WHO WAS JOHN THE BAPTIST?

John was born approximately three months before the birth of Jesus. He was a cousin of Jesus but did not know him personally before they met as adults. According to the evangelist, “The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his manifestation to Israel” (Luke 1:80). His parents lived in Ein Karem, a hillside village outside of Jerusalem. John’s father Zechariah was a priest, which would make John a priest also, but there is no reason to believe that he exercised his priesthood in the Temple as his father did at times. John probably moved into the wilderness region of Judea to live alone when he began to discern his calling as a prophet. Before that he may have been a member of the Jewish sect located in Qumran, which followed a strict monastic rule. This community is famous for the Dead Sea scrolls, which it hid in caves from an advancing Roman army around A.D. 70, and were discovered in good condition by a Bedouin shepherd boy in 1947. Remarkably, they include manuscripts of a large portion of the Old Testament that predated any known manuscripts at the time by 8 to 11 centuries. There is no way of knowing for sure if John lived at Qumran, but if he did, he left the community before beginning his preaching ministry.

The Gospel records that John referred to the crowds which came out to hear him as a “brood of vipers.” Moved by his strong words, they repented and were baptized by him to symbolize their change of life. John also aimed his preaching at religious and political leaders, including Herod the Tetrarch, whom he condemned for incest (marrying his brother’s wife). This would eventually lead to his arrest and execution. To the soldiers who came out to him he commanded that they stop extorting the people, and to tax collectors that they collect no more than the required amount. His message of conversion focused on justice: “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise” (Luke 3:10-11). This message was firmly in line with the prophetic tradition. What was unique about John, however, was his declaration that the appearing of the Messiah was imminent, and the people needed to prepare for him through interior conversion.

John is referred to in Christian tradition as the Precursor. A precursor was a messenger sent ahead of a royal official to announce his imminent arrival. John’s ministry fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets: “Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible day” (Malachi 3:23). When asked by the religious leaders who he claimed to be, John quoted Isaiah, saying “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’” (John 1:23). Later, Jesus would confirm that the Baptist was the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy: “And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come” (Matthew 11:14). When Jesus came to him at the Jordan River, John did not want to baptize him, since Jesus had no sin, and he was not unworthy to untie the tongs of his sandals. But he obeyed when Jesus insisted, and was rewarded with the vision of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, coming upon Jesus as he came up out of the water.

Let me conclude by noting two things as food for thought. The first is John’s insistence that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit. It is remarkable that all four Gospels records it, which is unusual. Clearly, this truth would be very important to the life of the Church. We might ask, is it important to me? Second, the last time we see John in the Gospels before his beheading is when, from prison, he sends disciples to Jesus to ask if, fact, he is the One to come, or should they look for another. Jesus affirms that he is doing the works of the Messiah – giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, walk to the lame, cleansing to lepers, and life to the dead – and says, “Blessed is he who takes no offense at me” (Matthew 11:6). In the midst of his harsh confinement, even John the Baptist needed to be encouraged in faith. We also need such encouragement from a brother or sister in Christ during times of trouble. Let us be willing to offer and receive it from one another. 

FATHER SCOTT