A voice for the word of God
John the Baptist
John the Baptist is the bridge between the testaments, the last of the old prophets and the herald of the new. He came in the spirit of Elijah, preaching repentance in the wilderness and pointing away from himself to the Lamb of God. Jesus called him the greatest born of women.
“For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”Matthew 3:3
His life and calling
His life and calling. John was born to the priest Zacharias and Elisabeth in their old age, his birth announced by an angel with the words that he would go "before him in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke 1:17). He was a relative of Jesus, born roughly six months before Him. As a grown man he lived austerely in the wilderness of Judea, clothed in camel's hair and eating locusts and wild honey, and "the word of God came unto John" there (Luke 3:2). Crowds streamed out to hear him preach and to be baptized in the Jordan as a sign of repentance. He was fearless, rebuking even Herod for his unlawful marriage, which led to his imprisonment and eventual beheading. John was a genuine prophet in the old mold, a covenant voice calling a nation to turn back to God, yet his unique role was to prepare the way for one greater than himself. He stood at the hinge of the ages, the forerunner whose whole life pointed beyond his own ministry to the Christ.
His message
His message. John's message was a call to repentance in view of the coming kingdom: "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). He fulfilled Isaiah's word, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord" (Matthew 3:3). He demanded real fruit, not mere religious pedigree: "bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance" (Matthew 3:8), and told soldiers, tax collectors, and crowds to practice concrete justice and generosity. Above all he pointed away from himself. When people wondered if he might be the Christ, he insisted, "I indeed baptize you with water... but one mightier than I cometh" (Luke 3:16), and said of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). His greatest words were spoken as Jesus approached: "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). His entire message was preparation and testimony, readying hearts to receive the Savior.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. John's whole ministry was to point to Christ. He was the promised forerunner of Malachi and Isaiah, and Jesus said of him, "this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face" (Matthew 11:10). He identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the world's sin, naming the sacrificial heart of the gospel before the cross. At Jesus' baptism John saw the Spirit descend and heard the Father's voice, and he bore witness "that this is the Son of God" (John 1:34). Jesus honored him as more than a prophet and "greater" than any born of women, yet added that "he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11), for John stood at the threshold of what Christ would open. John completes the whole line of prophets, all of whom prepared for the Word made flesh. God spoke through John last of the old heralds, and then spoke fully in the Son whom John announced (Hebrews 1:1-2).
Questions people ask
Was John the Baptist the return of Elijah?
Jesus said John came "in the spirit and power of Elias" and, "if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come" (Matthew 11:14). John himself denied being Elijah in person (John 1:21); he fulfilled Malachi's promise of an Elijah-like forerunner rather than being the literal prophet returned.
Why did Jesus call John the greatest born of women?
Because John had the unique privilege of directly preparing the way for the Messiah and pointing to Him as the Lamb of God (Matthew 11:11). Yet Jesus added that the least in the kingdom is greater still, since John stood at the threshold of what Christ came to bring.