John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin who preached repentance in the Judean desert and baptized those who confessed their sins in the Jordan River (Elwell and Yarbrough 109). He had a special call on his life “to bear witness about the light” (English Standard Version, John 1.8) of Jesus (Foster 65) and is recorded in all four of the Gospels of the New Testament. John’s entire ministry is a perfect example of the faithful servitude Christ calls each believer’s life to illustrate.
The Gospel of Luke records that even as a baby yet unborn, John “leaped for joy” (Lk. 1.44) at the presence of the Jesus’ mother Mary. Once he was born “his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed” (Lk. 1.64) to speak blessings to God. So apparent from birth was the fact that “the hand of the Lord was with [John]” (Lk. 1.66). God had ordained John’s life for special use, just as He preordains all mankind’s individual destinies. …show more content…
He never sought any fame, and even stressed that Jesus’ followers “must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3.30). John displayed perfect humility and submission to his call. When he was baptizing and Jesus appeared, at first John said that he himself needed to be baptized by the Lord. But upon Christ declaring that in order to “fulfill all righteousness” (Mtw. 3.15) He must be baptized, John immediately acquiesced. It is a testament to John’s faithful heart that he obeyed the Lord’s command without hesitation or question, a characteristic that most of Jesus’ own disciples could not
The Gospel of Luke records that even as a baby yet unborn, John “leaped for joy” (Lk. 1.44) at the presence of the Jesus’ mother Mary. Once he was born “his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed” (Lk. 1.64) to speak blessings to God. So apparent from birth was the fact that “the hand of the Lord was with [John]” (Lk. 1.66). God had ordained John’s life for special use, just as He preordains all mankind’s individual destinies. …show more content…
He never sought any fame, and even stressed that Jesus’ followers “must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3.30). John displayed perfect humility and submission to his call. When he was baptizing and Jesus appeared, at first John said that he himself needed to be baptized by the Lord. But upon Christ declaring that in order to “fulfill all righteousness” (Mtw. 3.15) He must be baptized, John immediately acquiesced. It is a testament to John’s faithful heart that he obeyed the Lord’s command without hesitation or question, a characteristic that most of Jesus’ own disciples could not