04.09. John the Baptist

JOHN THE BAPTIST The Priests. ALL priests under the law of Moses were of the tribe of Levi, but not all Levites were priests. The family of Aaron of the tribe of Levi was selected as the priestly family (Exodus 28:1; Exodus 28:43; Numbers 3:10; Numbers 18:7). In allotting the land of Canaan to the Israelites, instead of giving the tribe of Levi a section of the country to themselves, certain cities located in the possessions of the other tribes were given to them (Numbers 35:1-8; Joshua 21:1-42). When the priests multiplied and became numerous it was not necessary for all of them to be in Jerusalem continuously. To establish order and system, David divided the priests into twenty-four courses (1 Chronicles 24:1-19). The courses served by turn at the temple, and each course had its chief. Hence, the origin of the term "chief priest."

John’s Parents. Zacharias and Elizabeth were both of priestly families, and Zacharias was of the course of Abijah. "There was in the days of Herod,, king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:5-6), A Child of Promise. Zacharias and Elizabeth were old and childless. They had prayed for a son. "And they had no child, because that Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. Now it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and bum incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John" (Luke 1:7-13).

Unbelief of Zacharias. Zacharias was a good man, but his faith wavered. "And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I am sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings, And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believest not my words which shall be fulfilled in their season" (Luke 1:18-20).

Forecast of John’s Greatness. "And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn, unto the Lord their God. And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the dis­obedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him" (Luke 1:14-17).

Zacharias Prophesied. "Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto his people in the remission of their sins" (Luke 1:76-77).

John’s Environments. John grew up in the sparsely-settled hill country of Judea (Luke 1:80). Thus environed he had time for meditation and communion with God, and his character matured, unspoiled by all those artificial niceties that people of the world call culture and refinement. Nor did he learn, by daily contact with immoral people and false religious teachers to view with indifference the baseness and corruption then so prevalent. This gave him boldness and directness in denouncing sin and calling people to repentance. His Dress and Food. "Now John himself had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey" (lit. 3:4). His clothing was well suited to his work of baptizing, and his food such as the deserts afforded. The law allowed the Jews to eat locusts (Leviticus 11:20-23).

Expectancy of the People. "And behold, there ,was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25). Anna the prophetess "gave thanks unto God, and spake of him to all them that were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38). So great was their expectancy that a Deliverer appeared about that time that "all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he were the Christ" (Luke 3:15). This feeling grew till the leaders at Jerusalem sent a delegation to learn if he were indeed the Messiah (John 1:19-27).

Multitudes Come to Him. The Israelites had long been under Roman rule. Such condition is distasteful to any people; it was especially so for those who considered themselves God’s chosen people. They resented being ruled by "Gentile dogs." They longed for deliverance. Hence, when John announced, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2), the people were thrilled with the prospects of deliverance, and poured out to him in throngs. "Then went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the regions round about Jordan; and were baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins" (Matthew 3:5-6).

Forerunner. John was to make ready the people for the coming of Christ. "And he came into all the region round about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God" (Luke 3:3-6). The imagery is drawn from the building of a highway. John was not literally digging down the hills and filling up the valleys— he was dealing with people—and yet his figure of speech fitly describes certain features of his work. "Every valley shall be filled." The down­cast, the hopeless, the dispirited, needed to be lifted up, to have their hopes rekindled; to be made to know that by the help of God they could fill their God- appointed mission in life. "Every mountain and hill shall be brought low." The self-righteous, the arrogant, the haughty, the proud, the egotistical, must be brought to a true humility of spirit that bows tremblingly at God’s word. "The crooked shall become straight." Moses said of Israel, "They are a perverse and crooked generation" (Deuteronomy 32:5), and David spoke of those who "turn aside unto their crooked ways" (Psalms 125:5). Paul spoke of "a crooked and perverse generation" (Php 2:15), and Peter exhorted his hearers to save themselves from this crooked generation (Acts 2:40). Who has not heard of one so dishonest in his dealings that he is referred to as "a crook?" To be of use to God and man such crookedness must be straightened out. "And the rough ways smooth." Some otherwise good people are rough in their ways and manners, and inconsiderate of the feelings and comfort of others. This roughness must be eliminated, and supplanted by gentleness, forbearance, and consideration. These things so necessary then to prepare people for the Lord are necessary now. His Teaching. While John was a reformer and a prophet, his teaching was, in some respects, unlike that of any prophet preceding him. He demanded: (1) faith in the coming Messiah (Acts 19:4); (2) repentance. He rebuked the sins of the people, and called them to repentance. "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). This was the burden of his preaching. (3) Confession of sins. "They were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins" (Matthew 3:6). (4) Baptism. And those who refused to be baptized rejected the counsel of God against themselves (Luke 7:30). (5) That those baptized show by their lives that they had repented. "Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance," said he (Matthew 3:8). This does not mean that they were to relate an experience preparatory to baptism, but that they practice deeds answerable to amendment of life; that is, that they live so as to show they had repented. By submitting to baptism they bound themselves to a life of reformation. His teaching also removed false hopes. The Jews depended much on the fact that they were descendants of Abraham; but John, in a striking figure, informed them that those who did not live right would be cast into the fire (Matthew 3:7-12).

Established No Church. There is not the slightest evidence that John established a church or set up a kingdom. He was only a voice crying in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." John was not in the kingdom. Jesus said: "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; yet he that is but little (Marginal reading: Greek, lesser) in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11). Had John been in the kingdom of heaven it would have been impossible for him to be as great as any born of women, and yet less than the least in the kingdom. John’s work was to prepare a people for the kingdom; so of the personal ministry of Christ and his disciples in their mission to the Jews. The kingdom was then in preparation. "The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it" (Luke 16:16). "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the men of violence take it by force" (Matthew 11:12-13).

Till John, their only teaching was derived from the law and the prophets. This does not mean that the law and the prophets ended then, but that John’s preaching was added. The law and the prophets could not end till they were fulfilled. The typical sin-offerings and atonement under the law were not fulfilled till Christ entered heaven with his own blood (Hebrews 9:12-24). The prophecies concerning Christ were not fulfilled till he was glorified in heaven (Luke 24:44; Acts 2:25-36; Acts 13:33). Jesus himself declared that not one jot or tittle of the law would fail till it was fulfilled (Matthew 5:18); and he taught his disciples to observe the law (Matthew 5:19; Matthew 23:1-3), but to beware of the corruptions added by the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:6; Matthew 16:11-12).

Roman dominion over Judea was very distasteful to the Jews, and the bolder and more violent were ready to seize any opportunity to throw off the yoke. When John announced the near approach of the kingdom and gave evidence of his greatness, people were ready to flock to him as the promised deliverer. After he was cast into prison, and Jesus became prominent the daring and reckless were ready to take him, and, by force, make him king (John 6:15). To keep down such rashness Jesus charged his disciples to tell no man that he was the Christ (Matthew 16:20; Mark 8:30; Luke 8:31), and charged those he cured to tell no one (Matthew 8:4; Luke 5:14). His Name. In announcing to Zacharias that a son should be born to him the angel Gabriel named this son John (Luke 1:13); and when they came to circumcise the new-born child and would name him Zacharias, "after the name of his father," his mother said, "Not so; but he shall be called John." See Luke 1:50-63. The thing that distinguished John from all preceding reformers was the fact that he baptized his converts. For this reason he gained the title "the Baptist." Hence "Baptist" was an official title, or descriptive term. A baptist is one who baptizes. It is unreasonable and unscriptural for any body of people the greater number of whom never baptized any one to call themselves Baptists. The fact that John the Baptist baptized a person did not make that person a Baptist any more than it changed his name to John the Baptist. If John Doe the merchant sells goods to a man that man does not thereby become a merchant. To so argue would be foolish, and to argue that because John the Baptist baptized a man the man thereby became a Baptist reveals a degree of ignorance as astounding as it is inexcusable,

Two-fold Nature of His Work.(1) John made ready a people for the Lord. Of this we have already spoken. (2). He pointed out Christ, and bore witness of his divinity. "And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit. And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God" (John 1:32-34).

Jesus Comes to Be Baptized. It had been revealed to John that he would baptize the Son of God. Though John knew him not, a sign had been given him by which he would know him: "Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit" (John 1:33). With what interest and expectancy John watched for the sign we can only conjecture. John says, "I knew him not"; and yet when Jesus came to be baptized, he said, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" (Matthew 3:14), Perhaps this only indicates that John knew him to be a good man, but did not know him to be the Son of God. In grandeur and sublimity the baptism of Jesus surpassed anything that had taken place since the creation of the world. John, than whom none greater had ever been born of woman, was the administrator, the Son of God, the active agent in creating the world (John 1:1-10; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2), was the subject. As the two came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit gave his sanction by descending upon Jesus in visible form, and God the Father spoke his approval from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). What other scene so sublime has mortal eye ever beheld? In our own baptism, however, we may visualize this scene when we are baptized "into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:18-19). THE CHARACTER OF JOHN. His Courage. John rebuked the sins of the masses. Perhaps this required no great amount of moral courage, for he was in no special way dependent on them for support; neither did they have political power by which they might harm him. But King Herod had shamelessly contracted an unlawful and adulterous marriage with the wife of his brother. John’s courage was put to the test. No doubt the people were watching him—will he rebuke sin in the exalted as well as in the poor and lowly? But John acquitted himself like a man. Without hesitation came the rebuke: "It is not lawful for thee to have her" (Matthew 14:4). For his fidelity to the right, he was, perhaps not unexpectedly cast into prison. Had his courage not stood the test in the presence of royalty, even the cringing, whimpering boot-lick that now toadies to wealth and influence would thunder at John anathemas of condemnation.

Jesus’ Estimate of John. Jesus said that none born of women was greater than John (Matthew 11:11). To the multitude Jesus said: "What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind?" See Matthew 11:7-9. A reed is a long slender plant, easily swayed to and fro by the passing breezes. John was a sturdy character swayed neither by applause nor persecution, unshaken by the fads or fancies of others. "But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment?" Did you go out to see a fawning sycophant, a smooth, oily, self-seeking flatterer? John was not that! His Unselfish Devotion to Realities. To understand the realities of life and unselfishly fill our proper place in God’s economy is a worthy attainment. Many good men have been carried off their feet by ambition and flattery. Men have sacrificed known truths and duties to gain position of fame and power. Here John’s character shines as in a dark place. He came at a time when the world was in expectation, and his preaching excited the masses. His fame reached the leaders at Jerusalem, and they sent a committee to John to learn from him if he was the Christ. All were in a receptive mood. What a commotion might he have created had he claimed to be the promised deliverer! The people would have followed, and John knew it. What a temptation it would have been to some men I But John calmly replied, "I am not the Christ" (John 1:20); and directed the attention of the people to one greater than he; "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is become before me: for he was before me" (John 1:29). More; he realized that the zenith of his power and fame had been reached. "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Men generally contemplate the waning of their powers, the diminishing of their influence, with sadness, sometimes with a tinge of bitterness. Not so with John; he was the friend of the bridegroom and rejoiced at his coming, even though it meant the eclipsing of his own splendor. See John 3:26-30. John was not looking for earthly glory, but sought to be of real service to God and man. "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 23:11).

Elijah. Jesus said of John, "This is Elijah, that is to come" (Matthew 11:14). And yet when the Jews asked John, "Art thou Elijah?" he said, "I am not" (John 1:21). Not a person, but in character and work, he was Elijah. The angel said concerning him, "He shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). His Death. The account of John’s death is given in Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29. Herod being reproved by John for his unlawful marriage, cast John into prison. He had deferred his execution out of fear of the multitudes who regarded John as a true prophet (Matthew 14:5). It seems that when Herod’s first wave of anger at being rebuked had passed there returned a growing respect for John; but not so with Herodias, for there burned in her heart an implacable thirst for his blood (Mark 6:19-20). She kept to her purpose; "and when a convenient day was come"—convenient for her purpose—"Herod on his birthday made a supper for his lords, and the high captain, and the chief men of Galilee" (Mark 6:21). At all such feasts wine flowed freely. Into this maudlin bunch of lecerous bloats the adulterous Herodias shamelessly sent Salome, her daughter by Philip, to dance the licentious dance of the Orientals. The dance so pleased Herod that he vowed to give her anything she might ask, even to the half of his kingdom. She went to her mother about the matter and said, "What shall I ask?" "The head of John the Baptist." Her opportunity had come. "The king was exceedingly sorry." But like many other weaklings, he would commit a revolting crime rather than break a foolish promise. John was beheaded, and his head presented to the daughter on a platter. "And his disciples came, and took up the corpse, and buried him; and they went and told Jesus."

TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION AND DISCUSSION.

• Office of a Priest.

• Significance of Names.

• The River Jordan.

• Herod and His Birthday Party.

• Dancing.

QUESTIONS.

What did the angels say concerning the child’s future greatness?