#2: “The Message of John the Baptizer”

INTRO:
Who was this man known as John the Baptizer? Some consider him to be
the most theologically significant figure in the gospel accounts, apart from
Jesus himself. His birth and entrance into the world parallels that of Jesus, as
well as that of Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah.
Elizabeth, who gave birth to John, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were
kin, although we can’t be sure that they were “cousins” as the NIV indicates.
The Greek word used to describe their kinship is “SUNGENIS,” which simply
means “kinswoman” or “relative.” Elizabeth was six months along when Mary
became pregnant, so John was six months older than Jesus.
Although the Baptizer’s formative years were lived in obscurity in the
desert, when he came with his message to the people of Judea, he was the first
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prophet of God that they had heard in four hundred years! God had been silent
for four hundred years! John was the “voice crying in the wilderness” that
Isaiah prophesied about seven hundred years earlier:
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make
straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3).
Matthew wrote in chapter 3, verses 1 through 3:
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of
by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
John’s lifestyle was notable in that he chose to live an ascetic life in the
wilderness, subsisting on locusts and wild honey. (Have you ever eaten
chocolate-covered fried grasshoppers?) His clothing was made from woven
camel hair. He was quite the sight, even for his day.
He called on the Jews to repent, and those who did were baptized in the
Jordan. Even Jesus asked to be baptized.
The Jews believed that Elijah would return and prepare the way for the
Messiah, so when John came along, they thought him to be Elijah. However,
when they realized that he was identifying an iterant teacher and preacher
named Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” they
were more than a little skeptical.
John became a victim of Herod’s wrath for pointing out his infidelity, as he
had him beheaded at the request of his evil daughter.
Now let’s look at the biblical text of our study this morning, noting first
that…