The life of the enigmatic and charismatic prophet, John the Baptist is both brief and powerful in the four gospels. Reaching Matthew 14, which records the events that lead up to John's death, gives us the opportunity to see his entire life in our study today. He is the last Old Testament prophet, as stated by Jesus in Matthew 11:11-15. He preached the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, looking to bring the nation of Israel back into fellowship with God through the baptism of repentance, a key point in the gospel of the kingdom.
Matthew 3:11-12: I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
The Life of John the Baptist:
Birth: Luke 1:5-25, 57-66 Luke One is unique in the synoptic gospels, in that it is the only gospel that records these events.
Ministry: Matthew 3:1-17, 11:1-15 (Malachi 4:5-6), Mark 1:1-11, Like 3:1-22, John 1:6-9, 19-34, John 3:22-36 John is approached by a group of Pharisees early in his ministry, asking if he is the Christ / Messiah, or Elijah or Isaiah. He boldly proclaims, No! As we saw in class, in John 3:22-36, John's last testimony in this gospel is one of pointing all to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the truth that only believing on the Son will bring you eternal life.
John 3:36: He that believeth on the Son hath life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Paul reiterated a similar truth to the Philippian jailor, clearly in the dispensation of the grace of God. Yes, John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet, so, we must place his message clearly before the cross of Christ, but we cannot ignore that the message that belief on the Lord Jesus Christ was critical to salvation on both sides of the cross!
Acts 16:30-31: And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Incarceration: Matthew 4:12, Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:14-15 (John is not mentioned) In all three records, Jesus has just returned from his wilderness temptation. In Matthew and Mark, he receives word that John has been imprisoned by Herod. This is the catalyst of his 3 years of ministry. In Mark, we are given a clear definition of the kingdom gospel.
Mark 1:14-15: Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
The elements of salvation in the kingdom gospel, which is before the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, are repent and believe the gospel – the kingdom of heaven is at hand. See Matthew 3:11-12 above. The literal, physical kingdom is available if you, as a nation, repent.
We all know this is not our gospel. Paul never preaches repentance as a key ingredient to our salvation. It is that we believe that he died for our sins, and believe that he was buried, and believe that he arose from the dead as payment / the propitiation of our sins, and that they are forgiven. When we confess this truth, salvation is God's gift to us. Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:8-9, Titus 3:3-7
Death: Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 9:7-9 (John's gospel does not record his death)
The hubris of a man in power, King Herod is on full display. His immoral behavior placed him in the cross hairs of the Law of Moses, and John was going to be the voice of that law. Herod represented the leaven of immorality which would destroy the nation if it was not purged. The leaven of false doctrine and following tradition instead of the law was revealed by the Lord. These two types of leaven were deadly to the nation's ability to repent and believe the gospel.
Mark 8:15: And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
John's death was devastating, but it was galvanizing to the ministry of Christ to push on to its ultimate conclusion – the cross of Calvary! John's death reminded Christ that his death, too, was looming.
