Who was John the Baptist?
Introduction. The prophet Isaiah prophesied of John about 700 years before his birth and work to "prepare the way for the Lord" (Isa. 40: 3; Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3: 1-3).
John's parents, birth, and early life. John's father was Zacharias and his mother was Elisabeth, both of whom were descended from Aaron (Luke 1: 5). They were spiritually outstanding (Luke 1: 6). However, they were childless because Elisabeth was barren (Luke 1: 7). The angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias to announce she would miraculously have a son and revealed his name would be "John", from the Hebrew "Joannes" meaning "Jehovah is a gracious giver" (Luke 1: 11-13). We know little of John's early life (Luke 1: 80) other than he eventually lived in the desert and began his work when he was thirty years old (Luke 3: 1-2).
John the Baptist's ministry. As we have seen, John's work was that of being a forerunner for Christ (Luke 1: 17). John preached in the wilderness of southern Judea and partly in the Jordan Valley (cf. Matt. 3: 5). His preached the need to "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:1-2). He was also the first to preach a "baptism of repentance in order to have the remission of sins" as Jesus and His disciples eventually would as well (Luke 3:3; John 4:1-2; Acts 2:38). John's style was forthright and uncompromising (Luke 3: 8-11: Matt. 3: 10-12; Luke 3: 19). John also believed in and preached eternal punishment (Matt. 3: 10-12).
John announced the coming kingdom. John was never in the kingdom (Matt. 11: 11), but he preached its imminence (Matt. 3: 1-3). John was already dead when Jesus promised to build His church (Matt. 16: 18-19). John was called "the Baptist" because he baptized people unto the remission of their sins (John 3: 29-30; Mk. 1: 4).
John was a great man and died without compromise. He eventually was imprisoned and beheaded for denouncing King Herod's sinful marriage to his brother's wife (Mark 6).The death of John is the only major account in Mark's gospel not pertaining to Christ (Mk. 6: 17-29).
John's parents, birth, and early life. John's father was Zacharias and his mother was Elisabeth, both of whom were descended from Aaron (Luke 1: 5). They were spiritually outstanding (Luke 1: 6). However, they were childless because Elisabeth was barren (Luke 1: 7). The angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias to announce she would miraculously have a son and revealed his name would be "John", from the Hebrew "Joannes" meaning "Jehovah is a gracious giver" (Luke 1: 11-13). We know little of John's early life (Luke 1: 80) other than he eventually lived in the desert and began his work when he was thirty years old (Luke 3: 1-2).
John the Baptist's ministry. As we have seen, John's work was that of being a forerunner for Christ (Luke 1: 17). John preached in the wilderness of southern Judea and partly in the Jordan Valley (cf. Matt. 3: 5). His preached the need to "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:1-2). He was also the first to preach a "baptism of repentance in order to have the remission of sins" as Jesus and His disciples eventually would as well (Luke 3:3; John 4:1-2; Acts 2:38). John's style was forthright and uncompromising (Luke 3: 8-11: Matt. 3: 10-12; Luke 3: 19). John also believed in and preached eternal punishment (Matt. 3: 10-12).
John announced the coming kingdom. John was never in the kingdom (Matt. 11: 11), but he preached its imminence (Matt. 3: 1-3). John was already dead when Jesus promised to build His church (Matt. 16: 18-19). John was called "the Baptist" because he baptized people unto the remission of their sins (John 3: 29-30; Mk. 1: 4).
John was a great man and died without compromise. He eventually was imprisoned and beheaded for denouncing King Herod's sinful marriage to his brother's wife (Mark 6).The death of John is the only major account in Mark's gospel not pertaining to Christ (Mk. 6: 17-29).