The Forerunner: John the Baptist
by TJA

In the New Testament, perhaps one of the most overlooked servants of God would be John the Baptist. We seem hear surprisingly little about this man. Yet the Holy Spirit records a great deal about him for us. Our Lord himself spoke more highly of him than any other (Mt 11:2-15; LK 7:19-35). It is probably worthwhile for us then, to consider this man.

The Prophecies Concerning John

There are three prophecies in the Old Testament that we know from the New Testament are related to John the Baptist: Isaiah 40:1-8, Malachi 3:1, and Mal 4:5-6.

1. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness (Is 40:1-8)
We know that this prophecy speaks of John because all four Gospels refer to it (Mt 3:3; Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4; Jn 1:23).

2. The Lord's messenger (Mal 3:1)
In Matthew's and Luke's gospels , the Lord Jesus himself refers to this verse. It is important to establish the connection between the Old and New Testaments, particularly since John is a transitional figure between the two: uniting two dispensations together. He is the last of the prophets raised up under the old economy, and the one who prepared the way for the new.

Malachi is the last of the written prophets and the last book of the Old Testament. It was written around 420 BC, after the remnant of Israel returned from captivity in Babylon. In Malachi we read that God is deeply grieved by the spiritual condition of His remnant people: they had turned their hearts far from Him; the priesthood had become corrupted; they offered lame and polluted offerings; the tithes were forsaken; judgment and justice had fallen by the wayside. But in all this, He still loves His people, and withholds the rod of judgment (3:6).

3. In the spirit of Elijah (Mal 4:5-6; Lk 1:17)
These are the last two verses in the Old Testament, and they constitute a promise to God's people. Four hundred years of silence would intervene before the fulfillment of this promise when John would finally come on the scene. In those intervening years, the Jewish nation had grown cold and ritualistic: the shortcomings of the people and the priesthood had solidified.

John's Lineage (Lk 1:1-7)

Luke's gospel begins with John the Baptist, and specifically, his parents. Zacharias was a priest in the temple, of the course (rotation) of Abijah. We read in Chronicles that David had distributed the ministries and duties of the priesthood into twenty four rotations (1 Chr 24). Zacharias was the of the lineage of Abijah, and Abijah's family had the eighth course among the rotations. Eight is the number in scripture that speaks of new beginnings ¹, and here in Luke's gospel we see that God is about to bridge the four hundred years of silence and usher in a new beginning in dealing with His people.

John's mother, Elisabeth, was also a descendant of Aaron. So John represents the best of Israel under the law and the prophets. His lineage is impeccable; his parents were righteous and blameless before God as touching the law (1:6). Considering his lineage, and what he might have been, we might want to consider that he could have held a position of great honor among the Jews. But he rejected all this and lived the simplest life in the wilderness like his predecessor Elijah.

Both were well on in years and Elisabeth was barren (1:7). In those days, for a man and wife to remain barren for so long meant was a shame and a reproach (1:25). Bearing a son to carry on the family name was a high priority in the patriarchal Jewish economy.

But we should consider Abraham and Sarah, who were also well on in their years (Gen 18:11), and Sarah was also barren (Gen 11:30). Yet God had promised them a son and an heir, which was fulfilled in Isaac. So again, God is about to reveal a promise to Zacharias and Elisabeth concerning a son.

We should also consider Israel and the Lord Jesus Christ. In many Old Testament places, Israel is referred to as the wife of Jehovah (Is 54:5-6; Jer 3:1,20; Hos 1:2). Israel in her long history with God had been barren and unfruitful. But that was about to change. I think the picture of the barren wife illustrates a great truth concerning God's dealings with men: that the Lord is not slack concerning His promise (2 Pe 3:9).

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Gal 4:4-5)

Compare Lk 1:57 with Gal 4:4.

The Angel Gabriel's Announcement (Lk 1:8-20)

The angel Gabriel appears to Zacharias on the right side of the altar of incense (the altar of incense speaks of worship and prayer), and tells him that Elisabeth will bear a son. There are five noteworthy things in Gabriel's announcement:

• The Proclamation - "Elisabeth shall bear a son; call his name John; many shall rejoice"
• The Promise - "he shall be great in the sight of the Lord"
• The Prohibition - "he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink"
• The Provision - "he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb"
• The Purpose - "to turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God"

But Zacharias does not believe; and is stricken dumb for his unbelief. Here, Zacharias is a type of Israel. Israel was God's chosen nation, to show forth the glory of God to the nations of the earth. Because of their unbelief regarding the promise of the Son, they too have been stricken silent until He returns.

John's Birth (Lk 1:57-79)

Finally, when John was born, they thought to call him after his father's name, but Elisabeth and Zacharias remembered the words of Gabriel, and called him John. The Hebrew name for John is Jehochanan, and that name means Jehovah has favored, or, Jehovah has been merciful.

Names, like everything else in Scripture are very important. There is meaning in them, and significance for us when we understand them. Often times, the names convey a message that God is trying to communicate to us. The name Zacharias means Jehovah has remembered. The name Elisabeth means the oath of the Almighty. These three names together bear a special significance as we shall see in Zacharias' prayer of praise to God.

Zacharias' Prayer (Luke 1:67-80)

At the moment that Zacharias wrote his name, his silence ended and he being filled with the Holy Spirit poured forth a prayer of praise. In that prayer, the meanings of the names of Zacharias, Elisabeth, and John are prominent:

• The Lord has remembered (v. 72 - Zacharias)
• God's oath (v. 73 - Elisabeth)
• God's mercy (vv. 72,78 0 - John)

John's Lifestyle and Ministry

"And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel." (Lk 1:80)

Although John should very well have been some great priest in the Jewish economy, he spent his days in the barren and lifeless deserts near Judaea in preparation for that day when he would fulfill his ministry as the forerunner to the promised Messiah. In contrast to the fine garments of a priest, he wore a simple and rough garment of camel's hair and a leather girdle around his loins, and his diet was a wilderness diet of locusts and wild honey.

When he finally appears to the nation of Israel, he comes in this simplicity, preaching repentance and baptizing for the remission of sins (Mt 3:1-5; Mk 1:4-5; Lk 3:1-3).

When the word of the Lord finally came to John in the wilderness (Lk 3:2), he then began his public ministry to Israel.

John baptized for the remission of sins; preparing the way for the Christ. To repent means to change one's mind, and in the case of the Gospel it is sin that men must change their minds about. John preached repentance and confession of sin in preparation for the Christ that was coming.

It's the same for men today. Before someone can be saved they have to be lost. Without recognition, repentance, and confession of man's sinful condition, he is in no way prepared to accept the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ alone. Men must recognize their condition and repent, before they can see the glorious light of Christ.

Three Actions and Three Responses

There is a very interesting parallel between Isaiah's prophecy and the people's response to John in Luke's gospel. First, the prophecy:

"As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." (Lk 3:4-6).

There are three tasks to be accomplished in making His paths straight:

1. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low
2. The crooked shall be made straight
3. The rough ways shall be made smooth

When John came to the nation, he preached judgment against those that relied on their ancestry in Abraham without bearing fruit to the glory of God (Lk 3:7-9). His message was a wake up call to the lost. Many were coming to John to be baptized: the common people, the publicans, the religious leaders, the soldiers. He seemed to be a surprisingly popular figure at that time. ²

There are three responses to John's message as recorded in Luke's gospel. In each case, the question is put to John: "What shall we do?" and each of John's responses relate to the three tasks in Isaiah's prophecy.

"And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." (Lk 3:10-11)

First, the common people ask, "What shall we do then?", and John's reply is that those that have should provide for those that do not. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low. Today we see that there is tremendous inequality in the world. As Christians, many of us have not only material but spiritual abundance. What are we doing to provide for those whose needs are many?

"Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you." (Lk 3:12-13)

Then again we see the publicans asking the same question: What shall we do?". And John's reply is that they take no more than what they were supposed to from the people in performing their duties.

The publicans were an integral part of the Roman taxation system. Roman taxes were levied on almost everything, but they did not enforce the payment of these taxes themselves: the tribute for the provinces were auctioned to the highest bidders (the Roman Publicani), who in turn employed slaves and lower classes in the provinces to collect those taxes. These were the publicans of the New Testament, and they were greatly despised by the Jews, because of their unsavory tactics. They were extremely crooked in their dealings with the people, and lined their own pockets before passing on the actual amount to the Roman government. ³Thus we read about Zacchaeus and his conversion, and his subsequent desire to restore that which had been taken wrongfully in the ministration of his duties (Lk 19:1-8). The crooked shall be made straight. "And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." (Lk 3:14)

Finally, the soldiers ask, "What shall we do?", and John's reply is that they do not abuse their power, which was common in those days as well. The rough ways shall be made smooth.

The Lord's Commendation

Matthew's and Luke's gospels record the very words of our Lord regarding John (Mt 11:7-15; Lk 7:24-28). Our Lord said that he was a prophet but more than a prophet (Mt 11:9); in fact, he was the greatest prophet born of women (Mt 11:11; Lk 7:28). To me, that is a wonderful commendation from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ, who knows all men's hearts. Again, we ask the question: why?

John's Gospel and the Baptist

There is much we can learn about John the Baptist from another John. In the Gospel of John, we see that he was the first to proclaim the major doctrines of Christianity. In addition to preaching repentance, confession, and baptism, he proclaimed the following three essential truths of our faith:

1. He proclaimed the pre-existence of Christ:

"John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me" (Jn 1:15,30)

2. He proclaimed the atoning work of Christ:

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (Jn 1:29)

3. He proclaimed the deity of Christ:

"And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." (Jn 1:34)

And he did so in utter humility, knowing his part in God's plan, and pointing men to the true Light, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." (Jn 3:29-30)

Conclusion

In summary, John was a witness of the Light which is the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 1:6-19), and perhaps that is why he is considered by our Lord the greatest of men born of women. He forsook all that was his by natural inheritance and committed his life to serving the Lord.

May we also be as sure and steadfast in proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, preparing the way to a lost and dying world, pointing men to Him.

June 16, 2001

Footnotes

¹ See F. W. Grant's Numerical Structure of the Bible.

² Speaking of John the Baptist's surprising popularity among the Jews, F.B. Meyer wrote:

³ See Sketches of Jewish Social Life, Chapter 4, by Alfred Edersheim.