- Dec 20, 2003
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Each year I seem to get given the John Baptist sermon slots. Last year I focused on him as a prophet and his testimony to Christ. Rather than repeating myself this year I thought I would take a look at his relationship with the various Jewish theological groups of the time and contrast the truth of his testimony with the fake news that they were spewing out. What was it about his approach that worked and what was it about theirs that doomed them to their deceived little bubbles of ignorance , sort of thing.
Qumran obviously has the closest match with the John the Baptist ascetic lifestyle in the Judean desert. Some have even suggested that John the Baptist was a member of that community in his undocumented years.
So to focus this in some questions:
1) Was John the Baptist a member of the Qumran community before his ministry?
2) Are there similarities between his words and lifestyle and the Essenes?
3) What was it about the Pharisees, Saduccees, Essenes and Herodians that doomed them to be fake news outlets rather than truth givers? How did they get it so wrong? How come they did not recognise Jesus when he came but John did?
Anyway I would appreciate your thoughts.
Qumran obviously has the closest match with the John the Baptist ascetic lifestyle in the Judean desert. Some have even suggested that John the Baptist was a member of that community in his undocumented years.
So to focus this in some questions:
1) Was John the Baptist a member of the Qumran community before his ministry?
2) Are there similarities between his words and lifestyle and the Essenes?
3) What was it about the Pharisees, Saduccees, Essenes and Herodians that doomed them to be fake news outlets rather than truth givers? How did they get it so wrong? How come they did not recognise Jesus when he came but John did?
Anyway I would appreciate your thoughts.