Dictionary of Bible Themes: 5098 John the Baptist

5098 John the Baptist

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Dictionary of Bible Themes » 5000 Humanity » 5070 Individuals in OT and NT » 5098 John the Baptist

The forerunner of Jesus Christ, born to elderly parents of the Aaronic line. His public ministry began in the Judean wilderness with a call to repentance and baptism. His ministry is seen as a fulfilment of OT prophecy, in preparation for the ministry of Jesus Christ. He was executed by Herod.

John's birth and early years

His birth and naming

Luke 1:57-60 See also Luke 1:5-13,61-66

Prophetic words over his life

Luke 1:14-17 See also Luke 1:76-79

He was related to Jesus Christ

Luke 1:36

His early years

Luke 1:80

John's ministry

His simple lifestyle

Matthew 3:4 pp Mark 1:6; Matthew 11:18 pp Luke 7:33; Luke 7:24-25

His call for repentance

Luke 3:3 pp Matthew 3:1 pp Mark 1:4

He fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy

Matthew 3:3 pp Mark 1:2-3 pp Luke 3:4-6 Just as roads were improved in the ancient world in preparation for the visit of a king, so John calls for people to prepare spiritually and morally for the imminent coming of the Messiah. See also Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23

His practice of baptism

Mark 1:4-5 pp Matthew 3:5-6 See also John 3:23; John 10:40

His challenge to established religion

Matthew 3:7-10 pp Luke 3:7-9 See also Luke 3:10-14

The contrast of his own baptism with that which the Messiah would bring

Luke 3:15-17 pp Matthew 3:11-12 pp Mark 1:7-8

His testimony to Jesus Christ

John 1:15 See also John 1:6-8,21-27; John 10:41

He recognises that his own ministry must decrease, while that of Jesus Christ will increase

John 3:27-30

John's baptising of Jesus Christ

See also

Matthew 3:13-15 pp Mark 1:9 pp Luke 3:21 John's reluctance to baptise Jesus Christ lay in his recognition of who Jesus was and the apparent inappropriateness of such a baptism; John 1:29-34

John and his disciples

John had disciples

John 1:35-37; John 3:25; John 4:1

He taught them to pray

Luke 11:1

His disciples become envious of Jesus Christ

John 3:25-26

He sends his disciples to question Jesus Christ

Matthew 11:2-6 pp Luke 7:18-23 Locked up in prison, John needed reassurance that his expectations about Jesus Christ had been well-founded.

John's disciples and the first Christians

Acts 18:24-19:7

John's imprisonment and death

His confrontation with Herod leads to his imprisonment

Luke 3:19-20 See also Matthew 14:3-5 pp Mark 6:17-20

His execution

Matthew 14:6-12 pp Mark 6:21-29

Some thought Jesus Christ to be John risen from the dead

Mark 8:27-28 pp Matthew 16:13-14 See also Matthew 14:1-2 pp Mark 6:14-16 pp Luke 9:7-9

Jesus Christ's estimation of John

Jesus Christ honours him

Matthew 11:11 pp Luke 7:28

Jesus Christ sees him as marking the end of the old covenant and the arrival of the kingdom

Luke 16:16 See also Matthew 11:12-13

Jesus Christ sees him as the promised Elijah

Matthew 11:14 On the basis of Malachi's prophecy (Mal 4:5), it was widely accepted that Elijah must come before the Messiah could appear. This identification would have been reinforced by John dressing like Elijah (see 2Ki 1:8). See also Matthew 11:10; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 17:11-13 pp Mark 9:11-13