Reference: John the Baptist
Easton
the "forerunner of our Lord." We have but fragmentary and imperfect accounts of him in the Gospels. He was of priestly descent. His father, Zacharias, was a priest of the course of Abia (1Ch 24:10), and his mother, Elisabeth, was of the daughters of Aaron (Lu 1:5). The mission of John was the subject of prophecy (Mt 3:3; Isa 40:3; Mal 3:1). His birth, which took place six months before that of Jesus, was foretold by an angel. Zacharias, deprived of the power of speech as a token of God's truth and a reproof of his own incredulity with reference to the birth of his son, had the power of speech restored to him on the occasion of his circumcision (Lu 1:64). After this no more is recorded of him for thirty years than what is mentioned in Lu 1:80. John was a Nazarite from his birth (Lu 1:15; Nu 6:1-12). He spent his early years in the mountainous tract of Judah lying between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea (Mt 3:1-12).
At length he came forth into public life, and great multitudes from "every quarter" were attracted to him. The sum of his preaching was the necessity of repentance. He denounced the Sadducees and Pharisees as a "generation of vipers," and warned them of the folly of trusting to external privileges (Lu 3:8). "As a preacher, John was eminently practical and discriminating. Self-love and covetousness were the prevalent sins of the people at large. On them, therefore, he enjoined charity and consideration for others. The publicans he cautioned against extortion, the soldiers against crime and plunder." His doctrine and manner of life roused the entire south of Palestine, and the people from all parts flocked to the place where he was, on the banks of the Jordan. There he baptized thousands unto repentance.
The fame of John reached the ears of Jesus in Nazareth (Mt 3:5), and he came from Galilee to Jordan to be baptized of John, on the special ground that it became him to "fulfil all righteousness" (Mt 3:15). John's special office ceased with the baptism of Jesus, who must now "increase" as the King come to his kingdom. He continued, however, for a while to bear testimony to the Messiahship of Jesus. He pointed him out to his disciples, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God." His public ministry was suddenly (after about six months probably) brought to a close by his being cast into prison by Herod, whom he had reproved for the sin of having taken to himself the wife of his brother Philip (Lu 3:19). He was shut up in the castle of Machaerus (q.v.), a fortress on the southern extremity of Peraea, 9 miles east of the Dead Sea, and here he was beheaded. His disciples, having consigned the headless body to the grave, went and told Jesus all that had occurred (Mt 14:3-12). John's death occurred apparently just before the third Passover of our Lord's ministry. Our Lord himself testified regarding him that he was a "burning and a shining light" (Joh 5:35).
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And LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazarite, to separate himself to LORD, read more. he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come upon his head. Until the days be fulfilled, in which he separates himself to LORD, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. He shall not come near to a dead body all the days that he separates himself to LORD. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to LORD. And if any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting. And the priest shall offer one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. And he shall separate to LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a he-lamb a year old for a trespass-offering. But the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.
The voice of a man crying out in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. And LORD, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple. And the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he comes, says LORD of hosts.
And in those days John the immerser comes, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of the heavens has approached. read more. For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of a man crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Lord. Make his paths straight.
For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of a man crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Lord. Make his paths straight. Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather belt about his waist. And his food was locusts and wild honey. read more. Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region of the Jordan went out to him,
Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region of the Jordan went out to him, and they were immersed by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. read more. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersion, he said to them, Ye offspring of vipers, who showed you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance. And think not to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore not producing good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire. I indeed immerse you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He will immerse you in a Holy Spirit. Whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. And he will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.
But having answered, Jesus said to him, Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allows him.
For Herod having arrested John, bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. For John said to him, It is not permitted for thee to have her. read more. And though he wanted to kill him, he feared the multitude because they held him as a prophet. But Herod's birthday being brought, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she would ask. And she, having been put forward by her mother, says, Give me here on a platter the head of John the immerser. And he became sad, but because of the oaths, and of those dining together, the king commanded it to be given. And having sent, he beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the maiden, and she brought it to her mother. And after coming, his disciples took up the body and buried it, and having gone, they informed Jesus.
It came to pass in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest, named Zacharias, from the division of Abijah, and his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he should, no, not drink wine and strong drink. And he will be filled of Holy Spirit, even from his mother's belly.
And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue, and he spoke, praising God.
And the child grew, and became strong in spirit. And he was in the desolate regions until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him about Herodias his brother's wife, and about all of which evil things Herod had done,
That man was the lamp that burns and shines, and ye were willing to rejoice for an hour in his light.
Fausets
Son of Zacharias (of the course of Abijah, 1Ch 24:10) and Elisabeth (of the daughters of Aaron), who both "walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." Elisabeth was related to the Virgin Mary; but Scripture does not state the exact relationship; the Greek in Lu 1:36 (sungenees), which our Bible renders "cousin," means any "relation" or "kinswoman," whether by marriage or birth. It is noteworthy that Jesus, of the Melchizedek order of priesthood, was related to but not descended from the Aaronic priests. Zacharias was old, and Elisabeth barren, when, as he was burning incense at the golden altar, Gabriel announced the answer to his prayers (not directly for a son, but, as Israel's representative, for Messiah the Hope of Israel) in the coming birth of a son, the appointed forerunner of Messiah; John (Jehovah's gift) was to he his name, because his supernatural birth was a pledge of the Lord's grace, long looked for, now visiting again His people to their joy (Luke 1).
John was to be "great in the sight of the Lord" (contrast Baruch, Jer 45:5). He should be in himself a pattern of that self denial which accords best with his subject of preaching, legal repentance, "drinking no strong drink, but filled with the Holy Spirit (see the same contrast, Eph 5:18, the minister's enthusiasm ought to be not from artificial stimulant but from the Spirit's unction) from the mother's womb," a Nazarite (Nu 6:1-21). Like the great prophet reformer (compare 1Ki 18:36-37) Elijah in "spirit. and power" of preaching, though not in miracles (Joh 10:41), he should turn the degenerate "children to the Lord and to" their righteous "fathers, and the heart of the fathers to the children," their past mutual alienation being due to the children's apostasy; fulfilling Mal 4:4-6; bringing "Moses' law" to their remembrance, "lest Jehovah at His coming should smite the earth with a curse." Thus John should "make ready a people for the Lord." Zacharias for unbelief in withholding credit without a sign was punished with dumbness as the sign until the event came to pass.
In the hill country, where Elisabeth had retired, her cousin Mary saluted her, and the babe leaped in Elisabeth's womb. His birth was six months before our Lord's. At his circumcision on the eighth day Zacharias gave his name John; and his returning faith was rewarded with returning speech, of which his first use was to pour forth a thanksgiving hymn, in which he makes it his son's chief honour that he should be "prophet of the Highest, going before the Lord's face to prepare His ways" as His harbinger. John had the special honour of being the subject off prophecy ages before, and of being associated in close juxtaposition with Messiah Himself. John "waxed strong in spirit and was in the deserts until the day of his showing unto Israel" (Lu 1:80). Meanwhile God's interposition in the wonders of his birth caused "all the people to be in expectation, musing in their hearts whether he were the Christ" (Lu 3:15). The thinly-populated region adjoining the hill country of Judea was his haunt; there communion alone with God prepared him for his work.
At 30, when "the word of God came to" him (Lu 3:2), he went forth, his very appearance a sign of the unworldliness and legal repentance. which he preached; his raiment a camel's hair garment secured with leather girdle (2Ki 1:8) as Elijah's; his food that supplied by the desert, locusts (Le 11:22) and wild honey (Ps 81:16). All classes, Pharisees, Sadducees, the people, publicans, and soldiers, flocked to him from every quarter, Jerusalem, Judea, and the, region round Jordan (Mt 3:5; Luke 3). The leading sects he denounced as a "generation of vipers" (compare Ge 3:15, the serpent's "seed"), warning them that descent from Abraham would not avail with out doing Abraham's works (compare Joh 8:39), and telling all practically and discriminatingly that the repentance needed required a renunciation of their several besetting sins; and that whereas, on their confession, he baptized with water baptism, the Mightier One would come baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire (Mt 3:11-12). (See BAPTISM.)
When the ecclesiastical authorities sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask, Who art thou? John replied, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord" (Joh 1:19-23). The natural wilderness symbolized the moral (Isa 32:15), wherein was no highway for the Lord and for righteousness. The hills of pride and the valleys of degradation must be brought to the one holy level before the Lord (Isaiah 40). John was the forerunner of the reigning Messiah (Mt 3:2; Mal 3:1), but through the nation's rejection of Him that reign was deferred (compare Nu 14:34 with Mt 23:37-39). John baptized Jesus and though knowing Him before as a man and his kinsman, yet then first knew His divine Messiahship by the Spirit's visible descent (Joh 1:30-34). (See JESUS; BAPTISM.) John thence forth witnessed to Jesus, desiring to "decrease that He might increase." By his testimony at Bethany (so oldest manuscripts for Bethabara) beyond Jordan, "Behold the Lamb of God," he led two of his disciples to Him, Andrew and John the apostle and evangelist (Joh 1:35 ff; Joh 3:23-36; 4:1-2; Ac 19:3).
Yet John never formally joined Jesus; for he was one of the greatest among the Old Testament prophets, but not strictly in the New Testament kingdom, the least in which, as to spiritual privileges, was greater than he (Lu 7:28). His standing was the last of Old Testament prophets, preparatory to the gospel. He taught fasting and prayers, rather in the spirit and therefore with the forms of, the old dispensation which the new would supersede, its new spirit creating its appropriate new forms (Lu 5:33-38; 11:1). Herod Antipas beheaded him in the fortress Machaerus E. of the Dead Sea, to gratify Herodias' spite for John's faithfulness in denouncing her adultery, and in slavish adherence to his reckless oath to give Herodias' daughter Salome, for dancing on his birthday, whatever she might ask. (See HEROD ANTIPAS.)
From the prison John had sent two (the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus manuscripts read Mt 11:2 "by," dia, for duo, two) disciples to Jesus to elicit from Himself a profession of His Messiahship, for their confirmation in the faith. (See JESUS.) Jesus at once confirmed them and comforted John himself (who probably had expected to see Jesus more openly vindicating righteousness, as foretold Mal 3:2-5; 4:1-3), by an appeal to His miracles and preaching, the very credentials promised in Isa 35:5; 61:1. Jesus at the same time attested John's unshaken firmness, appealing to His hearers' own knowledge of him (Matthew 11). No reed shaken by the wind, no courtier in soft raiment, was John. But whether it was the ascetical forerunner, or the social Lord Himself, that preached, that generation was dissatisfied, with John because he was too self denying, with Jesus because He would not commend their self-righteous fastings: "we have piped unto you (unto John) and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you (unto Jesus) and ye have not lamented."
Of John as of Jesus they said, he hath a devil. John fell just before the third Passover of Christ's ministry; his disciples buried him Self denial, humility, wherewith he disclaimed Messiahship and said he was not worthy to unloose His shoes' latchet, zeal for the Lord's honour, and holy faithfulness at all costs, were his prominent graces. (On the "Elias who shall yet come," see ELIJAH, end.) John's ministry extended at its close into Peraea at the S.E. end of the lake of Galilee. When the herald was silenced the Master took up the message (Mr 1:14) in the same quarter. John's labours there so impressed Herod that, "he feared and observed him, and when he heard him did many things, and heard him gladly"; but would not do the one thing needed, give up his adulterous paramour, his brother Philip's wife.
Elijah was translated in a chariot of fire; but John died a felon's death, for the forerunner was to be as his Lord. The worthless Ahab reappears in Herod with similar germs of good struggling with evil. Herodias answers to the cruel Jezebel. As Ahab
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And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. He shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.
even these of them ye may eat: the locust after its kind, and the bald locust after its kind, and the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
And LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazarite, to separate himself to LORD, read more. he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come upon his head. Until the days be fulfilled, in which he separates himself to LORD, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. He shall not come near to a dead body all the days that he separates himself to LORD. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to LORD. And if any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting. And the priest shall offer one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. And he shall separate to LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a he-lamb a year old for a trespass-offering. But the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled. And this is the law of the Nazarite when the days of his separation are fulfilled: He shall be brought to the door of the tent of meeting, and he shall offer his oblation to LORD: one he-lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt-offering, and one ewe-lamb a year old without blemish for a sin-offering, and one ram without blemish for peace-offerings, and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings. And the priest shall present them before LORD, and shall offer his sin-offering, and his burnt-offering. And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings to LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall also offer the meal-offering of it, and the drink-offering of it. And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace-offerings. And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after he has shaven his separation, and the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before LORD. This is holy for the priest, together with the wave-breast and heave-thigh. And after that the Nazarite may drink wine. This is the law of the Nazarite who vows, [and of] his oblation to LORD for his separation, besides that which he is able to get. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.
After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, ye shall bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my alienation.
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the [evening] oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou are God in Israel, and Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou, LORD, are God, and [that] thou have turned their heart back again.
And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a belt of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
He would feed them also with the finest of the wheat. And I would satisfy thee with honey out of the rock.
until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
The Spirit of lord LORD is upon me, because LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, {and recovering of sight to the blind (LXX/NT)}, and
And do thou seek great things for thyself? Seek them not, for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, says LORD, but thy life I will give to thee for a prey in all places where thou go.
Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. And LORD, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple. And the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he comes, says LORD of hosts. But who can abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. read more. And he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver. And they shall offer to LORD offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant to LORD, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years. And I will come near to you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the FALSE swearers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the f
For, behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace, and all the proud, and all who work wickedness, shall be stubble. And the day that comes shall burn them up, says LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in its wings, and ye shall go forth, and frolic as calves of the stall. read more. And ye shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, says LORD of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and fearful day of LORD comes. And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the heart of the sons to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Repent ye, for the kingdom of the heavens has approached.
Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region of the Jordan went out to him,
I indeed immerse you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He will immerse you in a Holy Spirit. Whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. And he will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, having sent two of his disciples,
And having known it Jesus withdrew from there, and many multitudes followed him, and he healed them all. And he chided them so that they would not make him known, read more. so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which says, Behold, my Boy whom I chose, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel, nor will he shout, nor will any man hear his voice in the thoroughfares. A bruised reed he will not break, and smoldering flax he will not quench, until he sends forth justice for victory. And in his name Gentiles will hope.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who have been sent to her. How often I wanted to gathered thy children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left to you desolate. read more. For I say to you, ye will, no, not see me henceforth, until ye say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord.
Now after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the good-news of God,
And behold, Elizabeth thy kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
And the child grew, and became strong in spirit. And he was in the desolate regions until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God became in John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
And as the people were expectant, and all pondering in their hearts about John, if perhaps he was the Christ,
And they said to him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make supplications, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but thine eat and drink. And he said to them, Ye cannot make the sons of the wedding hall fast while the bridegroom is with them. read more. But the days will also come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, then they will fast in those days. And he also spoke a parable to them. No man puts a patch of a new garment on an old garment, otherwise both the new tears, and that from the new will not blend with the old. And no man puts new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the new wine will burst the wineskins, and will itself be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved together.
For I say to you, among men born of women there is not one prophet greater than John the immerser, yet the smaller in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
And it came to pass as he was in a certain place praying, that when he ceased, a certain man of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.
And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent forth priests and Levites from Jerusalem so that they might ask him, Who are thou? And he confessed, and did not deny, and confessed, I am not the Christ. read more. And they asked him, What therefore, are thou Elijah? And he says, I am not. Are thou the prophet? And he answered, No. They said therefore to him, Who are thou, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do thou say about thyself? He said, I am the voice of a man crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of Lord, just as the prophet Isaiah said.
This is he about whom I said, After me comes a man who has become before me, because he was before me. And I had not known him, but that he would be made known to Israel. Because of this I came immersing in water. read more. And John testified, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon him. And I had not known him. But he who sent me to immerse in water, he said to me, Upon whomever thou will see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, this is he who immerses in Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God. Again on the morrow John stood, and two of his disciples.
And John also was immersing in Aenon near Salim because there was much water there. And they came and were immersed. For John was not yet cast into prison. read more. Therefore a debate developed from John's disciples with the Jews about purification. And they came to John, and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, about whom thou have testified, behold, this man immerses, and all men come to him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it is given to him from heaven. Ye yourselves testify that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent ahead of that man. He who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This therefore my joy is fulfilled. It is necessary for that man to increase, but me to decrease. He who comes from above is above all things. He who is of the earth is of the earth, and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all things. And what he has seen and heard, of this he testifies, and no man receives his testimony. He who has received his testimony has set a seal that God is true. For he whom God sent speaks the sayings of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and immersing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not immerse, but his disciples),
They answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus says to them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
And many came to him, and they said, John indeed did not one sign, but all, as many things as John spoke about this man, were true.
And he said to them, Into what then were ye immersed? And they said, Into John's immersion.
And do not become intoxicated with wine, during which is debauchery, but be filled in Spirit,
Hastings
The single narrative of John's birth and circumcision (Lu 1) states that, as the child of promise (Lu 1:13), he was born in 'a city of Judah' (Lu 1:39), when his parents were old (Lu 1:7). They were both of priestly descent (Lu 1:5), and his mother was a kinswoman of the mother of Jesus (Lu 1:36). John was a Nazirite from his birth (Lu 1:15); he developed self-reliance in his lonely home, and learnt the secret of spiritual strength as he communed with God in the solitudes of the desert (Lu 1:80). In the Jud
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Speak ye to all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household.
Now this is that which thou shall offer upon the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually.
even these of them ye may eat: the locust after its kind, and the bald locust after its kind, and the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
Then the word of LORD came to Samuel, saying,
Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil.
The voice of a man crying out in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that is mute before its shearers, so he opened not his mouth.
And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies of the men who have transgressed against me. For their worm shall not die, nor shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh.
And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all your idols.
For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, just as [grain] is sifted in a sieve, yet the least kernel shall not fall upon the earth.
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and fearful day of LORD comes.
And in those days John the immerser comes, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of the heavens has approached.
Repent ye, for the kingdom of the heavens has approached. For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of a man crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Lord. Make his paths straight. read more. Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather belt about his waist. And his food was locusts and wild honey.
Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather belt about his waist. And his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region of the Jordan went out to him,
Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region of the Jordan went out to him, and they were immersed by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
and they were immersed by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersion, he said to them, Ye offspring of vipers, who showed you to flee from the coming wrath? read more. Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance. And think not to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
And think not to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And even now the axe is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore not producing good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire. read more. I indeed immerse you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He will immerse you in a Holy Spirit. Whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. And he will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be immersed by him.
But having answered, Jesus said to him, Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allows him.
he said to him, Are thou he who comes, or do we look for another?
And if ye are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is going to come.
But if we should say, From men, we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet.
The beginning of the good-news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who will prepare thy way before thee. read more. The voice of a man crying out in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Lord. Make his paths straight. It came to pass, that John was immersing in the wilderness and preaching an immersion of repentance for remission of sins.
It came to pass, that John was immersing in the wilderness and preaching an immersion of repentance for remission of sins. And all the land of Judea and the Jerusalemites went out to him, and they were all immersed by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. read more. And John was clothed with camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and eating locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, A man mightier than I comes after me of whom I am not worthy, having stooped down, to loosen the strap of his shoes. I indeed immersed you in water, but he will immerse you in Holy Spirit.
I indeed immersed you in water, but he will immerse you in Holy Spirit. And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was immersed by John in the Jordan.
And king Herod heard, for his name had become well known. And he said, John, the man who immerses, was raised from the dead, and because of this the powers work in him.
For John said to Herod, It is not permitted for thee to have thy brother's wife.
But I say to you, that Elijah has also come, and they did to him as much as they wanted, just as it is written for him.
But should we say, From men? (They feared the people, for all held John that he was indeed a prophet.)
It came to pass in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest, named Zacharias, from the division of Abijah, and his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
And there was no child to them because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in their days.
But the agent said to him, Fear not, Zacharias, because thy plea was heard, and thy wife Elizabeth will bear a son for thee. And thou shall call his name John.
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he should, no, not drink wine and strong drink. And he will be filled of Holy Spirit, even from his mother's belly.
And he will go ahead, in front of him, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn back the hearts of fathers toward children, and the disobedient in a mentality of the righteous, to make ready for Lord a people prepared.
And behold, Elizabeth thy kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
And having risen in these days, Mary went with haste into the hill country, into a city of Judah,
And the child grew, and became strong in spirit. And he was in the desolate regions until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip being tetrarch of the region belonging to Ituraea, and of the region of in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God became in John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God became in John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching an immersion of repentance for remission of sins,
And he came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching an immersion of repentance for remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, which says, The voice of a man crying out in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Lord. Make his paths straight. read more. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low. And the crooked things will be into straight and the rough into smooth ways. And all flesh will see the salvation of God. He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be immersed by him, Ye offspring of vipers, who showed you to flee from the coming wrath? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore not making good fruit is cut down, and cast into fire.
And even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore not making good fruit is cut down, and cast into fire. And the crowds questioned him, saying, What then shall we do? read more. And having answered, he says to them, He who has two coats, let him share with him not having, and he who has food, let him do likewise. And tax collectors also came to be immersed, and they said to him, Teacher, what should we do? And he said to them, Collect not one thing more than from what has been appointed for you. And men who were soldiers also questioned him, saying, And we, what should we do? And he said to them, Do violence to no man, nor accuse falsely, and be content with your wages. And as the people were expectant, and all pondering in their hearts about John, if perhaps he was the Christ, John responded, saying to them all, I indeed immerse you in water, but a man mightier than I comes, of whom I am not worthy to unloose the strap of his shoes. He will immerse you in Holy Spirit and fire, whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. Indeed therefore, also exhorting the people with many other things, he preached the good-news. read more. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him about Herodias his brother's wife, and about all of which evil things Herod had done, also added this to them all, he even locked up John in prison. Now it came to pass, during the immersion of all the people, Jesus also having been immersed and praying, for the heaven to be opened,
But if we say, From men, all the people will stone us, for they are convinced John is a prophet.
This man came for testimony so that he might testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.
John testified about him, and cried out, saying, This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me came to be before me, because he was before me. And from his fullness we all received, even grace for grace. read more. Because the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ. No man has ever seen God. The only begotten Son, being in the bosom of the Father, that man reported him. And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent forth priests and Levites from Jerusalem so that they might ask him, Who are thou? And he confessed, and did not deny, and confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What therefore, are thou Elijah? And he says, I am not. Are thou the prophet? And he answered, No.
And they asked him, What therefore, are thou Elijah? And he says, I am not. Are thou the prophet? And he answered, No. They said therefore to him, Who are thou, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do thou say about thyself? read more. He said, I am the voice of a man crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of Lord, just as the prophet Isaiah said.
He said, I am the voice of a man crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of Lord, just as the prophet Isaiah said. And those who were sent were from the Pharisees. read more. And they asked him, and said to him, Why therefore do thou immerse if thou are not the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet?
And they asked him, and said to him, Why therefore do thou immerse if thou are not the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet? John answered them, saying, I immerse in water, but amidst you stands him whom ye know not. read more. He is the man who comes after me, who has become before me, of whom I am not worthy that I might loosen the strap of his shoe. These things occurred in Bethany beyond the Jordan where John was immersing. On the morrow John sees Jesus coming to him, and he says, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
On the morrow John sees Jesus coming to him, and he says, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
On the morrow John sees Jesus coming to him, and he says, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he about whom I said, After me comes a man who has become before me, because he was before me. read more. And I had not known him, but that he would be made known to Israel. Because of this I came immersing in water. And John testified, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon him. And I had not known him. But he who sent me to immerse in water, he said to me, Upon whomever thou will see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, this is he who immerses in Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.
He who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This therefore my joy is fulfilled.
And he departed again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was first immersing, and he stayed there.
This was a man who was instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in the Spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things about the Lord, knowing only the immersion of John.
And he said to them, Into what then were ye immersed? And they said, Into John's immersion.
Because of this it is from faith, so that it is according to grace, in order for the promise to be sure to all the seed, not only to the seed from the law, but also to the seed from the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all
nor, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children, rather, In Isaac a seed will be called for thee.
Now we, brothers, who correspond to Isaac, are children of promise.
Morish
Son of Zacharias, priest of the order of Abia, or Abijah (1Ch 24:10), and of Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron, born when they were both old. The conception was foretold by the angel Gabriel, who announced that John was to be a Nazarite, and should be filled with the Holy Ghost from his birth. His mission was also foretold: in the spirit and power of Elias he would be the forerunner of Christ, and would call the people to repentance, according to the prophecy in Isa 40:3. All that is recorded of his early life is "the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel." Lu 1:80.
When he began his ministry he is described as having on "raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins: and his meat was locusts and wild honey." He preached in the wilderness, calling on the people to repent, for the kingdom of heaven was at hand. The people went out to him, and were baptised of him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. Mt 3:1-6. A godly remnant morally apart from the nation was thus prepared in spirit for the Lord. With these (the excellent in the earth, Ps. 16) the Lord Jesus identified Himself.
To the Pharisees and the Sadducees he was especially severe, calling them a 'generation of vipers' (Mt 3:7), but in Luke the multitude are so designated, for all must flee from the wrath to come, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance. The axe was laid to the root of the tree. There was One coming with the winnowing fan, who would divide the wheat from the chaff.
When the religious authorities at Jerusalem sent to John to ask who he was, he declared that he was not the Christ, nor Elias, nor 'that prophet.' De 18:15,18. He was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord," as Isaiah had prophesied. Joh 1:19-23. The Lord, in speaking of John, said, "Elias is indeed come," Mr 9:13, which seems to clash with Joh 1:21; another passage however explains it: "If ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come." Mt 11:14. He had come in the spirit and power of Elias, as foretold by Gabriel; and he was Elias to those who received him and who afterwards followed the Lord, as Andrew and another in Joh 1:40.
So far we have considered John's official place as the forerunner of Christ, but in John's gospel the Baptist's testimony is given to the Lamb of God. He also adds, "I knew him not," but he had been told that He upon whom he saw the Holy Spirit descend and remain was the Baptiser with the Holy Ghost; and he adds, "I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." He may have known Jesus in a natural way, but his knowing Him as Son of God was by a divinely-given testimony. John proclaimed Jesus as "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world;" and in the hearing of two of his own disciples he said, "Behold the Lamb of God." Jesus was to be the object of their hearts, and they followed Him. Afterwards, when John was told that Jesus was baptising, and that all the people were going to Him, he gave a remarkable answer: "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." John was the friend of the bridegroom. The Lord said that among those born of women no one was greater than John; but the least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than he, because the latter was in a new dispensation, John being connected with the law and the prophets of the old dispensation. Mt 11:11-13.
While in prison John's faith or patience seems in measure to have failed him, and he sent two of his disciples to the Lord with the question, "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" He evidently had not apprehended the humiliation and rejection of the Messiah, and expected to have been delivered from prison by the power which he knew had been exercised in grace by the Lord. The Lord wrought various miracles while John's disciples were there, and bade them tell him what they had seen and heard, adding, "Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." Lu 7:19-23.
It was because of John's faithfulness in reproving the sins of Herod Antipas that he had been by him cast into prison. This led to his death through Salome and her guilty mother. John's work was done; he was faithful unto death. Mr 6:14-29.
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LORD thy God will raise up for thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brothers, like me. Ye shall hearken to him
I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers, like thee. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.
The voice of a man crying out in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
And in those days John the immerser comes, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of the heavens has approached. read more. For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of a man crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Lord. Make his paths straight. Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather belt about his waist. And his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region of the Jordan went out to him, and they were immersed by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersion, he said to them, Ye offspring of vipers, who showed you to flee from the coming wrath?
Truly I say to you, among men born of women there has not been raised a greater than John the immerser. Yet the smaller in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. And from the days of John the immerser until now the kingdom of the heavens is treated aggressively, and aggressors seize it. read more. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is going to come.
And king Herod heard, for his name had become well known. And he said, John, the man who immerses, was raised from the dead, and because of this the powers work in him. Others said, He is Elijah, and others said, He is a prophet, like one of the prophets. read more. But Herod, when he heard, said, This is John whom I beheaded. He was raised from the dead. For Herod himself having sent forth, he arrested John, and bound him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he married her. For John said to Herod, It is not permitted for thee to have thy brother's wife. And Herodias was resentful toward him, and wanted to kill him. And she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. And having heard of him--the many things he was doing--he even heard of him gladly. And having become a convenient day, when Herod on his birthday made a dinner for his chiefs, and the high captains, and the leading men of Galilee, and the daughter of her (of Herodias) having come in and danced, and having pleased Herod and those who sat with the king, he said to the maiden, Ask of me whatever thou may want, and I will give to thee. And he swore to her, Whatever thou may ask of me, I will give to thee, as much as half of my kingdom. And having gone out, she said to her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the immerser. And having come in straightaway with haste to the king, she asked, saying, I want that thou may give me, of it on a platter, the head of John the immerser. And the king, who became exceeding sorry, did not want to refuse her because of the oaths, and of those dining together. And straightaway having sent an executioner, the king commanded his head to be brought. And having departed, he beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the maiden. And the maiden gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a sepulcher.
But I say to you, that Elijah has also come, and they did to him as much as they wanted, just as it is written for him.
And the child grew, and became strong in spirit. And he was in the desolate regions until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
And having summoned a certain two of his disciples, John sent them to Jesus, saying, Are thou he who comes, or do we look for another man? And when they came to him, they said, John the immerser has sent us to thee, saying, Are thou he who comes, or do we look for another man? read more. And in the same hour he healed many from diseases and plagues and evil spirits. And he granted sight to many blind men. And having answered, Jesus said to them, After going, report to John the things that ye saw and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor are preached good-new And blessed is he, whoever will not be offended by me.
And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent forth priests and Levites from Jerusalem so that they might ask him, Who are thou? And he confessed, and did not deny, and confessed, I am not the Christ. read more. And they asked him, What therefore, are thou Elijah? And he says, I am not. Are thou the prophet? And he answered, No.
And they asked him, What therefore, are thou Elijah? And he says, I am not. Are thou the prophet? And he answered, No. They said therefore to him, Who are thou, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do thou say about thyself? read more. He said, I am the voice of a man crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of Lord, just as the prophet Isaiah said.
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard from John and who followed him.
Smith
was of the priestly race by both parents, for his father, Zacharias, was himself a priest of the course of Abia or Abijah,
and Elisabeth was of the daughters of Aaron.
Lu 1:5
His birth was foretold by an angel sent from God, and is related at length in Luke 1. The birth of John preceded by six months that of our Lord. John was ordained to be a Nazarite from his birth.
Lu 1:15
Dwelling by himself in the wild and thinly-peopled region westward of the Dead Sea, he prepared himself for the wonderful office to which he had been divinely called. His dress was that of the old prophets --a garment woven of camel's hair,
attached to the body by a leathern girdle. His food was such as the desert afforded --locusts,
and wild honey.
And now the long-secluded hermit came forth to the discharge of his office. His supernatural birth, his life, and the general expectation that some great one was about to appear, were sufficient to attract to him a great multitude from "every quarter."
Many of every class pressed forward to confess their sins and to be baptized. Jesus himself came from Galilee to Jordan to be baptized of John. [JESUS] From incidental notices we learn that John and his disciples continued to baptize some time after our Lord entered upon his ministry. See
See Jesus Christ
Joh 3:23; 4:1; Ac 19:3
We gather also that John instructed his disciples in certain moral and religious duties, as fasting,
Mt 9:14; Lu 5:33
and prayer.
Lu 11:1
But shortly after he had given his testimony to the Messiah, John's public ministry was brought to a close. In daring disregard of the divine laws, Herod Antipas had taken to himself Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip; and when John reproved him for this, as well as for other sins,
Lu 3:19
Herod cast him into prison. (March, A.D. 28.) The place of his confinement was the castle of Machaerus, a fortress on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. It was here that reports reached him of the miracles which our Lord was working in Judea. Nothing but the death of the Baptist would satisfy the resentment of Herodias. A court festival was kept at Machaerus in honor of the king's birthday. After supper the daughter of Herodias came in and danced the king by her grace that he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she should ask. Salome, prompted by her abandoned mother, demanded the head of John the Baptist. Herod gave instructions to an officer of his guard, who went and executed John in the prison, and his head was brought to feast the eyes of the adulteress whose sins he had denounced. His death is supposed to have occurred just before the third passover, in the course of the Lord's ministry. (March, A.D. 29.)
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even these of them ye may eat: the locust after its kind, and the bald locust after its kind, and the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a belt of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
He would feed them also with the finest of the wheat. And I would satisfy thee with honey out of the rock.
Then Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region of the Jordan went out to him,
Then the disciples of John come to him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but thy disciples fast not?
It came to pass in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest, named Zacharias, from the division of Abijah, and his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he should, no, not drink wine and strong drink. And he will be filled of Holy Spirit, even from his mother's belly.
But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him about Herodias his brother's wife, and about all of which evil things Herod had done,
And they said to him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make supplications, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but thine eat and drink.
And it came to pass as he was in a certain place praying, that when he ceased, a certain man of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.
And John also was immersing in Aenon near Salim because there was much water there. And they came and were immersed.
When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and immersing more disciples than John
And he said to them, Into what then were ye immersed? And they said, Into John's immersion.
Watsons
JOHN THE BAPTIST, the forerunner of the Messiah, was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and was born about six months before our Saviour. His birth was foretold by an angel, sent purposely to deliver this joyful message, when his mother Elizabeth was barren, and both his parents far advanced in years. The same divine messenger foretold that he should be great in the sight of the Lord: that he should be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb; that he should prepare the way of the Lord by turning many of the Jews to the knowledge of God; and that he should be the greatest of all the prophets, Lu 1:5-15. Of the early part of the Baptist's life we have but little information. It is only observed that "he grew and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel," Lu 1:80. Though consecrated from the womb to the ministerial office, John did not enter upon it in the heat of youth, but after several years spent in solitude and a course of self-denial.
The prophetical descriptions of the Baptist in the Old Testament are various and striking. That by Isaiah is: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God," Isa 40:3. Malachi has the following prediction: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse," Mal 4:5. That this was meant of the Baptist, we have the testimony of our Lord himself, who declared, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias who was to come," Mt 11:14. The appearance and manners of the Baptist, when he first came out into the world, excited general attention. His clothing was of camel's hair, bound round him with a leathern girdle, and his food consisted of locusts and wild honey, Mt 3:4. The message which he declared was authoritative: "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;" and the impression produced by his faithful reproofs and admonitions was powerful and extensive, and in a great number of instances lasting. Most of the first followers of our Lord appear to have been awakened to seriousness and religious inquiry by John's ministry. His character was so eminent, that many of the Jews thought him to be the Messiah; but he plainly declared that he was not that honoured person. Nevertheless, he was at first unacquainted with the person of Jesus Christ; only the Holy Ghost had told him that he on whom he should see the Holy Spirit descend and rest was the Messiah. When Jesus Christ presented himself to receive baptism from him, this sign was vouchsafed; and from that time he bore his testimony to Jesus, as the Christ.
Herod Antipas, having married his brother Philip's wife while Philip was still living, occasioned great scandal. John the Baptist, with his usual liberty and vigour, reproved Herod to his face; and told him that it was not lawful for him to have his brother's wife, while his brother was yet alive. Herod, incensed at this freedom, ordered him into custody, in the castle of Machoerus; and he was ultimately put to death. (See Antipas.) Thus fell this honoured prophet, a martyr to ministerial faithfulness. Other prophets testified of Christ; he pointed to him as already come. Others saw him afar off; he beheld the advancing glories of his ministry eclipsing his own, and rejoiced to "decrease" while his Master "increased." His ministry stands as a type of the true character of evangelical repentance: it goes before Christ and prepares his way; it is humbling, but not despairing; for it points to "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world." The Jews had such an opinion of this prophet's sanctity, that they ascribed the overthrow of Herod's army, which he had sent against his father-in- law, Aretas, to the just judgment of God for putting John the Baptist to death. The death of John the Baptist happened, as is believed, about the end of the thirty-first year of the vulgar era, or in the beginning of the thirty-second.
The baptism of John was much more perfect than that of the Jews, but less perfect than that of Jesus Christ. "It was," says St. Chrysostom, "as it were, a bridge, which, from the baptism of the Jews, made a way to that of our Saviour, and was more exalted than the first, but inferior to the second. That of St. John promised what that of Jesus Christ executed. Notwithstanding St. John did not enjoin his disciples to continue the baptism of repentance, which was of his institution, after his death, because, after the manifestation of the Messiah, and the establishment of the Holy Ghost, it became of no use; yet there were many of his followers who still administered it, and several years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, did not so much as know that there was any other baptism than that of John. Of this number was Apollos, a learned and zealous man, who was of Alexandria, and came to Ephesus twenty years after the resurrection of our Saviour, Ac 18:25. And when St. Paul came after Apollos to the same city, there were still many Ephesians who had received no other baptism, and were not yet informed that the Holy Ghost was received by baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, Ac 19:1. The Jews are said by the Apostle Paul to have been "baptized unto Moses," at the time when they followed him through the Red Sea, as the servant of God sent to be their leader. Those who went out to John "were baptized unto John's baptism;" that is, into the expectation of the person whom John announced, and into repentance of those sins which John condemned. Christians are "baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost," because in this expression is implied that whole system of truth which the disciples of Christ believe; into the name of the Father, the one true and living God whom Christians profess to serve; of the Son, that divine person revealed in the New Testament whom the Father sent to be the Saviour of the world; of the Holy Ghost, the divine person also revealed there as the Comforter, the Sanctifier, and the Guide of Christians.
JOHN THE EVANGELIST was a native of Bethsaida, in Galilee, son of Zebedee and Salome, by profession a fisherman. Some have thought that he was a disciple of John the Baptist before he attended Jesus Christ. He was brother to James the greater. It is believed that St. John was the youngest of the Apostles. Tillemont is of opinion that he was twenty-five or twenty-six years of age when he began to follow Jesus. Our Saviour had a particular friendship for him; and he describes himself by the name of "that disciple whom Jesus loved." St. John was one of the four Apostles to whom our Lord delivered his predictions relative to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the approaching calamities of the Jewish nation, Mr 13:3. St. Peter, St. James, and St. John were chosen to accompany our Saviour on several occasions, when the other Apostles were not permitted to be present. When Christ restored the daughter of Jairus to life, Mr 5:37; Lu 8:51; when he was transfigured on the mount, Mt 17:1-2; Mr 9:2; Lu 9:28; and when he endured his agony in the garden, Mt 26:36-37; Mr 14:32-33; St. Peter, St. James, and St. John were his only attendants. That St. John was treated by Christ with greater familiarity than the other Apostles, is evident from St. Peter desiring him to ask Christ who should betray him, when he himself did not dare to propose the question, Joh 13:24. He seems to have been the only Apostle present at the crucifixion, and to him Jesus, just as he was expiring upon the cross, gave the strongest proof of his confidence and regard, by consigning to him the care of his mother, Joh 19:26-27. As St. John had been witness to the death of our Saviour, by seeing the blood and water issue from his side, which a soldier had pierced, Joh 19:34-35, so he was one of the first made acquainted with his resurrection. Without any hesitation, he believed this great event, though "as
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The voice of a man crying out in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and fearful day of LORD comes.
Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather belt about his waist. And his food was locusts and wild honey.
And if ye are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is going to come.
And after six days Jesus takes Peter, and James, and John his brother, and brings them up onto a high mountain in private. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone as the sun, and his garments became white as the light.
Then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he says to his disciples, Sit ye here until, after going, I may pray there. And having taken Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and distressed.
And he allowed no man to accompany him except Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.
And after six days Jesus takes Peter and James and John, and leads them up onto a high mountain alone, in private. And he was transfigured before them,
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew questioned him privately,
And they come to a place the name of which was Gethsemane. And he says to his disciples, Sit ye here until I pray. And he takes Peter and James and John with him, and began to be greatly disturbed, and very distressed.
Therefore indeed, the Lord, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
It came to pass in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest, named Zacharias, from the division of Abijah, and his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, going in all the commandments and righteous things of the Lord blameless. read more. And there was no child to them because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in their days. But it came to pass during his service as a priest in the course of his division in the presence of God, that, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to burn incense after entering into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And an agent of Lord became visible to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zacharias having seen, was shaken, and fear fell upon him. But the agent said to him, Fear not, Zacharias, because thy plea was heard, and thy wife Elizabeth will bear a son for thee. And thou shall call his name John. And there will be joy and exultation for thee, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he should, no, not drink wine and strong drink. And he will be filled of Holy Spirit, even from his mother's belly.
And the child grew, and became strong in spirit. And he was in the desolate regions until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
And when he came to the house, he did not allow any man to enter in except Peter and John and James, and the father of the girl and the mother.
And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that after taking Peter and John and James, he went up onto the mountain to pray.
And it came to pass while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was brought up into heaven.
Simon Peter therefore gestured to this man to inquire whoever he may be about whom he speaks.
When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he says to his mother, Woman, behold thy son. Then says he to the disciple, Behold, thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own place.
But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and straightaway blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. And that man knows that he speaks true, so that ye may believe.
For they had not yet known the scripture that he must rise from the dead.
And as they spoke to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees approached them,
But after rising up, the high priest and all those with him (being the sect of the Sadducees) were filled of envy. And they threw their hands on the apostles, and put them in the public prison.
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria has received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they came down, prayed for them, so that they might receive Holy Spirit,
This was a man who was instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in the Spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things about the Lord, knowing only the immersion of John.
And it came to pass while Apollos was at Corinth, for Paul, having passed through the upper regions, to come to Ephesus. And having found some disciples,
But whoever keeps his word, truly in this man the love of God is fully perfected. By this we know that we are in him.
Brothers, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment that ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that ye heard from the beginning.
He who claims to be in the light, and hates his brother, is in the darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and no cause of stumbling is in him. read more. But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and he goes about in the darkness, and knows not where he goes, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Love not the world, nor the things in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Behold what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we may be called children of God. Because of this the world does not know you, because it did not know him.
Because this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love each other. Not as Cain. He was of the wicked, and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were wrong, and his brother's right.
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who is not loving the brother abides in death. Every man hating his brother is a man-killer. And ye know that no man-killer has eternal life abiding in him. read more. By this we know love, because that man laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But whoever has the world's living, and sees his brother having need, and closes his bowels from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My Little children, we should not love in word, nor with the tongue, but in deed and in truth.
And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love each other, just as he gave command.
Beloved, we should love each other. Because love is of God, and every man who loves has been begotten of God, and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, because God is love. read more. By this the love of God was made known in us, because God sent his Son, the only begotten, into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son, an atonement for our sins.
No man has ever seen God. If we love each other, God abides in us, and his love is in us, having been fully perfected.
And we know, and have believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this love has been fully perfected with us, so that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because just as that man is, we also are in this world. read more. Fear is not in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear holds punishment, and he who is afraid has not been fully perfected in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If any man says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And we have this commandment from him, so that he who loves God will also love his brother.
Every man who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten from God, and every man who loves him who begot, also loves him who has been begotten from him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. read more. For this is the love of God, that we may keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
I rejoice exceedingly that I have found of thy children walking in truth, just as we received commandment from the Father.
The children of thy chosen sister salute thee. Truly.
For I rejoiced exceedingly of brothers coming and testifing to the truth of thee, just as thou walk in truth. I have no greater joy than these things that I hear my children walking in truth. read more. Beloved, thou do a faithful thing, whatever thou work for the brothers and for strangers, who testified about thy love in sight of the congregation, whom thou will do well having helped send on their way worthily of God. For they went forth on behalf of the Name, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to welcome such men, so that we might become fellow workmen for the truth. I wrote to the congregation, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first of them, did not accept us.
Demetrius has been testified by all, and by the truth itself. But we also testify, and ye know that our testimony is true. I had many things to write, but I did not want to write to thee by pen and ink. read more. But I hope to see thee straightaway, and we will speak mouth to mouth. Peace to thee. The friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.
But I hope to see thee straightaway, and we will speak mouth to mouth. Peace to thee. The friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.
I John, your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Christ Jesus, happened to be on the isle that is called Patmos because of the word of God, and because of the testimony of Jesus Christ.