John the Baptist
Matthew 3:1-12; Luke 3:1-20
He wore camel hair, ate locusts, and told everyone — including kings — to repent.
A wild figure emerges from the Judean wilderness — John, son of the priest Zechariah, dressed in camel's hair with a leather belt, eating locusts and wild honey. His message is blunt: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. People stream out from Jerusalem and all Judea to hear him. He baptizes them in the Jordan. When religious leaders arrive, he doesn't welcome them — he calls them a brood of vipers. When soldiers ask what to do, he says stop extorting people. When King Herod takes his brother's wife, John tells him it's not lawful. John is the bridge between the Old Testament and the New — the last prophet, the voice crying in the wilderness, making straight the way for someone greater.
- Repentance
- Prophecy Fulfilled
- Boldness
- Preparation
John the Baptist: common questions
Who was John the Baptist?
John was a prophet, the son of the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth, and a relative of Jesus (Luke 1). He lived in the wilderness of Judea, wore camel's hair, ate locusts and wild honey, and called people to repent and be baptized as the Messiah's forerunner.
What was John the Baptist's message?
'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near' (Matthew 3:2). He warned the crowds and religious leaders to 'bear fruit worthy of repentance' and pointed forward to one coming after him who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Did John the Baptist baptize Jesus?
Yes. In Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus comes to John at the Jordan. John hesitates, feeling unworthy, but Jesus insists. As Jesus comes up from the water the Spirit descends like a dove and a voice from heaven says, 'This is my beloved Son.'
