What do you know about John the Baptist?
What? that he was Jesus’ cousin? Or, that he was looked upon by others as a crazy man, who lived in the wilderness?
That, he only ate locusts and wild ( tree and flower) produced honey?
That, he wore clothes from camel’s hair with a leather belt wrapped around his waist?
I’m sure all of those sound familiar…
But, what about the main reason for his existence?
And that’s, that he’s one of the most spoken about men in all of bible history, besides Jesus?
Just like Jesus, John was birthed with a purpose….And his purpose was to pave the way for Jesus! (Isaiah 40:3) Thunder in the desert! “Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God.
John the Baptist’ existence was spoken about way before his time, just like Jesus ….that they would be born with purpose and cause! (Malachi 3:1)“Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. (Isaiah 7:14)Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
His role should be seen as, that of a (Herald). An official messenger…
Think about all the “king of King’s” movies you’ve ever watched that involved a king.
The king always sent a (Herald) out beforehand to clear his path before he even arrived….
John was a one man show sent by God.
Think of John as a God sent ‘Herald’….the one who cleared the path for Jesus….
Herald’s we see in movies that were sent out would usually be accompanied by a group of men to follow along with him.
But nope, not John. John was a one man show, a one man cry, a one man eye opener!
Did you know, at that time God sent John the Baptist out before Jesus, he was the first Prophet to be heard from since the prophet Malachi 400 – 500 years prior.
To find out more about that you can go here…..Interesting readhttps://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2014/12/the-lost-500-years-from-malachi-to-john-the-baptist?lang=eng
It was spoken about in the book of Amos (Amos 8:11-12) that God’s Word would not be spoken “Oh yes, Judgment Day is coming!” These are the words of my Master God. “I’ll send a famine through the whole country. It won’t be food or water that’s lacking, but my Word. People will drift from one end of the country to the other, roam to the north, wander to the east. They’ll go anywhere, listen to anyone, hoping to hear God’s Word—but they won’t hear it.
All throughout the Judean hillsides it went silent for all those years because of disobedience…
John the Baptist who was also considered a Prophet was literally the first one to actually see his words spoken to the people come to pass concerning the Messiah…
I say that because most prophets in biblical days who brought a message to the people,rarely ever seen their truth spoken prevail….
So, because of that silence that took place, people were curious, alert and eager to hear what he had to say as a Prophet, a messenger, a go ahead, a heart piercer!
As we see here, John the Baptist to Jesus, was more than a prophet. He was seen as the greatest born to man!(Matthew 11:9-11)But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:
The difference between John and a (Herald) was, John wasn’t being sent out to clear the path for a human king. He was sent to clear the path for the, King of kings & Lord of Lords!!
John wasn’t sent to clear debris from roads or make sure no danger lurked ahead, but rather, clear the debris from the hearts of sinful men and women willing to hear his call to repent…
He was the way breaker, breaking the way for Jesus to come in and begin His ministry…
So, let’s find out about his beginning….
John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth,(John the Baptist, mother), was also from the priestly line of Aaron.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were found righteous in God’s eyes, they were careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and rules.(Luke 1:6)And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
They had no children because Elizabeth was (baren) unable to conceive, and they were both older in age.(Luke 1:7) And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
One day an angel of the Lord, (Gabriel vs19) said to Zechariah,your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you are to name him John.(Luke 1:11,13) He will be perfect in God’s eyes and he must remain spotless. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit before birth.
Zechariah in disbelief and doubt, asked Gabriel, “how will I know this to be true?”(He questioned) and because of that, Zechariah was made speechless…(Luke 1:20) But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
Yep, rendered speechless, all because he wanted proof, when he should have just believed without question….
He and Elizabeth had prayed all their lives to God for a child, and then to be confronted by an Angel to let him know that a birth through his wife was going to take place, and doubt the Angel’s words, all because he was looking at their age….Come on now!!
Zechariah had absolutely no reason to doubt God, and he had no reason to doubt that Gabriel had been sent by God either.(Luke 1:13) But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
The reason I said Zacharias had no reason to doubt, is because the Angel (Gabriel) announced himself as an Angel of God, and he told Zacharias that God had heard his prayers, so why question….No need to!
Zacharias’ questioning was liken the equivalent of saying to God in His face, I need proof that you are God!
Come on, he was visited by an Angel!! Whether it was by vision or impartation of words alone, He was visited! (Luke 1:22) And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
So, his questioning was uncalled for, graceless and unwarranted…And because of it, he was put on MUTE!!
And, it wasn’t until John was born, that on the eighth day of his life, that his father Zacharias would be able to speak again (read Luke 1:59-64)
God knew exactly who John would be born to, and when John needed to be born, and why he needed to be born at the time he was.
And, even though it didn’t make sense to Zacharias at the time, it was going to happen, and no one dare to speak against it….
John the Baptist’s birth was so relevant, that after Zacharias got his speech back after writing down his son’s name, he too, was filled with the Holy Spirit.
He instantly started praising God and prophesying about his own son’s reason for being!! (Luke 1:67, 76-79)Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
John’s mission would be EPIC!! It would turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord their God.
He would have the Spirit and Power of Elijah, and would prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.
He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.(vs17)
He would turn hearts and cause those who were rebellious to accept Godly wisdom.(Luke 1:17) He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
The purpose behind what God needed John the Baptist for was astounding!! A real eye opener, and attention getter…Just the way He needed it to be, so people would listen after all those years of silence…
The word of God came to John in the wilderness, it’s said to be at the age of 30, when he began his ministry…(Luke 3:2)Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
And he went into all the surrounding region of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah(Luke 3:3 )Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.(Matthew 3:2)And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John the Baptist was, baptizing people in the Jordan River, and telling people to change their minds and lives…(John 1:28)This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.(John 1:6-7) God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.
Let’s face it, no one knows ( per’ se) what John spoke to the regular people that came before him, who got baptized and confessed their sins.
But, what we do know is that John was on a mission, and he was there to get people to turn their hearts over to Jesus before He even got on the scene.
So for sure,we know it wasn’t about John making friends or being swayed because of what people said about him..
I’m sure his words were shot straight from the hip….not scathing! But blunt and straight to the point!
John was no joke. He told the truth even to those he called ‘VIPER’S (snakes)!! (Matthew 3:7-9)But when he saw many coming from among the wealthy elite of Jewish society and many of the religious leaders known as Pharisees coming to witness the baptism, he began to denounce them, saying, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to slither away like snakes from the fire of God’s judgment? You must prove your repentance by a changed life. And don’t presume you can get away with merely saying to yourselves, ‘But we’re Abraham’s descendants!’ For I tell you, God can awaken these stones to become sons of Abraham!
Because of John the Baptist’ message, it got back to the Temple, where those of Importance sat, and they wanted to know who this man was(John 1:19,20-23)This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?”He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.” “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” “No.” “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?” John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”
He pleaded to all that would listen, in preparation for the coming of the kingdom of heaven, that they should listen, turn from their ways, and turn their hearts toward God.
Regardless of what people thought about him, they were drawn to him….
Drawn to the power of the words God placed on the inside of him. He stirred up a conviction in their hearts, calling them to clear the way for God…
And, as for those that John did get baptized, the Word of God only speaks about two of John’s followers that left him to follow Jesus.
I am unsure if all of those that were baptized by John, also became John’s followers, besides Simon and Andrew who are talked about.
But I do know when Jesus showed up, that along the way He gathered more disciples..
As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!”
When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus.(John 1:35 – 41) Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” And, he followed as well(John 1:43) The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
That began the mission of Jesus and ended the mission of John the Baptist shortly after.
To read about John’s imprisonment and death read (Matthew chapter.11 & 14)
Be Blessed….
Host Of Angels 