The Forerunner

John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, the herald of the Kingdom of God and the one who baptizes in the Spirit – Mark 1:4-8.

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah of Israel, in fulfillment of the Scriptures. He was the Voice in the Wilderness, and the Elijah who was to come and restore all things before the Day of the Lord - (Malachi 4:5, Matthew 11:14).

All four gospel accounts apply the same passage from the Book of Isaiah to John, the messenger who summons the nation of Israel to repent before the Messiah arrives. A man’s physical descent from Abraham is insufficient for entrance into the Kingdom of God. Repentance and conversion that produce good fruit are mandatory:

• “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance! And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father; for I say to you, God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that does not produce good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire” – (Matthew 3:7-10).

[Photo by Nuno Antunes (Lisbon) on Unsplash]

The crowds asked John whether he was the prophet “like Moses” or Elijah (Deuteronomy 18:15-16, Malachi 4:5). In response, John cited the prophecy of Isaiah, identifying himself as the forerunner of the Messiah. Not only did John summon Israel to repent, but he pointed the Jews to the Coming One who would baptize them in the Holy Spirit:

• “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low. And all the crooked ways will become straight, and the rough places plains. And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all flesh will see the salvation of God, for the Lord has spoken” - (Isaiah 40:3-5, Septuagint).

• “Beginning of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ. Even as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, BEHOLD! I SEND MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR FACE, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY. THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS. MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD. MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. John came, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem; and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, acknowledging their sins. And John was CLOTHED WITH CAMEL’S HAIR AND HAD A LEATHER BELT ABOUT HIS LOINS, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, There is coming after me he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am unworthy to stoop and unloose. I baptized you with water, but he himself will baptize you in Holy Spirit” - (Mark 1:1-8. Compare Matthew 3:3, 11:10, Luke 3:4-6, John 1:23).

The activities of John parallel aspects of the ministry of Elijah.  John also was “clothed with camel's hair and a leather belt,” and like Elijah, he spent time in the desert - (2 Kings 1:1-8, Malachi 3:1-3, 4:5, Mark 9:12-13, Luke 1:17).

The Greek noun translated as “repentance” in Mark 1:4 signifies a change of mind. It involves more than remorse over past misdeeds. Men and women must repent and turn away from their sinful ways. Baptism in water confirms a man’s act of repentance, and it is done for the remission of sins. Repentance requires the complete reorientation of our lives.

• “Bring forth, therefore, fruits worthy of repentance” – (Luke 3:8).

• “Repent, therefore, and be converted that your sins may be erased, so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord” – (Acts 3:19).

The term ‘remission’ (Greek, ‘aphesis’ or αφεσις) in Greek and English means to release or discharge something. While baptism in water is a necessary part of the process, by itself, it is powerless to forgive sins unless the act of repentance is accompanied by genuine sorrow and a change of life.

Elsewhere in the Greek Scripture, ‘remission’ is applied to the “discharge” of debt and even divorce decrees as well as the forgiveness of sins. Repentance followed by water baptism discharges the stain of sin. According to the Baptist, repentance and water baptism are necessary for Jewish men and women in preparation for the Messiah (Compare Matthew 26:28 and Ephesians 1:7).

John summoned the entire nation to repent and be “immersed” in water, which is the meaning of the Greek verb ‘baptizô’ or βαπτιζω. The crowds that came to hear the words of John included Pharisees, Sadducees, and priests, namely, many of Israel’s religious leaders. Representatives of all levels of Jewish society heard John’s warning, but not everyone responded positively - (Matthew 3:6, John 1:19).

John pointed the crowds to the Messiah, the one who will bring the Good News of God’s Kingdom. John compared himself with this “coming one” in three ways: Might, Worth, and Mode of Baptism.

John saw himself as not even worthy to unloose the strap of the Messiah’s sandals. In first-century society, removing another man’s footwear was a menial task, and it was commonly assigned to slaves and domestic servants.

IN THE SPIRIT

Thus, John describes himself as unworthy of becoming even the lowest slave in Christ’s household. John’s baptism in water was preparatory, not final. He baptized sinners with water, but the Messiah baptizes men and women in the Holy Spirit (Compare John 1:31-34).

The gift of the Spirit is an expectation of the last days and foundational to the New Covenant. The presence of the Spirit sets the saints apart from other men for service to the Son of God - (Acts 2:38-39, Galatians 2:14, Isaiah 44:3, Jeremiah 31:31-34).

• “And I will take you out from the nations, and I will gather you out of all the lands. And I will bring you into your own land. And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be purged from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. And I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. And I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you, and I will cause you to walk in my ordinances, and to keep my judgments, and do them” – (Ezekiel 36:24-27. Compare Joel 2:28-29, Acts 2:17-21, 2 Corinthians 3:3-18, Hebrews 8:6-13).

Jesus did not abandon water baptism, but his messianic baptism adds something new and significant - the baptism in the Spirit. Therefore, his baptism is superior to that of John or anything previously experienced by the people of Israel.

Christ is the one who gives the Spirit to his people, and therefore, he inaugurates the age of the Spirit, the reign of God, and the New Covenant. But he will not grant this gift until after his death, resurrection, and exaltation to the right hand of God:

• “It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you” – (John 16:7).

• “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to THE ENDS OF THE EARTH” – (Acts 1:8. Note the allusions to Isaiah 43:10, 52:10 and Psalm 2:8 [“I will give the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession”]).

• “This Jesus God raised up, of which we all are witnesses. Being, therefore, exalted to THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this, which you see and hear” – (Acts 2:32-33. The verbal allusion is to Psalm 110:1).

And so, John set the stage for the public unveiling of the Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, the anointed one who baptizes his followers in the Holy Spirit.

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[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint (see the links here and here). Text printed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

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SEE ALSO:

• The Gospel Begins - (Redemption and God's Kingdom arrived in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, starting with his baptism by John – Mark 1:1-3)

• The Salvation of the Lord - ('Jesus' means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In this Man of Nazareth, the Salvation promised by the God of Abraham and Israel has arrived for all men)

• Recognizing Jesus - (It was only when he died that the Roman centurion in charge of the execution recognized that Jesus was the Son of God)

• The Knowledge of God - (Jesus reveals the meaning of Scripture, the understanding of the future, and the nature and mysteries of God)