John the Baptist, A man who
delivered a message
This lesson on
John the Baptist looks at the message that was created by his life’s purpose.
John the Baptist was known throughout the land for his preaching and his
message brought many people into better relationship with God. This was the
destiny foretold around thirty years earlier to John’s father.
John’s
message reflected his purpose
The point that John was “a voice calling out” has been
looked at in these lessons but now the topic of what he was calling out will be
our concern.The Gospel of Mark makes it clear that John the Baptist fulfills
Isaiah’s prophesies concerning the messenger preceding the Messiah (Mark 1:2-3).
John preached a message of repentance that led to the forgiveness of sin (Mark
1:4).
John’s message was a sweeping call to everyone who would
listen to repent and be baptized as a sign of returning to God.[1]
A call to repent that did not differentiate between social groups or religious
status.[2]
In John’s own words the message was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come
near” (Matt 3:2). This message was very similar to the Old Testament prophets
calling for repentance. There was expectancy for God’s judgment within John’s
message that resonated with the Jewish people.[3]
The message was delivered and then a call to be baptized
was given. John’s message was profound but simple with the resounding theme of repent.[4]
John didn’t teach the law in a scholarly manner or debate the finer points of
Judaism.[5]
The need for understanding scripture is necessary and shouldn’t be ignored but
that wasn’t John’s message. John did know the law and prophets because he used scripture
to answer inquisitive people. However, the Messiah was coming in a short time
and John presented that urgency in his message.[6]
The lesson here is that John knew the times and developed
a message that was pertinent to the situation. We can follow this example by
learning the scripture, and following the prompting of the Holy Spirit to develop
messages that are pertinent our place of service. Jesus pointed out the
differences in how His ministry and John’s ministry affected their disciples
lifestyles (Luke 5:33-34). This scripture shows that not all ministries are the
same. Our message should come from our purpose and be relevant to the people we
are ministering to.
John’s
message reached the multitudes
John’s message was dynamic, controversial and impacting
and the multitudes came to the wilderness to hear it. John had a massive
following that grew large enough that Herod Antipas was fearful of John’s
influence and followers.[7]
After John’s death his movement did not die and has carried on throughout
modern times in small sects in the Middle East.[8]
This is unfortunate because it means that some of John’s disciples missed the
point of his ministry but shows the impact John had in the region.
A movement that grows this large is not made up of a
single section of society but people from every part of society.
John had the
attention of everyone in the region. The religious leaders came to criticize,
and the sinners came to listen.[9]
John knew that his audiences were Jewish people that were captured by the
desire to please God. Their social backgrounds may have affected whether they
listened to John or not, but John knew what would pierce the hearts of his
listeners.
 |
| society? some say so. |
The crowds grew larger and it is easy to say that he had
a good message and that is why people came but it is not like today. There were
no mass media or internet social devices heralding John’s arrival. People came
because of a reputation that was the result of a message birthed out of
purpose. John’s life birthed curiosity in people and his message brought
change. Jesus asked the people what they went to the desert to see (Matt 11:7).
There was a desire to see John that people could not often explain. John was
filled with the Holy Spirit and his ministry offered something the religious
leaders did not. John offered the
forgiveness of sin for the truly repentant (Mark 1:4).
The
Message was the same for everyone
John the Baptist spoke out against sin. There are several
encounters with religious leaders and rulers where John corrects the
unrepentant powerful people of those days.[10]
John called the Pharisees a group of vipers for their hypocrisy. [11]
The denouncement of Herod Antipas is the only personal attack recorded about
John in the Bible.[12]
John believed that Herod was guilty of religious, political, and legal sin for
marrying his brother’s wife.[13]
John’s message of repentance was the most important thing
in his life. He was not concerned with making everyone like him. Religious
leaders rejected John, and he was eventually imprisoned for his message but
there was no compromise in him.[14]
The Kingdom of Heaven was at hand and
the Messiah had arrived, John was motivated by the message alone (Matt 11:2-6).
John was eventually killed for his criticism of Herod
Antipas. There is speculation that it was a political motivated move because
John’s following was so large.[15]
However, the Bible records that John’s death was a favor requested by Herod’s
wife (Mark 6:24). The message John delivered offended someone enough that they
sought to kill him and they succeeded.
Conclusion
and Application: is our message as important as John’s?
The message of John the Baptist was that the Kingdom of
Heaven was at hand and people needed to repent. John thought his message was so
important that he lived with a purpose to only preach his message. The world is
different now and we live in a different eschatological time, but the message
that the Messiah is coming is still valid (John 14:1-4) Jesus is coming back
again and people need to hear the message. Are we living a life born from our ultimate
destiny which is eternal life with God? Are we living with a purpose that
allows us the opportunity to share a message? Is our message important enough
that it consumes our lifestyle? These are the questions that the life of John
the Baptist present to us and we should be aware of our place in history, just
like John.
[1]
Paul W. Hollenbach, “John the Baptist” The
Anchor Bible Dictionary: Volume 3 (New
York, NY: Doubleday, 1992), 892.
[2]
Jonathan Lunde, “Repentance” Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Downers
Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1992), 670.
[3]
Ibid., 670
[4]
John Phillips, Exploring People of the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2007), 64.
[5]
John Phillips, Exploring People of the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2007), 64.
[6]
Ibid., 64.
[7]
B. Witherington, “John the Baptist” Dictionary
of Jesus and the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1992),
389.
[8]
Ibid., 389
[9]
John Phillips, Exploring People of the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2007), 65.
[10]
Paul W. Hollenbach, “John the Baptist” The
Anchor Bible Dictionary: Volume 3 (New
York, NY: Doubleday, 1992), 894.
[11]
Phillips, 66.
[12]
Hollenbach, 894
[13]
Ibid., 895.
[14]
John Phillips, Exploring People of the
New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2007), 66.
[15]
Paul W. Hollenbach, “John the Baptist” The
Anchor Bible Dictionary: Volume 3 (New
York, NY: Doubleday, 1992), 894.
These have been great, thanks for posting them!
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