For quite some time, I have wanted to undertake an extensive study on John the Baptist. I was finally able to complete it, and frankly, it did not take as long as I was expecting. Since then, I gave messages in two different churches on John the Baptist. I will post two parts on this study, so that we can give the attention this topic deserves.
Isaiah 40:3 is the first foretelling of John the Baptist. He is to be a voice crying out in the wilderness. With purification in the background, chapter 40 marks a shift in Isaiah. Previously, Israel’s sin was recounted, judgment was foretold, and judgment was carried out. Now, in chapter 40, John the Baptist is foretold, and God is laying out the grounds for their purification. Then, starting in chapter 42, Jesus Christ is foretold, along with the restoration of Israel and the salvation of the Gentiles. The ground for purification before God is His majesty and strength above all the earth. God has exposed the sin of Israel and promised a light to all the nations. Thus, all are called to purity, and John the Baptist will be the forerunner of Christ, calling us to purity.
The wilderness represents the heathen, and God has foretold numerous times that He would bring righteousness unto the heathen or wilderness. Thus, the gospels begin in the wilderness, among the heathen calling them to repentance, with John the Baptist at the forefront.
Recall that between Malachi and Matthew there are roughly 400 years. This is probably closer to 430 years, and it is a similar time span as that which occurred between Israel traveling to Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. The similarity is not a coincidence. In the first instance, God instituted the law of Moses, the temple, and the sacrificial system. In the second instance, God instituted the new covenant, the forerunner of which is John the Baptist, and the climax is Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection.
There are multiple references to the “day of the Lord” in the Old Testament, from Isaiah through Malachi. The “day of the Lord” symbolizes judgment, and Malachi foretells this judgment and issues a strong call to repentance. This is where we find the second reference to John the Baptist, in Malachi 3:1. John will go before the Lord who will come in judgment.
Why judgment? The simple answer is that God’s chosen people, Israel, had abandoned obedience and relaxed their fear of God. God foretells a coming judgment and issues a call to repentance. Then, when Matthew opens, we read, “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 3:1-2
Malachi closes with a call to repentance, warning that judgment is coming, and Matthew opens with a call to repentance. The last several chapters in Matthew show Jesus foretelling judgment, and judgment was indeed poured out on Israel in AD67-70. The gospels also contain a significant amount of rebuke by Jesus upon the Pharisees, scribes, and high priests. This is because they did not need the call to repentance in Malachi. All the sins God discusses in Malachi are continuing in Matthew’s day. Despite the warning of a coming judgment, nothing has changed. Israel disobeyed once again by refusing to repent.
Elsewhere, John the Baptist is introduced as preaching repentance, for the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Luke 1:76-80 His attire is that of Elijah – simplistic and the opposite of luxury. Of all prophets, Elijah is probably the most important, and John the Baptist is considered to be another Elijah. John the Baptist’s diet is, again, the opposite of luxury. There does not seem to be anything special about his diet, but it does speak to his geographic location and his heart or way of thinking. He was identified among the common person and refused luxury. He lived off the land. Matthew 3:1-12, Mark 1:1-8, Luke 3:1-18 We read in these verses that people were coming out to hear John the Baptist. This signifies that they wanted to know and were intrigued by his message. He was not of the city.
Jesus discusses the purpose of John the Baptist in Matthew 11:7-19 and Luke 7:24-35. Jesus places John the Baptist among the prophets and under the law of Moses. He then notes the shift for those who enter into the kingdom of heaven through Christ. Christ also judges the generation for their lostness and disobedience.
John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod, most likely at the insistence of the Jewish leaders and because Herod himself did not like what John was preaching about him. Luke 3:19-20 Herod was living in adultery and indulging his lust. At the request of Herod’s wife and step-daughter, John the Baptist was beheaded. Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:16-29 Such act was the ultimate refusal to repent. The Herod here is the son of Herod the Great who wanted to kill Jesus. By this time, Herod Antipas succeeded his father. Not long after this scene, he tried to succeed to the position of king. Instead, the emperor of Rome banished him for his sensual lifestyle.
He had sent away his wife and took his brother’s wife, Herodias. This is what John the Baptist preached against. Herodias wanted John the Baptist dead and also wanted Herod to be king. Charges were brought against Herod by his nephew, Herod Agrippa I, upon which the emperor banished him. Herod seems to have died while in exile. None of the Herods were good people. They were very worldly, indulged their lust, and were corrupt. We see each of them introduced to the gospel, and all of them refused. Herod Agrippa I would be struck dead by the Holy Spirit in Acts.
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