John

[Xeno.of.athens]

What was saint John the Baptist's role in the gospel story?

Saint Luke gives a few hints.

Luke 3:1-22 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina: 2 Under the high priests Anna and Caiphas: the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. 3 And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins. 4 As it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. 5 Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain. 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 7 He said therefore to the multitudes that went forth to be baptized by him: Ye offspring of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of penance: and do not begin to say, We have Abraham for our father. For I say unto you that God is able of these stones, to raise up children to Abraham. 9 For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire. 10 And the people asked him, saying: What then shall we do? 11 And he answering, said to them: He that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do in like manner. 12 And the publicans also came to be baptized and said to him: Master, what shall we do? 13 But he said to them: Do nothing more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers also asked him, saying: And what shall we do? And he said to them: Do violence to no man, neither calumniate any man; and be content with your pay. 15 And as the people were of opinion, and all were thinking in their hearts of John, that perhaps he might be the Christ: 16 John answered, saying unto all: I indeed baptize you with water: but there shall come one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire; 17 Whose fan is in his hand: and he will purge his floor and will gather the wheat into his barn: but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. 18 And many other things exhorting did he preach to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, when he was reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done: 20 He added this also above all and shut up John in prison. 21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also being baptized and praying, heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, as a dove, upon him. And a voice came from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son. In thee I am well pleased.​

He came as a prophet, he baptised for repentance and the remission of sins, and he announced the coming of Christ, as a kind of herald.

 

[ViaCrucis]

What was saint John the Baptist's role in the gospel story?

Saint Luke gives a few hints.

Luke 3:1-22 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina: 2 Under the high priests Anna and Caiphas: the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. 3 And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins. 4 As it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. 5 Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain. 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 7 He said therefore to the multitudes that went forth to be baptized by him: Ye offspring of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of penance: and do not begin to say, We have Abraham for our father. For I say unto you that God is able of these stones, to raise up children to Abraham. 9 For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire. 10 And the people asked him, saying: What then shall we do? 11 And he answering, said to them: He that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do in like manner. 12 And the publicans also came to be baptized and said to him: Master, what shall we do? 13 But he said to them: Do nothing more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers also asked him, saying: And what shall we do? And he said to them: Do violence to no man, neither calumniate any man; and be content with your pay. 15 And as the people were of opinion, and all were thinking in their hearts of John, that perhaps he might be the Christ: 16 John answered, saying unto all: I indeed baptize you with water: but there shall come one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire; 17 Whose fan is in his hand: and he will purge his floor and will gather the wheat into his barn: but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. 18 And many other things exhorting did he preach to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, when he was reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done: 20 He added this also above all and shut up John in prison. 21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also being baptized and praying, heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, as a dove, upon him. And a voice came from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son. In thee I am well pleased.​

He came as a prophet, he baptised for repentance and the remission of sins, and he announced the coming of Christ, as a kind of herald.

Hence why he is also called St. John the Forerunner.

I'd also add that John is the fulfillment of the promise made centuries prior by the Prophet Malachi that Elijah would return before the Great Day of YHWH. While John does not heap praise upon himself when asked if he is the Elijah who was promised, instead favoring the words of Isaiah, calling himself a voice calling in the wilderness, our Lord Himself declares with abundant clarity that John is the Elijah, for he came in the spirit and power of Elijah to call Israel to repentance.

And also that, as the Forerunner of the Lord, the Elijah that was promised to come before the Great Day of YHWH, he is the last of the Prophets of Israel, for all the Prophets all the way to John the Baptist pointed toward the One who was to come, the Messiah, the Christ, that is, Jesus. For our Lord Jesus Christ is the consummation and fullness of Israel, the Suffering Servant who bears the guilt, the weight, and magnitude of Israel--and indeed the whole world. For Christ, the promised Seed of Abraham, and the promised offspring of Eve who would crush the serpent's head, has made full all the promises made beforehand to the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets.

Israel's King has come, YHWH Himself appeared before men as a man: God the only-begotten Son of the Father who is the Word of the Father, uncreated and without beginning, who is of the Father's own Being as God from God, Light from Light, very God from very God, has come. The King has come, and through Him the kingdom has appeared to men by His own life, passion, death, and resurrection; and He has received all kingdom, power, and authority as King Messiah, seated at the right hand of the Father, who rules all things by His love. Who will come again, on the final day, to put an end to all death, to judge with righteous judgment the living and the dead, for the dead shall be raised, all will stand and give account; and God shall make all things new and be all in all. And in the end, in those future ages of ages, we shall dwell with the Lord forever, God will be in our midst, He shall be our God and we shall be His people. Every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And He shall reign forever and ever, ages unto the ages, world without end. Amen.

So John came before the Great Day of YHWH, for YHWH Himself has made His Visitation--Jesus Christ our Lord. And as the Church we are the witness-bearers of this glorious Gospel.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Hence why he is also called St. John the Forerunner.

I'd also add that John is the fulfillment of the promise made centuries prior by the Prophet Malachi that Elijah would return before the Great Day of YHWH. While John does not heap praise upon himself when asked if he is the Elijah who was promised, instead favoring the words of Isaiah, calling himself a voice calling in the wilderness, our Lord Himself declares with abundant clarity that John is the Elijah, for he came in the spirit and power of Elijah to call Israel to repentance.

And also that, as the Forerunner of the Lord, the Elijah that was promised to come before the Great Day of YHWH, he is the last of the Prophets of Israel, for all the Prophets all the way to John the Baptist pointed toward the One who was to come, the Messiah, the Christ, that is, Jesus. For our Lord Jesus Christ is the consummation and fullness of Israel, the Suffering Servant who bears the guilt, the weight, and magnitude of Israel--and indeed the whole world. For Christ, the promised Seed of Abraham, and the promised offspring of Eve who would crush the serpent's head, has made full all the promises made beforehand to the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets.

Israel's King has come, YHWH Himself appeared before men as a man: God the only-begotten Son of the Father who is the Word of the Father, uncreated and without beginning, who is of the Father's own Being as God from God, Light from Light, very God from very God, has come. The King has come, and through Him the kingdom has appeared to men by His own life, passion, death, and resurrection; and He has received all kingdom, power, and authority as King Messiah, seated at the right hand of the Father, who rules all things by His love. Who will come again, on the final day, to put an end to all death, to judge with righteous judgment the living and the dead, for the dead shall be raised, all will stand and give account; and God shall make all things new and be all in all. And in the end, in those future ages of ages, we shall dwell with the Lord forever, God will be in our midst, He shall be our God and we shall be His people. Every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And He shall reign forever and ever, ages unto the ages, world without end. Amen.

So John came before the Great Day of YHWH, for YHWH Himself has made His Visitation--Jesus Christ our Lord. And as the Church we are the witness-bearers of this glorious Gospel.

-CryptoLutheran

There is also the material in Matthew, Mark, and John about saint John the Baptist. All give testimony to his work in baptising in the Jordan river area, with a baptism of repentance and remission of sins, though Matthew and John use different descriptions of his baptism.

Mark 1:1-11 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaias the prophet: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee. 3 A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight his paths. 4 John was in the desert, baptising and preaching the baptism of penance, unto remission of sins. 5 And there went out to him all the country of Judea and all they of Jerusalem and were baptised by him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 And John was clothed camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins: and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying: There cometh after me one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8 I have baptised you with water: but he shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost. 9 And it came to pass, in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptised by John in Jordan. 10 And forthwith coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens open and the Spirit as a dove descending and remaining on him. 11 And there came a voice from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.​

John 1:19-34 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask him: Who art thou? 20 And he confessed and did not deny: and he confessed: I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him: What then? Art thou Elias? And he said: I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered: No. 22 They said therefore unto him: Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. 24 And they that were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him and said to him: Why then dost thou baptise, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? 26 John answered them, saying: I baptise with water: but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not. 27 The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. 28 These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him; and he saith: Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said: After me there cometh a man, who is preferred before me: because he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he may be made manifest in Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John gave testimony, saying: I saw the Spirit coming down, as a dove from heaven; and he remained upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he who sent me to baptise with water said to me: He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he it is that baptiseth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw: and I gave testimony that this is the Son of God.​

 

[d taylor]

-​

John The Baptist came to prepare The Nation of Israel to receive Jesus as The Promised Messiah from the prophecies of The Tanakh.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

John The Baptist came to prepare The Nation of Israel to receive Jesus as The Promised Messiah from the prophecies of The Tanakh.​

We call him "the Baptist" because he came to baptise and to preach the coming of Messiah, but he also did other things and was a prophet. What you wrote is correct, and his most characteristic work of preparation was the proclamation of Messiah's coming while he baptised the people.

 

[d taylor]

-
​

John, Meet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37–38) – Grace Evangelical Society

 

[Philip_B]

He came to Testify to the Light | John 1:6-9
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

The Testimony of John the Baptist | John 1:19-28
This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said,

‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,​

“Make straight the way of the Lord” ’,​

as the prophet Isaiah said.​

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God | John 1:29-34
The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

The First Disciples of Jesus | John 1:35-37
The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

Jesus and John the Baptist | John 3:22-30
After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized— John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison.

Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.’ John answered, ‘No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, “I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.” He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.’

He came as a prophet, he baptised for repentance and the remission of sins, and he announced the coming of Christ, as a kind of herald.

Initially, I was simply going to quote John 1:6-9 as the direct answer. Then I thought a little more and the role of the Baptist is very much in line with the task the Evangelist sets for himself in the 4th Gospel, namely, to tell us who Jesus is.

 

[Dan Perez]

What was saint John the Baptist's role in the gospel story?

Saint Luke gives a few hints.

Luke 3:1-22 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina: 2 Under the high priests Anna and Caiphas: the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. 3 And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins. 4 As it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. 5 Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain. 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 7 He said therefore to the multitudes that went forth to be baptized by him: Ye offspring of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of penance: and do not begin to say, We have Abraham for our father. For I say unto you that God is able of these stones, to raise up children to Abraham. 9 For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire. 10 And the people asked him, saying: What then shall we do? 11 And he answering, said to them: He that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do in like manner. 12 And the publicans also came to be baptized and said to him: Master, what shall we do? 13 But he said to them: Do nothing more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers also asked him, saying: And what shall we do? And he said to them: Do violence to no man, neither calumniate any man; and be content with your pay. 15 And as the people were of opinion, and all were thinking in their hearts of John, that perhaps he might be the Christ: 16 John answered, saying unto all: I indeed baptize you with water: but there shall come one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire; 17 Whose fan is in his hand: and he will purge his floor and will gather the wheat into his barn: but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. 18 And many other things exhorting did he preach to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, when he was reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done: 20 He added this also above all and shut up John in prison. 21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also being baptized and praying, heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, as a dove, upon him. And a voice came from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son. In thee I am well pleased.​

He came as a prophet, he baptised for repentance and the remission of sins, and he announced the coming of Christ, as a kind of herald.

John was to BAPTIZE Israel only .

John 1:31 reads , And I knew Him not , but that He should be made manifest TO ISRAEL , , therefore am I come BAPTIZING with WATER .

and John 's WATER BAPTISM was not for GENTILES !!

Why Baptism ONLY for Israel ? because all males of Israel are to be kings and Priests , Rev 1:6

dan p