Prophet · NT
John the Baptist
The wilderness forerunner who prepared Israel for the coming of Christ.
John was the son of the priest Zechariah and Elisabeth, kinswoman of Mary. His birth was announced by Gabriel, his miraculous conception in their old age, and his life set apart as a Nazarite from the womb. He came preaching in the wilderness of Judea: 'Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Matthew 3:2), baptizing all who came in the Jordan.
Jesus came to be baptized by him, and John bore witness: 'Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.' Soon after, John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas for rebuking the king's unlawful marriage and was beheaded at the request of Herodias. Jesus said of him, 'Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist' (Matthew 11:11).
Key moments
Miraculous birth foretold
Gabriel announces him to Zechariah in the temple (Luke 1).
Preaching in the wilderness
Crowds come from Jerusalem to be baptized.
Baptizes Jesus
The Father speaks; the Spirit descends (Matthew 3).
Imprisonment and beheading
Martyred under Herod Antipas (Mark 6).
Key verses
"And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight."
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"Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
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"And he preached, saying, There cometh after me he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I baptized you in water; but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit."
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"On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!"
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"He must increase, but I must decrease."
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Frequently asked
Was John the Baptist related to Jesus?
Yes. Luke 1:36 calls John's mother Elisabeth a 'kinswoman' of Mary, making John and Jesus distant relatives.
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