Next week is Christmas and we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus, but before we celebrate the birth of Jesus, I’d like for us to explore the birth of another boy that happened 6 months before Jesus. He was vital to the ministry of Jesus, so let’s see what Jesus said about him. Matthew 11:11 “11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist...” According to Jesus, John the Baptist was The Greatest Man Ever Born of a Woman. But look what Jesus says right after that. “...Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Jesus is laying out the difference between a man born in the physical from a woman, and a man born again into the kingdom. If Jesus thought this highly of John then maybe we should investigate him a little further. Our question today is: Who was John the Baptist? John the Baptist is a very interesting character in the Bible. Not only was John the guy who announced Jesus’ ministry...they were also cousins. The birth of John was a miracle. His mother was not able to have children, at least not until God intervened. Here is the story from the book of Luke.
Luke 1:5-7 “5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.” The first thing we can notice is that both his father and mother were from a priestly family line and they both walked blamelessly before God. So John would be accepted as one who could become a priest and be able to teach God’s word. But he became much more than that. He was a prophet and a bridge. John is the bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Look at the last two verses of the Old Testament. Malachi 4:5-6 “5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Well that didn’t say anything about John the Baptist, did it? It talked about Elijah. Just hang on a couple minutes and we’ll see how this is actually about John. When you turn the page and enter the New Testament 400 years later, it begins with the genealogy of Jesus and his childhood, but by the third chapter, John the Baptist is back in the spotlight. Matthew 3:1-2 “1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Let’s back up and look at the story of John’s birth. John’s mother Elizabeth was barren and advanced in years. But his father Zachariah had been praying for a child. Zachariah was then visited by an angel who said they would have a miracle son. Does that remind you of anyone in the Old Testament? Abraham and Sarah didn’t have children and were also advanced in years, but they were visited by an angel who promised a miracle child. When God decides to bless you with what you’ve been praying for, your physical, emotional or financial situation will not prevent God from doing what He wants to do. Let’s read the story. Luke 1:11-17 “11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” That last part does seem to sound like what Malichi said, but is that enough for us to believe that he was talking about John, when he mentioned the spirit and power of Elijah? If not, this should be all the evidence you need.
Matthew 17:12-13 “12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.” John’s arrival is prophesied by Isaiah 700 years before he was born. Matthew 3:1-3 “1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” There is a story about John’s mother Elizabeth and Mary the mother of Jesus in Luke. They were both pregnant. Luke1:39-41 “39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,” Did you see what happened when Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice? John leaped in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. I love the way this is a great example for us today. Have you ever met someone and as soon as you started talking about God, you knew instantly that you had a connection with them? That is the Holy Spirit in you confirming that He is in them also. You could feel your spirit leap when you talked to them.
What do you remember about John from Sunday school as a kid? Of course he is the guy who baptized Jesus, but most of us remember the strange stuff, that he wore camel’s hair with a leather belt and ate locust. Matthew 3:4-6 “4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” But why would the Bible provide such an unusual detail concerning what he wore and ate? It was to show us what his true role was. Remember that John’s birth from parents who both came from a priestly family line qualified him for a position in the priesthood. And priests of that day wore extravagant robes. John’s clothes and food showed that he held a different position. Look at who else wore camel’s hair and ate locusts. 2 Kings 1:7-8 “7 He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” 8 They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” The connections between Elijah and John keep getting stronger. Leviticus 11:22 “22 Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.” John sure did dress and act like an Old Testament prophet. This is what Zachariah, John’s father prophesied over him when he was 8 days old.
Luke 1:76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,” Now before I go on, let me be clear about one thing. John the Baptist was not Elijah reincarnated. That is not a thing. So if he’s not really Elijah, who was he? This is a question that the priests had also. Remember, he was in line to be a priest based on his family history. John, himself, clears that question up for them. John 1:19-23 “19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” John referred to himself as a prophet who had the same function or role as Elijah to proclaim the coming of the Lord. John was called to be a witness that Jesus was the Messiah. John 1:6-8 “6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” Matthew 3:11-12 “11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” John 1:29 “29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John was fiercely dedicated to calling people to repentance because the kingdom of God was about to arrive. Matthew 3:7-10 “7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” When John called the Pharasees and Saducees a “brood of vipers” he was making a reference to the serpent in the garden. He was calling them the devil. That kind of talk did not make him popular among the religious leaders of the day. That’s how far religion had gotten out of hand in his day. And that’s where we find ourselves again today. We as the church must stand firm and proclaim that God requires righteousness and that man can only receive that righteousness by repenting of their sins and accepting that Jesus is the Lord. John’s boldness in calling out sin is what eventually got him put in prison and then beheaded. But he didn’t back down.
John knew his role and he followed his path to the end. Even when all the crowds who came to hear his preaching and be baptized turned away from him and started following Jesus, he stayed on mission. He didn’t let his popularity drive his ministry. Matthew 11:2-10 “7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,who will prepare your way before you.’ John wasn’t a man who sought after a life of comfort and ease. He was not shaken. He pursued a life that fulfilled his calling in the kingdom. John the Baptist is our example of how we are to proclaim that Jesus is the messiah and he is the only means of salvation. Our message should be the same as John’s. Regardless of the price, regardless of what it may cause others to think of us, regardless of what it may mean for our career, regardless of what it costs us. And now the next verse in this passage is where we started and it is where we will end. Matthew 11::11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Being born of the Spirit makes you greater!
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