Promises from the Prophets

John the Baptiser
IN THE BIBLE

See also: Yahya in the Qur'an »

OUTLINE

The children of Israel forgot God and his Law, again

The children of Israel forgot God and his Law, again (Isaiah 65:2). God warned that their sin would not go unpunished. He sent them into exile as captives of Babylon (Isaiah 1:1-31, Amos 5:16-27). The city of David, and the Temple of Solomon, lay in ruins (Ezra 3:12, Haggai 2:3). But God was not happy to leave the children of Israel in exile. He promised some would return home. Seventy years later, they did. Cyrus of Persia freed the exiles. They returned to the promised land, and Solomon's Temple was rebuilt (Ezra 5:13-15).

Centuries later, the children of Israel still felt the shame of captivity

Centuries later, the children of Israel still felt the shame of captivity (1 Maccabees 1 [Apocrypha]; Luke 2:1-5). Foreign armies of Greece and Rome occupied the land. Once again, they desecrated God's Temple. The prophets had been silent for 400 years. So the people were asking, where is the victorious king God promised David? (Matthew 12:23, Matthew 22:42)

Prophet Isaiah promised that the Messiah was coming

Prophet Isaiah promised that the Messiah was coming. Around 700 BCE, before the exile, Isaiah described the coming Messiah as a suffering servant; an innocent king from David's line who would be "led like a lamb to the slaughter" for God's people: "the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 52:13-15 and Isaiah 53:1-12). Isaiah told also of a prophet who would go ahead of the Messiah: "a voice of one calling the wilderness, 'prepare the way for the Lord!'" (Isaiah 40:3)

John the Baptiser was a great prophet in the wilderness

John the Baptiser was a great prophet in the wilderness (Matthew 3:16). He was born miraculously, to a barren mother, Elizabeth, and her husband Zachariah, who belonged to Aaron's priestly line (Luke 1:5-25). John's birth was announced by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:8-19). He lived humbly as a preacher in the Judaean desert, where he called people to be baptised as a sign of repentance (Matthew 3:1-6). His cousin, Jesus, honoured John as the greatest of men under God's Old Covenant era (Luke 7:28). Yet John said of Jesus, “I am not worthy to stoop and untie his sandals” (Mark 1:7, Acts 13:25).

John identified Jesus as the Messiah

John identified Jesus as the Messiah (Psalms 2, Psalms 28:8, Isaiah 9:6-7). The title 'Mashiach' marked Jesus as the 'Anointed One' – the promised saviour and king from David's royal line. This was the one God had promised to rule on David's throne forever (Isaiah 9:7). But this was not all. When John saw Jesus in the wilderness he declared: “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:24-36)

The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

REFLECTION: GOD'S CLEANSING

God created people to love them, in a perfect relationship with Him.

When sin gets in the way, God provides a means to cleanse us. Throughout the history of the Israelites, animal sacrifices and water baptism served as important rituals to cleanse the people from sins.

John is described in the Bible as the forerunner of the Messiah. He was sent by God to prepare the way for the Lord. John announced Jesus as the Messiah foretold by the prophets. He also spoke of what Jesus would accomplish for rest of humanity. By baptising people in water for the forgiveness of their sins, John prepared and pointed to Jesus’ greater ministry. John said, “I baptise you with water … He (Jesus) will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16)

DISCUSSION POINTS

KEY READING

John 1:19-42

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IN THE QUR'AN