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John the Baptist

December 20, 2024

Isaiah 10:5-19| 2 Peter 2:17-22| Matthew 11:2-15

I was delighted when I discovered that today’s readings discuss John the Baptist. I have always been fascinated by him. As a child, I was intrigued by John’s wild and unkempt image and his diet of locusts and wild honey. In addition, one of my fondest memories from my teenage years is a trip my mother and I took to New York City to see the original, off-Broadway production of GodSpell. My mother was a theater buff and knew this would be a special experience for me.

She was right! To this day I remember the character of John the Baptist running down the aisle of the theatre in a blue and white stripe shirt trumpeting, “prepare ye the way of the Lord.” It was mesmerizing! Since the life of John the Baptist and the life of Christ are inextricably tied together, Advent is the perfect time to look at the relationship between them.

According to An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, John’s father was Zechariah who was a priest of the Jerusalem Temple. John’s mother, Elizabeth, was considered barren, and an angel told Zechariah that he was to have a son and to name him John. Apparently, Zechariah responded with disbelief and the angel struck him dumb until after John’s birth. Elizabeth was related to the Virgin Mary and they spent time together when Mary was pregnant. During this meeting, it is said John leapt with joy in Elizabeth’s womb. I find it fascinating that Jesus and John were related and that there was a mystical bond between them even before they were born. This makes their relationship even more poignant and mysterious.

In my research, I discovered that there is not much else known about John until he begins his ministry. Their relationship continued when they became adults and began to preach. Jesus and many others were baptized by John during this time in his life. John is called “the Baptist” because he reached out to baptize people if they repented to God for their sins. John baptized Jesus, but according to Mathew, John questioned whether he should. Also we know while John was in prison before his death, he reached out to Jesus and essentially asked are you the one we have been waiting for or should we look for another. Jesus answered by calling attention to his work how the blind see, the lame walk and people are healed. In addition, we know that Jesus went off to grieve in a boat after John’s death. All of these incidents give us a glimpse into the complex relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist.

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church states that “John was a “Prophetic forerunner of Jesus. John preached conversion and proclaimed a baptism of repentance.” Finally, John implied that Jesus was the bride groom and that John, himself, was the bridegroom’s friend. So as I learned watching Godspell so many years ago, John the Baptist prepared the way for his cousin, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glenis Downie