stood on the right side of the altar of incense. When Zacharias saw the angel of the Lord, he was troubled and fear fell upon him. But Gabriel told him, that he shouldn’t fear and that the prayer of Zacharias was heard. Gabriel told Zacharias, that Elisabeth would bear a son and that he should call him John, which means the grace of Jehovah.
The angel Gabriel continued and said, that he would have joy and gladness and that many would rejoice at his birth. Because John would be great in the sight of the Lord.
John would not drink wine and strong drinks. But John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb and would turn many children of Israel to the Lord their God.
John would go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:17).
Instead of being joyful after hearing of the words the angel Gabriel, Zacharias doubted his words. Zacharias didn’t believe the words of Gabriel and the promise of the Lord. Zacharias and his wife were both old. Therefore it seemed impossible to Zacharias, that they would have a child and so Zacharias asked Gabriel for a sign. But asking for a sign belongs to the unfaithful generation; the old carnal man (Matthew 12:39). Due to his unbelief, Zacharias became dumb and couldn’t speak until the day, that the things, which Gabriel had spoken of came to pass.
The birth of John the Baptist
Elisabeth became pregnant and gave birth to a child. When the child was circumcised on the eighth day, according to the law, they called the child Zacharias. But Elisabeth told them to call him John. However, since there was no one in the family whose name was John, they asked Zacharias. Zacharias wrote on a writing table ‘his name is John’ and immediately Zacharias’ tongue was loosed and Zacharias spoke and praised God.
Fear came upon all that dwelled round about them. And all that had been taken place, was announced throughout the hill country of Judaea. The people, who heard them, said: “what manner of child shall this be!” And the hand of the Lord was with John.
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; The oath which He sware to our father Abraham, That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1)
John the Baptist grew up in the deserts
John the Baptist didn’t grow up among his people and didn’t have a childhood like most boys of his age. John was set apart by God for His service and he grew up in the deserts (Luke 1:80). We can only speculate about the age of John when Herod gave the command to kill all boys under the age of two (Matthew 2:16).
Since John the Baptist was approximately six months older than Jesus, John could have been older than two years. But it could also be that John was two years and that this was the reason, why Elisabeth and John were led to the deserts by God, to prevent John to be killed by Herod.
Although Joseph and Maria went back to Israel after they stayed in Egypt, John stayed in the desert and grew up in the deserts until John was sent by God to His people.
John the Baptist was being prepared in the deserts by God, without being influenced and defiled by the culture and habits of the people of Israel. According to the world, John led a lonely quiet life, but it was all part of God’s plan for his life.
Because if John would have grown up among the people, he maybe would have considered their habits and works, which were sinful in the eyes of God, as normal. But because the Lord taught him in the silence of the deserts, separated from the people, he was totally devoted to God. John learned everything about the Kingdom of God, and he grew and waxed strong in the spirit.
John was being prepared in the desert, in order to prepare God’s people for the coming of the Messiah Jesus
John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance and the remission of sins
When the time had come, the word of the Lord came to John in the wilderness. John the Baptist obeyed the word of the Lord and went in all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance and the remission of sins, according to the words, which were prophesied by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3-5). By preaching the baptism of repentance and confronting the people with their sins, so that they could remove their sins, he prepared God’s people for the coming of Jesus Christ.
John was led by the Holy Spirit, instead of being led by his senses. Because he didn’t behold with his natural eyes, he confronted the people without making a distinction. John brought the works of darkness into the light.
John was bold and spoke with such authority, that they had to listen to him. The majority did listen to John, and asked him, what they had to do, and John answered their questions (Luke 3:10-14)
John the Baptist didn’t preach a gentle, motivational man-pleasing gospel. He didn’t preach what the people wanted to hear, but John the Baptist preached the truth of God; the gospel of God, and therefore John the Baptist preached corrections and chastened the people of God.
The people wondered if John the Baptist was the Christ, but John answered them, that he wasn’t the Christ. Because he only baptized with water (to repentance). However, the Christ, Who would come, would be stronger than him, and John wouldn’t be worthy of unloosing the latchets of his shoes. Although John baptized with water, the Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:15-7 (Read also: ‘What is the baptism with fire?‘))
John the Baptist didn’t bow to people and didn’t compromise
John was a bold man and spoke the words of God with authority. He wasn’t intimidated by the people and didn’t make any distinction between the people, but John the Baptist treated everyone equally. He made the will of God known to everyone and told them what they had to do and what they shouldn’t do. The fact, that John didn’t make any distinction between people became not only visible in the fact, that he confronted and addressed the evil works (the sins) of the Pharisees and Sadducees, but also the evil works of Herod.
John the Baptist didn’t bow to people and didn’t compromise and didn’t speak words that would please Herod the tetrarch. But John the Baptist stayed obedient to God and showed his love for God by staying faithful to Him and by keeping His commandments, which represent His will. Therefore John the Baptist reproved Herod for his adultery with Herodias; the wife of his brother, and for all the evil works which Herod had done. Herod wasn’t pleased with John the Baptist’s reprove and therefore Herod locked John the Baptist up in prison.
While John the Baptist was in prison, John the Baptist’s disciples came to John and told John all the things about Jesus Christ. When John the Baptist heard all the things, which they told him, John the Baptist called two of his disciples and send them to Jesus to inquire Him, if He was the one, who would come or that they had to look for another.
John the Baptist had testified of Jesus and while John had baptized Jesus he was a witness of the fact that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus and that the voice of God came out of heaven and testified that Jesus Christ was His Son (Mark 1:9-13). But despite all these things, John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus to inquire Him.
Jesus answered the disciples of John that they had to tell him, all the things, which they had seen. Because Jesus healed many of their infirmities, plagues, and evil spirits, and unto many that were blind He gave them their sight (Luke 7:18-23)
Why was John the Baptist the greatest among all prophets?
Jesus witnessed about John the Baptist in front of the multitude and told the people that among those, who were born of women there was not a greater prophet than John the Baptist, but that he, who would be the least in the Kingdom of God would be greater than John (Luke 7:28).
What did Jesus mean by John the Baptist being the greatest among all prophets? Jesus meant, that John was the greatest among all the prophets and of all man, who were born of women, and belonged to the generation of fallen man; the old creation and lived in the Old Covenant. Because although John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost, John still belonged to the old generation of fallen man. But anyone, who would be born again in Jesus Christ and therefore would be born of God and transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God would, despite his or her position, be greater than John the Baptist.
John preached the gospel of God, which is the truth of God to the people and didn’t bow to the people. And because of the truth John the Baptist preached and because of the fact that John the Baptist didn’t bow to people, including Herod, and didn’t compromise, John the Baptist was taken captive and brought into prison.
How did John the Baptist die? Herodias hated John the Baptist, because John was responsible for not getting what she wanted, namely her brother-in-law Herod. And because of Herodias’ hatred, John the Baptist was beheaded.
John the Baptist’s loyalty and obedience to God cost him his life, like so many others.
John the Baptist didn’t love his own life and had given his life to God. He didn’t want to be loved and accepted by the world, but he wanted to be loved by God. John loved God above all. John proved his love for God, by keeping His commandments and by preaching the call to repentance and the remission of sin.
God had separated John the Baptist and set him apart from the world, to prepare His people for the coming of His Son Jesus. And that’s why, John preached the baptism of repentance, the forgiveness of sin, and commanded everyone to remove their sins from their lives.
The world has become the valley of death
We live in an age, where the world has become the valley of death, in which sin abounds. Most people do what they want to do, instead of doing what God tells them to do. They don’t listen to His commandments, which are also the commandments of Jesus, and don’t live according to His will. Many think that they have a relationship with God, but the fact that they reject His commandments proves the opposite. Because if someone really loves God above all, then the person would do what pleases God, instead of pleasing ‘self’.
It is just like the time of Noah, when all the people ate, drink, and were feasting and had pleasures and only considered themselves.
While Noah obeyed the words of God and built the ark, in order to be prepared for the coming of the rain, the people didn’t have an eye for him. They didn’t listen to Noah, but they were too busy with their own lives and their own daily activities. Until fate struck, and the rain descended.
While Noah and his family and the animals were saved in the ark, the people and the rest of the animals drown in the water. No one wanted to listen to Noah, who was a preacher of righteousness, but they only had an eye and interest in themselves, and fulfilling the lusts and desires of their flesh (Read also: ‘What are the seven characteristics of the days of Noah?‘)
It won’t be long before Jesus returns. And although many believers sing about His coming and pray for His coming, many live as though Jesus will never return.
But God wants His people to be ready for the coming of Jesus. And that’s why God prepares His people, just like God did in the time of John the Baptist when John prepared the people of God for the coming of Jesus Christ.
Now, it all depends if the believers are bold enough to show their love to Jesus Christ and God the Father, by staying obedient to His Word, and by keeping His commandments, and confronting those, who belong to the world, including those who go to church, but still belong to the world and keep living in sin, with their sins and call them to repentance and the removing of sin. So that, they won’t be lost but will be saved and receive eternal life. Don’t let the end be the same as in the time of Noah when only a few were saved by their obedience to God.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
