John the Baptist was a pivotal figure in the Bible. But who was he, and why was he so important?
John the Baptist was born to Elizabeth and Zechariah, who was a priest of the Jewish temple. They were very religious and good people. They longed to have a child; however, they had tried for years to no avail, and now they were too old to have children. After so long of trying, they had given up hope.
The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and told him that Elizabeth would bear his child, and that they should name the child John. The child would be filled with the spirit and it was up to Zechariah to lead him down a righteous path, for John would pave the way for the coming of the Messiah.
Elizabeth did have a son, and they named him John. As John grew, his flair for attracting crowds of attention was clear. He was considered a fiery preacher who wore clothing made of camel hair and lived in the wilderness, surviving on insects and fruits. He warned that sinful ways must be changed, and encouraged those who had much to share with those who had little. He exposed the greed of tax collectors, warned soldiers to never take advantage of those they served, and baptized those who wanted to come to Christ.
All the while John made it clear that the Messiah was coming. When Jesus approached John and asked to be baptized, John questioned why. “You are the one who should be baptizing me,” he said to Jesus. But Jesus insisted, and so John baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. His ministry had begun, and as had been promised, John paved the way for the Messiah to come.
Eventually John met an ugly fate. His blunt comments and clear-speaking ways got him into trouble with many people, but when he publicly criticized King Herod for unlawfully marrying his brother’s wife, John’s fate was sealed. On order of the king, John the Baptist was beheaded for his outspoken views. What he had helped set in motion, however – the recognition of Jesus as the Messiah – would live on forever.