John the Baptist

As I’ve mentioned, John the Baptist was the first prophet to appear after a 400-year drought, and he is mentioned in all four Gospel accounts, which is a rare feat. So; who was he, exactly?

Luke tells us that when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to have a baby, he also told her that her relative Elizabeth (who was advanced in years) was also pregnant (Luke 1:36). Mary went to visit Elizabeth for an undisclosed period of time during their pregnancies. (Luke 1:39-45) We can thus assume that John and Jesus were related, and about the same age.

Luke also tells us “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” John the Baptist appeared in the Judean desert as an itinerant preacher. (Luke 3:1) Matthew and Mark describe him as a hermit, clothed in camel hair and existing on a diet of locusts and wild honey (Matt 3:4; Mark 1:6).

John preached “A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). He became enormously popular, so that “All the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem” went out to be baptized by John in the River Jordan (Mark 1:5).

Due to his massive following, John was asked if he was the Messiah—the Anointed One of God, come to save the Jews—but John rather famously disclaimed, saying that there was one coming after him, and that John was not worthy to unfasten the thongs on his sandals. (Luke 3:16; John 1:26-27)

Jesus himself was baptized by John in the Jordan, even though John humbly claimed it was Jesus who should be baptizing him. (Matt 3:13)

John then got thrown into prison because he rebuked Herod, the local ruler, due to the fact the man had married his sister-in-law and such a marriage was unlawful. Despite himself, Herod would visit the prophet’s cell: “When he heard him speak, he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.” (Mark 6:20)

Herod’s wife, however, was very unhappy about John’s rebuke and plotted with her teenaged daughter (Herod’s stepdaughter) to have John killed. The girl danced for Herod and his dinner guests one night, and Herod was so pleased with the entertainment that he said to her, “Ask of me whatever you wish, and I will grant it to you.” (Mark 6:22) Prompted by her mother, the girl asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod rather reluctantly granted her wish, and sent the executioner to bring the prisoner’s head on a platter. (Mark 6:26-28)

Matthew tells us that when Jesus heard about John’s death, “he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” (Matt 14:13)

Fun fact: Four different places currently claim to enshrine the head of John the Baptist; (1) the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria; (2) the Residenz Museum in Munich, Germany (3) the Church of San Silvestro in Rome, Italy and (4) the Amiens Cathedral in France, which was built for the sole purpose of housing John’s head. (Supposedly, a Crusader carried it back from Constantinople in 1206.)

Another fun fact: Actor Michael York did a compelling portrayal of John the Baptist in Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazereth.

Next time: The Apostles